Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
also cause the points to be blunted because they strike against the side of the
container.
Disposable plastic syringes are inexpensive and can be ordered from a
veterinary-supply catalog. In some states they can be obtained from the local
drugstore or purchased at farm-supply stores.
If you are withdrawing doses for several sheep, protect the contents from
contamination by sanitizing the top of the vial with disinfectant as above,
then inserting a sterile needle that you will leave in the bottle. Fill the syringe,
leave the needle in the bottle, and attach a separate needle to the syringe for
injection. For the next dose, detach the used needle, fi ll the syringe with the
needle left in the vial (leaving the needle in the vial), and reattach a new or
disinfected needle. In this way, you protect the medication from contami-
nation and can save the balance of the contents through the dating period.
While this is true of an inactivated vaccine, you cannot save a live vaccine.
Once opened and exposed to air, live vaccines become unstable and can't be
stored for later use.
Once the needle is fi lled with medication, do not let it touch anything or
it will no longer be sterile. If possible, have a helper hold the sheep or hand
you the necessary medicine and equipment.
An alcohol swabbing of the skin prior to injection gives the impres-
sion that the skin has been sterilized, but this is not really the case. It takes
HOW TO FILL A SYRINGE
WITH MEDICATION
1. Clean the top of the vial with a disinfectant.
2. Swirl or shake the bottle to mix the contents thoroughly with-
out causing undue bubbles.
3. While holding the vial upside down, pull the syringe plunger
back to approximately the volume of drug to be removed,
insert the needle into the center of the vial stopper, and
depress the plunger to force the air into the vial. (This pre-
vents creating a vacuum in the vial and diffi cult removal of
the dose.)
4. Withdraw a greater volume of drug than needed, then
express the excess drug back into the vial to remove any air
bubbles that have formed in the syringe.
 
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