How cows are afraid of injections: types of injections and where to do it, how to avoid mistakes

Farmers can not always seek help from a veterinarian, so they must be able to self-administer cattle drugs intramuscularly, intravenously, subcutaneously and nasally. Since cows and calves are afraid of injections, the owner must act clearly, quickly and calmly, observing safety measures. Ignoring the rules for preparing and conducting the procedure is unacceptable, since a large animal in fright can injure itself and a person.

Are cows afraid of injections?

Cows do not understand that the owner is preparing to give them an injection, but they are frightened by incomprehensible and unusual actions performed by a person, as well as medical odors, especially the smell of alcohol.A frightened animal, with its size, can smash a stall, injure a farmer, a veterinarian, and livestock in neighboring stalls. Due to sudden movements, the needle inserted into the body may break off, get stuck under the skin.

Therefore, before the procedure, the cow is fixed. The farmer must act quickly and confidently, inject the drug with a sharp movement, but carefully, while looking calm. The speed of action is important so that the pet does not have time to figure out what is happening.

To prevent the needle from breaking due to the sudden movement of the animal, it is inserted into the muscle perpendicular to the surface of the body. During the procedure, the owner should not shout at the cow, beat her. Before the injection itself, it is advisable to stroke the pet, address her in a quiet and affectionate tone.

What do you need?

To inject a cow or calf, you need:

disinfected needle;
syringe;
prescribed drug or vaccine;
cage for fixing the body or machine for immobility of the animal's head.

The volume of the syringe depends on the dose of the drug, and the size of the needle depends on the size of the cattle, the place and method of administration. So, you can inject a calf with a 2.5 cm needle. It is better for a bull to inject with an automatic veterinary syringe: this is a convenient option that allows the owner to stand at a sufficient distance from the pet.

Preparing the animal

On large farms, cattle are usually immobilized in a cage before vaccination. Or fix the head in the machine, fixed near the paddock. In small farms, where there are no machines and cages for vaccination, one has to hold the cow with ropes. Several people hold the animal while the owner injects the drug. You can turn to horse breeders for help, they know how to make a lasso, throw it on cattle.

If the body of a cow is dirty, then it is washed with warm water and dried. The injection site is wiped with alcohol. The owner washes and disinfects hands. The optimal injection site for a cow is the jugular vein in the neck. Less commonly, the injection is placed between the base of the tail and the pelvic bone.

Before using a medicine or vaccine, read the instructions carefully. Some veterinary drugs are supposed to be injected into specific areas of the body. To avoid mistakes, you should consult with a veterinarian in which part of the body it is better to inject this or that medication.

Subcutaneous injections

Solutions on a water, oil, alcohol basis are injected under the skin. The drug begins to act 5-20 minutes after the injection, which is faster than when injected into the muscle. Subcutaneous injections are not painful for a cow. For injection, a site is chosen where the skin is folded, easily pulled back with fingers, there are no large vessels, nerve nodes, bone and vein tissues nearby. The best options are to stab in the neck, middle of the forearm or dewlap.

To inject a calf, a 1 cm needle is enough, for a subcutaneous injection, an adult cow needs a 2.5 or 3 cm instrument. The needle is inserted 2/3 of the length, it enters the subcutaneous fat.

Make a subcutaneous injection like this:

Wipe the injection site with alcohol.
Pull the skin with fingers.
The needle is inserted at a 30° angle to the body surface.
Squeeze out the medicine.
Take out the needle.
The injection point is smeared with iodine.

Sick calves are given intra-abdominal medication if subcutaneous administration is not available. Serous tissues in the abdomen have increased resorption, so that a small animal can be injected with a significant amount of fluid, which is used for dehydration and dyspepsia. For calves under 3 days of age, medicines are placed in the hungry hole on both sides, and from 3 days of age - only on the right.The needle is inserted slowly, directed to the middle of the abdominal cavity, slightly down and back at an angle of 50 °.

How to give an intramuscular injection?

