Vaccinations: Needles and Medicine Labels Topic# 3054 Liz Confer

Overview Needles –Gauges –Lengths –Uses Reading Medicine Labels

Needle Gauges Gauges from 4 to 30 –The smaller the gauge, the larger around the needle is –16 to 22 gauge needles are most common for livestock use

Needle Length Needles come in different lengths –Intramuscular injections – 1 to 1.5 inch needle length –Sub-Q injections -.5 to 1 inch needle length

Uses Larger Gauge Needles –Large animals –Large volumes of medication Smaller Gauge Needles –Small or young animals –Small amounts of medication

Reading Medication Labels Drug name –The commercial name Active ingredient –Chemical ingredient Use/indication –Species –What the drug treats

Medication Labels Cont. Dosage –cc per pound for each species Warnings –Withdrawal/holding times –Overdoses –Uses drug is not approved for