To implement screening protocols with reliable and
repeatable results, information on factors potentially
influencing the measurement of BHBA is essential. Oetzel
(2004) supposed that the blood sampling location
affects the BHBA concentration. He recommended that
blood samples to measure BHBA concentration should
not be collected from the mammary vein (V. epigastrica
cranialis superficialis) because the mammary gland is
able to utilize BHBA as an energy source (Kronfeld
et al., 1968), which might affect venous BHBA concentration.
One previous study observed 9.3% lower
BHBA concentrations in blood samples obtained from
the mammary vein compared with the jugular vein
(Redetzky et al., 2003)