Needles and syringes

[DL]

This is just a bunch of questions so I can get a sense of what people are doing and why....
Do you re-use needles? If so when to you change needles?
Do you re use syringes?
Do you use one syringe for many different drugs? If so do you wash the syringe between drugs - with what?
Do you leave syringes and needles in bottles?
Do you put a needle in a bottle that you have just used on a cow?
Do you use automatic syringes?
What gauge/length needle do you most commonly use?
Do you use sharps containers?
How do you dispose of your used syringes? (cow) (cow) (cow)

 

[afhm]

1. Yes, when they break or hit the ground, or I am done with drug for the day.
2. Yes
3. At times.  Yes with water, soap, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide.  What ever I have a supply of at that time.  Sometimes I will mix dex in with Oxymycin so i don't get the swelling.
4. Sometimes so I don't get them mixed up.
5. Yes
6. Sometimes when doing a big bunch and not just a couple.
7. 12,16,18 ga 1-2"
8. My sharps container is the trash can or an empty water bottle in the trash can.
9. Again trash can.
With the cost of the drugs and everything else now days every little penny saved helps
Probably not what you wanted to read but it works and I haven't had any setbacks from it.

 

[Maines in PA]

This is just a bunch of questions so I can get a sense of what people are doing and why....
Do you re-use needles? If so when to you change needles?
Do you re use syringes?
Do you use one syringe for many different drugs? If so do you wash the syringe between drugs - with what?
Do you leave syringes and needles in bottles?
Do you put a needle in a bottle that you have just used on a cow?
Do you use automatic syringes?
What gauge/length needle do you most commonly use?
Do you use sharps containers?
How do you dispose of your used syringes? (cow) (cow) (cow)

Good topic.  Most of us are probably guilty of a few QA blunders in the needle use department.
1.  Never re-use needles
2. Use an Allflex multi-dose syringe - so yes
3. Use same syringe for different drugs,  Wash with hot water between uses.
4. Never leave syringes in bottles.
5. No, always use a new needle to draw injectiables.
6. Have used syringes (that attach to the bottle), but think they probably work best when working more cattle than I have.
7. 16x1 almost exclusively
8. Use a sharps container (old plastic milk jug).
9. No used syringes to dispose of

I'll add a couple questions:
What part of the critter's body do you inject?
How do you disposes of empty bottles of meds?
Do you keep and re-use partial bottles of meds if they say "Use entire contents when opened?"

 

[pigguy]

depends. on if i am in the hog barn or with the cattle.

1.depends on what they have if it is just boosting them i change needles every 10 cows .
2. yes
3.yes. i throw them in a box disasembled and when the box is full i throw them in boiling water with some hydrogen peroxide. and then rinse them off
4.never
5.no
6.depends. if am using tylan 200(for pigs) yes vaccinating a bunch and giving iron  yes.
7. depends vary widley
8. depends if in hog barn yes. if with cattle in a box
9. trash
10. neck
11. toss em
12. no because i havent ever used any meds that say that

 

[Show Heifer]

I change needles whenever I need to draw out more meds. I NEVER go over 5 head per needle.
I re use syringes AFTER washing them, using disinfectant on them, and washing them in a dishwasher.
I always wash between drugs, and if I mix two drugs together, I draw them out with seperate needles/syringes.
Never leave them in the bottles.
Again, never in the bottle, after in a cow.
I use a pistol grip syringe if giving large quanities of something. But not vaccines...I don't think they are accurate enough for small 2 cc doses.
Hate to admit, but my sharps container is a milk jug....and my syringes are burnt in the burn barrel.
I inject everything in the neck.
I save unused meds if they are not a modified live vaccine even when they say "use entire contents when opened", that is just a disclaimer. Heck I use outdated meds as long as it is a "dead" vaccine or antibiotic.
I will not use an open container of anything if it is sold at a farm sale etc....

