[zackyb]

Hello All

Have got my slapshot kit all ready - and injected my first pig (she did not bother as much as I thought she would) but not sure how to gauge how much is left in the tube for the next one and get the air out after the first one.

I only have a small syringe (2mls) (so do I need to get a bigger fatter syringe) so after my first pig I then needed 3 mls so had to had to do two lots of removal of the wormer from the bottle which creates air in the tube - which means that the pig wont get all the vaccine in one injection. It was easy when I practiced on my training!!

Any advice MUCH appreciated please!

Thanks
Amanda

[supplies for smallholders]

Hi,

Easier and less waste if you have a few pigs to do if you use a cheap auto-vaccinator with the slapshot attached to that.

Thanks

[oaklandspigs]

Larger syringe would be better.

The trick is to "prime" ie fill the slapshot by putting liquid in from an already filled syringe rather than trying to suck it into the empty tube with an empty syringe, then you do not get air bubbles,  and you are right, you need a syringe that will hold the dose + the tubes worth.  You ought to find out how much your slapshot tube holds by using water, then you will know for future.  

Then with a larger syringe simply connect a needle to the syringe and draw up the amount needed + the amount the tube holds (eg if the tube holds 2 1/4 mls and you need to dose the pig with 3mls, then draw up 5 1/4 mls). Then disconnect the needle and put the slapshot into the middle, and full the tube with the excess - bingo syringe with 3 mls ready to inject.

In the meantime if you only have a 2ml syringe and a friend (easier to do with 2 people)

1. Put needle on syringe, and draw up 2 mls into syringe (the max it will hold)
2. Leave needle in bottle (now called the clean needle) and unscrew the syringe
3. Put slapshot (without any needle) onto syringe and inject the two mls into the tube (tube takes about 2/12mls)
4. Put finger on the end of slapshot and remove from the syringe (don't put finger on end and liquid will run out)
5. Reconnect syringe to clean needle and draw up a further 2mls
6. Disconnect from clean needle and reconnect to slapshot (which you have been holding with your finger on)
7. fill remainder of slapshot tube (abotu another 1/2 ml)
8. Note how much is still in syringe
9. Put on second needle to slapshot, and inject pig
10. Remove dirty needle and connect slapshot to clean needle and draw up the extra into syringe
11. inject remainder into pig

[zackyb]

Excellent!

Thank you so much for your quick and very helpful replies!

I'm off to do the rest!

Thanks
Amanda

[supplies for smallholders]

Oaklands .... Is that not just inviting air to get in the line ?

[zackyb]

Worked a treat for me - thanks again!

[oaklandspigs]

Oaklands .... Is that not just inviting air to get in the line ?

Which do you mean?

The "have a big enough syringe to hold dose and tube amount" works really well, and just pushes through, so I presume you mean the "not big enough syringe" method - this works, have used it in the past when I have run out of syringes, but is fiddly and not recomended for normal use.

The alternate "suck it all up" method means that the air from the tube is drawn into the syringe and then you get air in the syringe, which then is transferred to the tube after the first jab (which was I think Zacyb's problem).

However get the right size syringe and push through is really the answer.