Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

It is very important to know how to inject cows, whether subcutaneously, intramuscularly or nasally. This is necessary in order to properly vaccinate or administer medications to cows. In this article, you can find tips and step-by-step instructions on how to properly inject cows.

Steps

1. 1 Find an individual or individuals that need treatment or need to be vaccinated
2. 2 Limit the animal's movement by placing it in a cage. Make sure the animal's head is restrained by a bar, a special head restraint that is attached to the pen. It is much easier to give injections to cows whose actions are limited by a cage or pen, for example, those that hold the animal near a fence or barn, than to give them injections without these tools. You need to seek help from people who have a lasso and several specially trained horses so that they immobilize the cow for a while while you are giving the injection. This will help to successfully hold the animal if you do not have a cage or pen.
3. 3 Choose an injection site. The best place to inject medication or inoculation with a syringe and needle is in the neck, or sometimes between the beginning of the tail and the thighbone (pelvis) of the animal.
   • You may come across special vaccines or medications that need to be injected strictly into certain parts of the animal's body (for example, medications for mastitis), so this must be taken into account. Also, ask your veterinarian for information or confirmation on which part of the animal's body is best to inject.
4. 4 Administer the medicine or vaccine as directed on the bottle: subcutaneously, nasally, intramuscularly or intravenously:
   • Subcutaneously (under the skin)... The area of ​​the neck, near the withers and near the shoulder of the animal is best suited for this. Pinch the skin with one hand and insert the needle below your thumb under the skin with the other. Be careful not to pierce the skin through or inject yourself, as this can lead to complications. Usually, it is sufficient if the needle is halfway under the skin. This prevents you from inserting the needle completely, but it will stay where it needs to be. Inject until the syringe is empty or until the correct amount of the substance has been injected into the animal. Remove the needle and wipe the skin towards the seal to prevent the injected fluid from flowing out.
   • Nasally (inject into nose)... Place the leash on the animal so that it cannot move its head. If the animal is tame enough, you can ask your friend or partner to hold the cow's head straight, but be careful - cows are MUCH stronger than you and can send you flying with ease. Use a plastic needle that is used for nasal injections and inject the solution into your nose, into each nostril. Use half the volume indicated on the medicine bottle for each nostril.
   • Intramuscularly (into the muscle)... To avoid any deterioration in meat quality, most of the intramuscular injections should be in the neck, just like subcutaneous injections. Intramuscular injections are best done at the most muscular point of the neck, and not in the middle, where the veins and arteries are located. Hit the surface with your fist several times, then sharply insert the needle. Allow time for the animal to calm down if it jumped when you inserted the needle. Attach the syringe to the needle (if not already attached), inject the medication, then remove the needle and syringe from the injection site. Wipe the injection site to help relieve pain.
   • Intravenous (into a vein)... Find a suitable blood vessel (but not the main veins, as the environment is not sterile), then insert the needle at an angle so that it does not fall out.Then connect the medicine bottle or dropper, no matter what you're injecting (mostly calcium, magnesium, or intravenous fluids). Make sure there is no air in the syringe or rubber tubing before giving the injection. Then, inject the medicine very slowly. Take your time, as too much liquid can be very harmful to the animal.
5. 5 Inject medication until the syringe is empty or until the correct amount of medication has been injected into the animal.
6. 6 Remove the needle from the injection site.
7. 7 Free the animal and repeat with the next animal (if required).

Tips

• Use a cattle restraint cage that has a head restraint. This will minimize the movement of the animal and facilitate the injection process, eliminating the fear of injury or damage to the animal.
• Check with your veterinarian about the vaccine or medication your animals need. Some types of drugs are better or more effective than others, and some are more expensive.
• Inject the animal as calmly and quietly as possible. This will make you less nervous and easier to deal with. Don't shout, chase, or beat the cow. From this, the animal becomes very agitated, even if it is in a restrictive cage.
• Do not use dirty, crooked, broken, or bent needles.
• Store medicines as directed. Drugs that require cold should be stored with ice (especially in summer), and those that require room temperature should be stored in a cooler next to bottles of warm water (especially in winter).
  • Otherwise, store medicines in the refrigerator (if necessary) or in a cool dark place (if refrigeration is not required) until next use.
• Use clean, disinfected and sharp needles for each animal.
  • Disinfect needles after each use because, like humans, infections can be spread from one individual to another if you use dirty needles. This can be a problem for you. If necessary, throw out old needles and use new needles every time you give an injection to an animal.
• Throw away expired medications and empty bottles that you have.
• Treat the animal according to its weight. Usually, the dosage of the medicine is indicated on the bottle. It is recorded as the number of milliliters per 45 kilograms of body weight.
• Use different syringes for the different types of medication you are using.
• Use the correct syringe size for the medication you need. The lower the dosage, the smaller the syringe you need.

Warnings

• NEVER mix drugs or use the same syringe for different drugs. Always designate one syringe for each type of medication. If necessary, label each syringe so that you know which drug you are administering if you need to use more than one drug.
• Intravenous injections should only be used in emergency situations, for example: severe milk fever, tetany (seizures caused by impaired calcium metabolism in the body), or if the calf needs fluids and electrolytes that cannot be obtained orally. Do not use IV shots to administer other drugs or vaccines.
  • ALWAYS warm up IV fluids before use. This will minimize the risk of shock to the animal if cold liquid enters the animal's blood vessels.
    • The closer the fluid temperature is to normal body temperature, the better.
  • Make sure there is no air in the syringe or dropper when you are administering the medication. (This applies to all types of injection, be it oral, nasal, intramuscular, or subcutaneous injection). This will ensure that you have the correct dosage of medication and, if given intravenously, will minimize the risk of death if air bubbles enter the blood vessels.
• Do not use broken or bent needles. If the needle is broken, bent, has a burr at the end, or is blunt, discard it in an appropriate waste container.
• Do not use expired medications / vaccines, whether open or sealed. Expired vaccines are less effective (and may even be harmful) than those used before the expiration date.
• Do not enter the pen or work area where the cow is located unless you want to be crushed. Always work with the animal outside the pen, not inside.
• Don't put your head in a restraining cage towards the animal. If the animal kicks or rears up, you can get serious injury, or even death.
• Watch out for the animal if it tries to jump over the gate of the containment cage to avoid problems.

What do you need

• Needles (clean and disinfected)
• Syringes (suitable size)
• Vaccine or medications
• Special head restraint or restraining cage to cope with the animal
• A cattle that needs care or vaccination