Injections: How to give them and where to give them Chris Ellason

Two Most Common Types of Injections Subcutaneous (SC) Intramuscular (IM) Intravenous

Subcutaneous Injections Beneath the skin, on top of the muscle layer

SC Injection Information Ideal site for cattle and horses is side of the neck. With needles being ga and 1”-1½” Swine, sheep and goats-flank and abdomen are common injection sites. Needles used should be ga and ¾”-1”

How to administer SC Lift the skin away from the underlying tissue Insert the needle into the raised skin

How to administer SC cont. Lightly pull out on the plunger, observe for blood. If blood appears withdraw the syringe slightly before making the injection Administer the injection Massage the area to aid in dispersing the drug

SC Injection Facts Active agent is absorbed more slowly when administered SC than IV Drugs used in SC injections are available over a longer period of time

Intramuscular Injections Made directly into a major muscle mass with ga needle that is 1”-1½” long

Equine Injection Sites

Goat Injection Site

Reasons for Injection Sites Giving injections in other areas will result in damage to valuable cuts of meat Any damaged piece of meat must be cut out and discarded before sale or consumption

Facts about IM Injections Absorption is usually rapid due to the blood supply to muscle tissue Do not administer more than 10-15cc per injection site Too much drug in one area may result in muscle necrosis

Deworming Trying to prevent internal parasites Different dewormers Ivomec Cydectin Safeguard How do we check for worms

Preventative Injections 7 way vaccine Preventative vaccine for clostridiums Clostridium is a spore that comes from the ground Lepto (Pomona: main strain for cattle) Ingested organism Spread primarily in the urine Can cause abortions

Contagious Diseases IBR: Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis PI 3 : Parainfluenza BVD: Bovine Virus Diarreha BRSV: Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus All are respiratory problems

IBR Bovine Herpes Virus 1 Infects and damages the lining cells of the respiratory tract Causes flagella in trachea to lay over and not able to stop bacteria from entering the lungs Nasal and ocular discharge Can cause abortions

PI 3 and BRSV Exposure common when cattle are mixed Infection causes damage to the surface cells of the lungs PI 3 is easily resolved with a vaccine BRSV can be a real problem, especially if there is concurrent BVD in herd

BVD RNA virus Associated with multiple viral infections of the respiratory tract of calves

Other problems Bangs (Brucellosis) Transferred from cows to heifer calves Get through the reproductive tract or from milk Can cause abortions in cattle Foot Rot: Seen more in dry weather when foot is dry Catch it early give sulphur pills and LA 200 Also doctor with kopertox

Other problems Pinkeye Has to be an abrasion on the eye for the organism to do harm #1 cause for pinkeye is cattle eating hay from a round bale Put bales on their ends to help prevent

Conclusion Read the label Know your injection site Know the proper way of giving the injection