So, if the average goat weighs, say, 60KG, then they’ll have 4,200 milliliters of blood in their body.
The spectrum can range from around 3900 to around 7000, then, with most goats falling somewhere on the lower end of that spectrum.
How much blood an animal has, though, is hugely variable at any given moment, but this gives you a rough idea.
Let’s look further into this.
How is blood volume calculated?
There’s not much way of giving a precise figure without draining the goat entirely.
As I said, it’s calculated based on the animal’s size and weight, and a rough estimate can be given from there.
Taking a blood sample can also give an idea of overall volume, although this is not something anyone can really do.
Taking blood samples requires a lot of training and equipment.
So, the exact volume of every individual cannot be calculated.
That said, we have enough data on goats to have a rough idea of what a certain weight of goat will mean in terms of blood volume.
With that said—how much blood do goats usually have?
How much blood is in a goat?
So, as I said, by weight, the figure is usually around 70ml for every one kilogram.
In other words, the average goat weighing about 60-80kg will have around 1 gallon of blood in its body.
A much heavier goat will have a lot more blood.
Of the largest breeds, some males can weigh as much as 160KG.
This would mean they could have two or three gallons of blood, much more than their smaller counterparts.
Small breeds, like pygmies, may have as little as only half a gallon.
As I said, then, the only way you can be sure is by having a good idea of their precise weight.
Without that, you’d only be guessing based on breed.
We’ve been talking a lot in metric, so let’s just briefly contextualize it in imperial terms.
How many gallons of blood does a goat have?
On average, a goat that weighs 180 pounds is likely to have a little over 1 gallon of blood.
This is roughly in the middle, the general average of goat weight and thus the rough average of blood volume.
The upper limit is going to be around 2.5 gallons—even the largest goats can’t have much more than this.
And the smallest goats likely have around half a gallon.
Again, there’s no certainty without weighing or sampling.
Can goats lose too much blood if bleeding?
Yes, they absolutely can. just like any animal, bleeding is a serious problem for goats and one you should be aware of.
Goats can quite often injure themselves on the environment, and while this typically isn’t a problem, it’s still something you should be aware of.
That said, goats do have a pretty remarkable capacity for clotting.
Not to mention their hides are already very tough, making lacerations much less of a problem than they are for us.
The other thing to be aware of, though, is blood vaginal discharge.
This is not a normal part of a goat’s estrus cycle, typically—you should not be seeing excreted blood.
If you are, this could indicate any number of problems.
Postpartum metritis and abortion are common causes, so look out for this in newly pregnant mothers.
If your goat is bleeding profusely, put pressure on the wound and get a vet out as soon as possible.
How much blood from an animal can be collected at one time?
Again, there are many reasons for collecting blood.
Whether for testing purposes, research, often people do have to extract blood from a goat.
The number one thing you need to know before doing this is exactly how much you can take.
In any animal, the amount of blood you take should not exceed 1% of the total body weight, in a two-week period.
So, for every 1 kg of the goat’s body, you should not take more than 10ml of its blood for two weeks.
This will ensure safe blood sampling.
So, blood volume is variable, is the only real answer to the question.
You’re much better off getting your animal weighed, and calculating a more precise blood volume from there.
It will depend on the breed, age, sex, diet, environment—pretty much every factor you can think of.
There are many reasons you might want to know the precise blood volume of a goat, but for the most part, my advice would just be to leave it with the vet.
If they need to know, they’ll figure it out.