Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Intravenous Injection
An intravenous injection requires skill to locate a vein and
should always be given by a veterinarian or experienced
animal health technician. Usually the jugular vein in the
neck is used. Insert the needle into the vein, and ensure
that the needle remains in the vein while the drug is given
slowly (Figure 12.4). Animals may react quickly to drugs
given in this fashion due to rapid absorption. Read the label
on the bottle, and make sure the drug could be given intra-
venously. Intravenous injections are usually done using
an 18 - or 20 - gauge, 1 - inch (2.5 - cm) hypodermic needle
(Dawson, 2005 ; Dawson, 2007b ; Swize, 2007 ).
To give intravenous injection or to collect blood, follow
these steps:
4. Use an 18- to 20-gauge needle and direct it at an angle
of 45 degrees through the skin (Figure 12.4).
5. Pull back on your syringe or vacutainer and see if the
blood is present. If not, adjust the depth (deep or more
shallow) until blood is obtained on the syringe or vacu-
tainer tube.
6. Administer drugs slowly, and monitor the animal for
evidence of respiratory or cardiac distress. If there is
any adverse reaction, the injection should be stopped.
When injecting drugs intravenously, it is important to
ensure that the drug enters the vein. IV drugs given outside
the vein can cause infl ammation of the vein (Dawson,
2007a ; Dawson, 2005 ).
Dosage
Medication dosage should be calculated and followed
according to the manufacturer's recommendation on the
label of the bottle. If the label does not mention goats, then
the dosage and volume should be obtained from the guide-
lines given by a veterinarian. To use a medication not
approved for goats by the manufacturer, a valid client/
patient relationship needs to be established with a veteri-
narian. A veterinarian should make a decision about using
this product, decide on the route of administration, and
establish a reasonable time for milk and meat withdrawal.
Also the veterinarian is responsible for any side effects of
the drug administered. The veterinarian and the producer
need to keep proper records on the product, if used in an
extra - label manner (Dawson, 2005 ; Dawson, 2007b ).
1. Hold the goat securely. The goat's head must be up and
to the side.
2. Feel for the trachea and move laterally on the neck. The
area between the trachea and the neck muscles is the
“jugular groove” and is where the jugular vein lies.
3. Put pressure at the bottom of the groove with the thumb,
for the jugular vein to swell up with blood above your
fi nger up to the jaw (Figure 12.4).
ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION
Proper identifi cation of goats is essential in order to keep
good records for each animal in the herd. Record keeping
is important to keep information on each animal regarding
reproduction, health, management practices, milk produc-
tion, etc. There are two basic types of identifi cation: either
permanent or nonpermanent identifi cation. Permanent
identifi cation includes tattooing, ear notching, and install-
ing microchips under the skin and in the rumen.
Nonpermanent identifi cation includes ear tags, paint, or
chalk markings. Permanent identifi cations are not easily
seen from a distance; therefore, ear tags may be necessary
along with the permanent identifi cation (Dawson, 2007a;
Dawson, 2007b ).
Figure 12.4
Pressure applied at the bottom of
the groove with your thumb. Redrawn by Zeke
Proctor from the Meat Goat Handbook. Edited
by T.A. Gipson, R.C. Merkel, K. Williams and T.
Sahlu.
Permanent Identifi cation
T
ATTOOING
This method of identifi cation, if properly done, stays for a
long time or is permanent. Tattooing involves a pair of
