The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Lostlambs on January 03, 2012, 01:25:44 pm
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I have to deworm and vaccinate shortly and everytime I do I'm such a clutz it always is something I dread as is always a disaster-stabbed myself numerous times,missed the skin and vaccinated the wool, too many bruises to count. I can hear you all laughing already :-[ :-[ but want to ask if anyone has some hints on doing better. Where do you give the tasvax 8-side or neck? How do I get it just under the skin when their fleece is so thick right now. I should mention I don't have a proper headgate yet-may be able to get a chute set up this time but also have a dozen big ewes and my hamp ram outweighs me by at least 200 lbs. Haven't heard anyone around here admit to the same problems so maybe I'm just not very coordinated ???Thanks
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How big are your sheep? I tend to straddle them and grip shoulders between knees, this gives both hands free for injecting into side of neck. Though it takes a couple of goes to get arm wrapped around head etc etc ::)
If it's a subcutaneous jab then it should go in the side of the neck, under the skin.
Main thing is a sharp needle. I usually try and make a parting in the fleece, then pull on the wool one half of the parting to lift the skin up.
Vaccination technique - bluetongue video 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q73125-GkhQ#) from about 1 min 50 is close-up-ish (though it's about bluetongue)
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I do mine just behind the ear. Pinch the skin up into a 'tent' and inject into that (without sticking the needle through both sides!)
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I do mine just behind the ear. Pinch the skin up into a 'tent' and inject into that (without sticking the needle through both sides!)
Similar here (skin tent thingy), but I use the fleeceless area of the armpit ;)
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I think the key is to have the animal so well pinned down that it can't jump/kick/struggle until the injection has been done. If I am doing this on my own I tip the sheep and sit it on its bum. For an intramuscular injection I do it in the back leg, and I lean forwards over the sheep and pull the leg up so I am holding it flexed before I put the needle in. I always part the fleece so I can see the skin I am aiming for. Never just stab blindly because you will get it wrong - slow and careful is best. Tapping the skin with your fingers first helps for some weird reason, so that when the needle goes in they are less likely to notice it.
For subcutaneous injections, as others have said, tent the skin but be very careful you don't push the needle right through into your hand. I sometimes pull a handfull of fleece up so I am not touching the skin at all. Again, slow but sure is better than blind hope. Nurses used to practice on oranges before injecting their first person...... I give sc injections over the shoulder, except Calciject which is done in several places over the ribs and can be difficult to do in a thin ewe. For sc jabs, I straddle the sheep and reverse it into a corner - they usually try to escape backwards, and you can prevent a forwards leap with your knees pinching in front of the shoulders.
Overall, I prefer to have someone else holding the sheep so I have two hands free to manouvre the syringe (and someone else to blame if it goes wrong :D :D).
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I found the pictures on this website useful. I also use short needles on my Shetlands and have OH hold sheep.
http://www.danekeclublambs.com/Injections.html (http://www.danekeclublambs.com/Injections.html)
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I now use a dosing gun for the clostridial vaccination shots, OH holds the sheep and I part the fleece and just push the (short) needle under the skin. Much easier than using a syringe.
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Also I have a sheep deck chair, I don't know if anyone else has ever used one but I love mine for when I'm on me own and need 2 hands :thumbsup:
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I just use a short needle (18ga, 1cm) and inject downwards, saves faffing around trying to pinch a block of skin and all that jazz. I also do it into the neck. I tend to pin my sheep against the wall of the pen, one knee under its head, one behind its bum, pressing with my thighs. The multi-injector is usually very sensibly (!) held in my teeth whilst I do this (ole!) - which avoids me stabbing myself. The raddle crayon will then be in my pocket, lid off, pointing out so that the animal can be quicky marked after.
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We use short needles and we push them down the race to vaccinate. We have hampshires too and they are just too big to mess about with, so down the race they go and one of us worms using the gun and the other vaccinates, if they are pushed up tight they can't move too much. We have a very big turnover crate which is good but it still is a struggle to pull them over in it and our big breeder rams only just fit it!!
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I covet a working race, Wiltshires are pretty big too (but then, I aint tiny myself). Maybe next year when the lambs are sold.......
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This is all very interesting......
My girls have thick fleeces and by the time I've even found some skin thev'e shook their head and i have to start all over again...takes forever....
Although i only have a few sheep it seems to make sense for me to buy one of these guns where would I find one - whats the best type/one to get.
Be very careful you don't inject or even scratch your-self - I did and ended up in E&A for four hours - had to have a Tetnus plus a double dose of antibiotics. My hand and part of my arm swelled up and was very painful and stiff for several days.
But at least I was then covered for dysentery, pulpy kidney, struck, tetanus, braxy, blackleg, ;D ;D
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there is something to be said for mini sheep, just put them between your knees ;D I prefer the shoulder for sub cut when you pull the skin it will create a triangle behind it. You can feel the needle go through the skin with a relaxation in tension on the needle. ( it is freerer to move around as its in a pocket.) the trick I find is in getting the angle of injection right. the pictures that were linked to show a very nice example of the correct angle along the line of the body not at right angles to the body.
practice makes perfect :thumbsup:
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I go with all those who pinch skin and use very short needles...much less dangerous! However I don't routinely vaccinate any more.
When it comes to intra muscular jabs eg antibiotics they DO NOT go under the skin in same way. You must use a good meaty bit of a rump or hind leg BUR be very very careful not to hit the gluteal nerve or permenant damage can be caused.
Again a short needle is advisable but not too thin. Part wool and stab in confidently....do not mess about or you can get stuck by the needle. push plunger and remove. Be careful to fill syringe without air bubbles if poss.
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Those pictures are great. Yes I do the 'tent' thing too. You feel the needle go through the skin and then move freely in the pocket, as kanisha says. We find the best spot for us to be behind the shoulder, a few inches to the right of the spine and behind the shoulder blade. It's harder to immobilise them sufficiently for the neck, and they can too easily shake free as dyedinthewool says. We do them in our treatment race. She's other sheep in front of her and BH behind, my knee in front of her hip - she can't move very much. Left hand parts wool and tents the skin, right hand in with needle and push the plunger.
I've been stabbed by a colleague (abetted by a Swaledale) but haven't so far ever jabbed myself. Hence I know that Heptavac-P stings! (But only briefly.)
You'll get injecting guns from your local agri / animal health, or the vet. I've used quite a few different ones and all have been fine, but I prefer the ones where you have the bottle of vaccine hanging around your neck, feeding into the gun down a tube, to the ones where you insert the bottle of vaccine directly into the gun. I found the latter didn't refill correctly because the bottle was rarely vertical. So you end up underdosing and injecting air - not good.
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I too have injected 2ml of heptavac straight into the back of my hand (don't ask!). Seemed okay though.....didn't occur to me to go to hospital....oops.
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an old farmer once told me to bend the ewes head to the left and lift the loose skin under the left armpit. try it. the skin is looser with the bent head
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Thanks a lot for the input-I will try them and see the ones I can do best.I got an injector gun last year but haven't tried it yet as it doesn't have a cover over the needle and I've been eyeing it thinking it would inject if I stabbed myself with it.I haven't seen any short needles around but will check with the vet and see if he can order some,they sound really good :( My sheep are shetland-started with a small flock and love them, and commercial flock of hamp/charollais with some dorset and suffolk. I'm only 5' and a bit so can't hold them with my knees at all-even turning them on their bums is hard on the big ones as I don't have the reach. I'm getting an alley built so will try to use that.Will post back to say how it went-great to get all your tips on what works :wave: