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 16-18 ga and 1”-1½”

Swine, sheep and goats-flank and abdomen are common injection sites. Needles used should be 16-20 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 18-20 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 PI3: 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

PI3 and BRSV

Exposure common when cattle are mixed Infection causes damage to the surface cells

of the lungs PI3 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