Vaccinating Livestock
American consumers are growing increasingly concerned about antibiotics in their food. Last April, I put that myth to rest by explaining that there are never any antibiotics that enter our food supply, thanks to stricter regulations by both the FDA, who controls the distribution of antimicrobial medications, and the USDA, who’s in charge of screening animal products for contaminants after they’ve been harvested.
In the post, I touched briefly on how seriously farmers take the responsibility of handling antibiotics, but what I failed to mention was some of the steps livestock raisers are taking to cut down on our use of antibiotics. |
Photo from www.oklahomafarmreport.com
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One such step is vaccinating animals. Any good livestock operation conducts what my family called “herd work” a couple times a year. Just like how humans use doctor checkups, flu shots, and athletic physicals, livestock raisers should routinely put their eyes on every animal, bring in a veterinarian to evaluate their health, and administer preventative medications. Although there are sure to be benefits in every species, vaccines have been proven most effective in the ruminate species cattle and sheep.
However, it can be just as harmful to vaccinate your animals incorrectly as it is to not vaccinate them at all. An article published by the University of Florida explained that the injection site lesions caused by incorrect vaccinating techniques diminish carcass quality because muscle tissue must be trimmed away decreasing market value, lesions decrease the palatability/eating experience of the meat, and residues can pose a food safety risk.
To avoid all of these problems, livestock raisers should read vaccine labels carefully to know what injection method and dosage to use, and processing plant workers should properly screen animals pre-mortem and be vigilant in searching for the abscesses caused by injection site lesions. Just like with antibiotics, animals should wait a withdrawal period from the time they receive the medication until they are euthanized for slaughter so the chemicals have enough time to pass through their body and not be present in their tissues.
However, it can be just as harmful to vaccinate your animals incorrectly as it is to not vaccinate them at all. An article published by the University of Florida explained that the injection site lesions caused by incorrect vaccinating techniques diminish carcass quality because muscle tissue must be trimmed away decreasing market value, lesions decrease the palatability/eating experience of the meat, and residues can pose a food safety risk.
To avoid all of these problems, livestock raisers should read vaccine labels carefully to know what injection method and dosage to use, and processing plant workers should properly screen animals pre-mortem and be vigilant in searching for the abscesses caused by injection site lesions. Just like with antibiotics, animals should wait a withdrawal period from the time they receive the medication until they are euthanized for slaughter so the chemicals have enough time to pass through their body and not be present in their tissues.
Injection site lesions that cause abscesses on the meat are not to be confused with knots on the animal’s hide, which are most commonly found on the neck. Knots do not mean that the animal was injected improperly—in many cases, they’re unavoidable. For animals that you’re going to be showing or are wanting to sale, however, they can be unattractive. Two tips are to vaccinate on the left side (showman’s side where the judge will be less likely to see it in the ring), and to do water therapy by spraying and massaging the knot for a few minutes every day to make the knot dissipate faster.
There are four different methods of injecting vaccines into livestock: subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, and intranasal. Knowing the difference is imperative because using the wrong one can harm an animal more than the illness the vaccine was intended to prevent. |
Photo from www.escambia.ifas.ufl.edu
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- Subcutaneous (SQ) is below the skin. This method causes the least carcass damage, but it takes a while for the medicine to reach the blood. The correct sized needle for SQ is 1” long and 16 or 18 gauge. In cattle, the only place subcutaneous is acceptable is in the flap of skin behind their front shoulders. Sheep raisers can administer vaccines here, or into their flanks, under their tails, or in their ears.
- Intramuscular (IM) is into the muscle. This method spreads the vaccine to all of the body’s tissues very rapidly, but causes carcass damage. In beef, it will leave a 3” circumference ring around the injection site where the meat is noticeably tougher. The recommended needle size is 1-1.5” long and 16 or 18 gauge. For cattle, IM medications should be administered into the neck. No more than 20 mL should be given intramuscularly at any one site.
- Intravenous (IV) is into the bloodstream. This one is the most difficult to administer, as it has to be injected directly into a major vein. Needles should be slightly larger at 1-1.5” long and 18 or 20 gauge. It may be necessary to shave hair from the injection site before inserting the needle.
- Intranasal (IN) is into the nose. These don’t usually require a regular needle—most vaccines that use this method are sold with specific applicators. When directed to use a vaccine intranasally, that product should under no circumstances be used in the muscle or skin.
Although the same methods may be used for administration, vaccines are different from antitoxins such as antibiotics. Vaccines are preventative, meaning they directly combat the diseases that would require treatment by antitoxin medications. Here is an article and two YouTube videos that are very helpful for anyone just starting out with livestock and wanting to learn more about vaccinating:
https://www.farmingmagazine.com/dairy/health/the-dos-and-donts-of-vaccinating/
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