Knowing how to administer drugs with a subcutaneous, intramuscular or intranasal injection is very important in order to vaccinate or treat cattle using the appropriate medicines. For tips and to know all the steps related to a correct procedure, continue reading the article.
Steps
Step 1. Find the cow that needs to be treated or vaccinated
Step 2. Restrain the animal in a headlock or labor arm
Make sure your head is stationary between the bars. It is much easier to give a cow an injection when its head is stuck in a headlock, in the headlock or in a railing that nails the animal to the pen or to the side of the barn, than to do it without these tools. If you do not have a head restraint or a headlock, you may need to rely on some people with ropes and trained cattle control horses to hold the animal in order to give it the injection it needs.
Step 3. Choose where to inject
To inject drugs or vaccines with a needle and syringe, the best place is on the neck or sometimes between the start of the tail and the hip bones (the tips of the cow's pelvis).
You may come across a particular vaccine or drug that needs to be injected at a specific point (such as mastitis medications), so consider this. Also check with your vet or ask for confirmation of the best places to inject
Step 4. Inject the drug or vaccine according to the instructions given with the bottle:
via SC (subcutaneous), IN (intranasal), IM (intramuscular) or IV (intravenous):
- Subcutaneous (under the skin). It is best done on the neck area, near the nape of the neck and shoulder. Pinch the skin with one hand and insert the needle into the skin just below your thumb. Be careful not to go too deep, not to leak out the other side, or to inject the medicine into your finger, as it can cause complications. Usually half of the needle should stick out of the injection site. This way you don't insert the needle as far as it will go, but only as far as necessary. Press the syringe until it is empty or until you have injected the necessary amount into the animal. Remove the needle and scrub the area to close the point and prevent the liquid you just injected from escaping.
- Intranasal (IN, splash in the nose). Halter the cow and tie it so it cannot move its head. If the animal is tame, you can ask a friend or co-worker to keep his head still, but be careful because cattle are much stronger than humans and could undermine you. Take the plastic needle used for intranasal injections and squirt about half of the solution into each nostril, as directed on the package.
- Intramuscular (IM, in muscle). To avoid spoiling the quality of the meat, most IM injections should be done in the neck, just like with those under the skin. IM injections are best suited in the upper part of the neck muscles, not in the middle, because the jugular vein and arteries flow through this area. Firmly hit the area a couple of times with your hand, then insert the needle. Let the animal calm down, if it kicks a little after the introduction of the needle. Connect the syringe to the needle (if it is not already joined), press the syringe plunger, then remove the needle and syringe from the injection site. Rub the area vigorously for a few seconds to numb the pain.
- Intravenous (IV, into vein). Find a suitable blood vessel (not a major vein because you risk doing trouble), then push the needle so it doesn't fall out and secure the intravenous bottle or bag containing the solution to be injected (usually made up of calcium, magnesium or liquids which are administered intravenously). Make sure there is no air in the catheter or syringe before injecting it. Then, VERY slowly, push the syringe. Do not rush, as too much liquid at one time could be harmful to the animal.
Step 5. Press the syringe until it is empty or until the desired amount is injected into the animal
Step 6. Remove the needle from the injection site
Step 7. Free the animal and move on to the next one (if necessary)
Advice
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Use a halter to secure the animal's head when giving intranasal injections.
- DO NOT let those who assist you come into contact with the bovine to keep its head, as it seriously risks getting hurt. If possible, when the animal is stuck in a hatch, have it keep the rope attached to the halter from the outside of the gate, lifting its head for better access to its nose.
- If you put the cow in the head lock, also use a halter to better secure the animal's head. A lanyard must be attached or tied to the halter so that the head cannot move away when you administer the IN injection.
- Use a chute with chute and an attached head restraint when vaccinating cattle. This will minimize any movement and facilitate the injection process without fear of hurting yourself and your pet.
- Talk to your vet about the vaccines or medications your pets need. Some types are better or more effective than others, while others are more expensive.
- Keep the cattle calm and quiet. This way you will create less stress on yourself and the animals when you have to install the equipment to treat them. Do not scream, run after or hit any of them, as you risk shaking them when they are in the hallway and even in her or headlock.
- Remove any dirty, stained, broken or bent needles.
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Store vaccines in accordance with the instructions. Vaccines that need to be kept cool should be kept in a cooler with frozen gel bags (especially during hot summer days). Vaccines that must be kept at room temperature should be stored in a cooler with hot water bottles (especially in the winter) during the period of use.
If not, keep the medications in the refrigerator (if needed) or in a cool, dark place (for those that don't need refrigeration) until next use
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Use clean, disinfected, and undamaged needles at the tips for each animal you go to administer medication to.
Disinfect the needles after each use, as, just like in humans, diseases can be spread from one cow to another if you use dirty needles, and it will become a serious problem for you. If necessary, throw away the dirty ones and use new ones for each animal that is to receive an injection
- Throw away any expired medicine and throw away any empty bottles as well.
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Use needles with the correct gauge and size based on the size of the animal you are caring for. The thicker the skin, the smaller the gauge needs to be.
- For calves use needles with gauge 18 to 20.
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Cows and bulls need 18 to 14 gauge needles.
The needles should be no more than 1.5 cm in length. The shorter they are, the better the subcutaneous injections will be
- Use a different syringe for each type of solution to be injected.
- Use the correct sized syringes for the type of solution you are injecting. The lower the dosage, the smaller the syringe will be.
- Care for your pets based on weight. Often the dosage corresponds to one bottle, written as # cc / 45 kg (100 lbs) of body weight.
Warnings
- Do not use vaccines or drugs that are past their expiration date, whether opened or new. Vaccines that have expired are much less effective (and can even be harmful) than those that are used before the expiration date.
- NEVER mix vaccines or use the same syringe for different vaccines or drugs. Use a syringe alone for one type of vaccine and another for another type. If you use more than 2 syringes, make a mark on each syringe to indicate the vaccine used.
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IV injections are used only in emergencies, such as in advanced stages of milk fever, grass tetany, or when the calf needs fluids and electrolytes that cannot be obtained quickly by oral administration. Do not use IV injections for any other medication or vaccine.
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Before use, ALWAYS warm the solutions to be injected intravenously in hot water to minimize the risk of shock in the animal. This syndrome can arise when a cold solution is injected directly into the blood.
The closer the drug approaches the animal's body temperature, the better
- Make sure there is no air in both the syringes and catheters and intravenous bag when administering vaccines or medicines (this caution applies to all methods of injection, whether oral, IN, IM or SC). This way you will administer the dose correctly and, in the case of an IV injection, will minimize the risk of death that occurs when an air bubble enters the bloodstream.
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- Avoid running or getting stuck in cattle unless you want to be crushed. Always work outside the corridor, never inside.
- Do not use broken or bent needles. If they are broken, bent, have burrs on the tip or are blunt, throw them away in a suitable disposable container.
- Do not put your head in it as much as possible, because you cannot know if a cattle rears or rages. This accident could also cost you your life.
- Beware of cattle trying to climb over the bars of the herla following the other cattle, as this could cause problems.