Emulsions, antibiotics, formulations in the form of suspensions are put into the muscle. With proper intramuscular administration, the drugs are quickly distributed with the blood throughout the body. You can not make an injection at a point near which there are large vessels, nerve nodes, bone and cartilage tissues.

For an injection, choose an area with a thick muscle layer: the buttock, dewlap or triceps muscle of the shoulder. For an injection in an adult animal, a 4 cm needle with a sharply beveled end is taken, for an injection in a calf - 1 cm. The needle should not be crooked and blunt, otherwise the procedure will be painful and may cause a purulent inflammatory process.

Intramuscular injection is done like this:

The needle is brought perpendicular to the body.
Injected into muscle tissue 2/3 of the length.
Pressing on the piston, the medicine is injected from the syringe.
Remove the needle from the muscle.
Lubricate the injection point with iodine.

If you need to enter two drugs, then after the first injection, the syringe is disconnected, the needle is left in the body. They take another syringe with the drug, attach it to the needle, squeeze out the solution.

Intravenous injections

Liquid preparations with high transparency are injected into a vein, which do not cause red blood cells to stick together. Intravenous injections of cloudy solutions that form a precipitate are unacceptable. Intravenous infusions are used only in emergency cases: for example, with severe paresis, a tetanic attack in a cow, or with a serious electrolyte imbalance in a sick calf. For injection, you can use both a disposable syringe and a Bobrov unit. An injection is made into the jugular vein that runs along the neck. Finding it is easy: you need to raise the cow's head, stretch the skin around the neck.The largest bulging vessel under the skin is the jugular vein.

An intravenous injection to a cow is done like this:

Finding the jugular vein, squeeze it with your finger to make it swell. To the touch determine the fullness. With a small filling, the pressure force of the finger is reduced.
The injection site is wiped with an antiseptic.
The needle is immersed in the body, pointing upwards at 45 °. The wound should bleed. If it does not go or goes in a weak stream, then the needle either entered the wrong place or did not break through the vascular wall. The direction or depth of the needle needs to be adjusted.
The needle is held with thumb and forefinger. Remove the finger squeezing the vein.
Inject the medicinal solution slowly.
After the injection, the vein is squeezed again, the needle is pulled out.
The injection point is wiped with iodine.

It is more difficult to make an intravenous injection to a cow than any other, if you are not sure, it is better to seek help from a veterinarian. The medicine immediately enters the bloodstream, it is unacceptable to exceed the dosage even minimally.

How to give a nasal injection (injection into the nose)

Procedure requires nasal syringe with plastic tip.

Master must:

Fix the head of the animal well.
Inject medicine into the syringe.
Insert the tip into the cow's nostril.
Inject medicine with rapid pressure on the plunger.
Remove the tip. Repeat with the second nostril.

How to avoid mistakes

When injecting drugs into a cow, the farmer must not only control the safety of the he alth and life of the animal, but also protect himself from injury and trouble when the pet is afraid of injections.

Master must:

Put an injection outside the cage where the animal is. Do not go inside.
Do not put your head or hand between the bars of the restraining cage. A cow that is afraid of an injection may kick, which will result in serious injury or death for the owner.
Don't be nervous, don't get angry during the procedure. The cow feels emotions.
Do not use non-sterile, twisted, broken needles.
Store medicines in the refrigerator or as directed.
Disinfect needles after each use. Or throw it away.
Do not use expired medicines.
Do not pour medicines into containers where other solutions have been.
Choose the size of the syringe according to the dosage.
Do not mix drugs. Take a separate syringe for each medication.
Give injections according to the weight of the animal. The dosage is indicated in the instructions, how many milliliters should fall on a certain body weight.
Heat solutions before use. The cow may go into shock from the injection of a cold drug into the vein.
Before injecting, check for air in the syringe.

Injections are often given to cows and calves for both therapeutic and prophylactic purposes, so farmers need to know the injection technique, how to help the cow not be afraid of the procedure. Giving cattle injections is not difficult, the main thing is to follow the dosage and sanitary standards.