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

This is just a bunch of questions so I can get a sense of what people are doing and why....
Do you re-use needles? If so when to you change needles?
Do you re use syringes?
Do you use one syringe for many different drugs? If so do you wash the syringe between drugs - with what?
Do you leave syringes and needles in bottles?
Do you put a needle in a bottle that you have just used on a cow?
Do you use automatic syringes?
What gauge/length needle do you most commonly use?
Do you use sharps containers?
How do you dispose of your used syringes? (cow) (cow) (cow)

Sometimes
Sometimes
No
No
No
No
16 ga 1 1/2"
Yes - old Tide bottles work great
Burn them - ya I know not enviromentally friendly

 

[NHR]

Do you re-use needles? No. If so when to you change needles? NA
Do you re use syringes? No
Do you use one syringe for many different drugs? No If so do you wash the syringe between drugs - with what? NA
Do you leave syringes and needles in bottles? No
Do you put a needle in a bottle that you have just used on a cow? No
Do you use automatic syringes? No
What gauge/length needle do you most commonly use? 16 Gauge 1 "
Do you use sharps containers? Dispose of them at our vets office.

 

[ELBEE]

When vaccinating with Bova-Shield Gold FP 10 and 7-way clostridium+1, we use Ideal stainless pistol grips with 16ga.X1" disposable, only change when dull or bent. Sometimes we get 50 head through the chute without changing needles. Any modified live not used that day gets thrown away. Each vaccine has it's own syringe + a special one for Lute. The Lute syringe never gets cleaned or empty, also a pisol grip, the others get water rinsed between seasonal uses. Syringes and vaccines are kept in they're own refrigerator. (It's very important to loosen the plunger tension when syringes are in storage). LA 200 and penicillin are disposable 1 time use deals. Also, fertility drugs for donors and recips are a whole different deal, (lot more particular there)!

Waste is stored in sealed 50 gal. drum, later incinerated  then buried.

Most injections are administered in the left side neck.

 

[common sense]

O.K., here's an interesting scenerio.  Drawing blood for tests.  This didn't dawn on me until after-the-fact.  I had the vet out to work calves and I had him draw blood on any possilbe carriers.  I was pushing calves through so really wasn't paying attention to what was going on in the chute.  Anyway, the vet was rinsing the syringe that he was drawing blood with in a container of hot water.  Let me just say right now that I did throw all of the tubes away but in reality, what are the chances that he got even a tiny amount of one calfs blood in another tube?  Not worth the chance. I guess I should have paid better attention because now I have to redraw on those calves.  Just something to think about because I have seen a lot of people re-use a needle or syringe.

 

[ELBEE]

There is a chance!

When we started pulling blood for genetic testing, I asked the our Vet to use a new needle and syringe each time, and he said, "Don't insult me."

 

[shortyjock89]

There is a chance!

When we started pulling blood for genetic testing, I asked the our Vet to use a new needle and syringe each time, and he said, "Don't insult me."

I believe that is exactly what my vet said too...I was a little afraid that he was gonna draw a sample on me next!

 

[ROAD WARRIOR]

There is a chance!

When we started pulling blood for genetic testing, I asked the our Vet to use a new needle and syringe each time, and he said, "Don't insult me."

I hope that that means he always uses a needle and syringe and not that he thought it was foolish.

 

[shortyjock89]

There is a chance!

When we started pulling blood for genetic testing, I asked the our Vet to use a new needle and syringe each time, and he said, "Don't insult me."

I hope that that means he always uses a needle and syringe and not that he thought it was foolish.

Me too- for his sake!  If DL or Cowboy knew of anyone that thought it was foolish to change syringes, there would probably be a manhunt!  (lol)

 

[DL]

Interesting - thanks for the info - re blood draws - are vets still locked in the last century?? Why are they even drawing blood with a needle and syringe? When I tail bleed I use a vacuutaner and a disposable needle - blood end up right in the tube it needs to be - if you need more than one tube of blood you just switch tubes - I also use the vaccutaner for calves (jugular) and sometimes cows for the jugular - I only use a needle and syringe if the cow keeps bouncing around and I loose my vacuum. If you are drawing blood for genetic testing it is IMPERATIVE that you use a new needle and syringe for each animal (or a new needle and vacuutaner tube)

In regards to storing dumping sharps - I believe that there are state laws/requirements that vary with location - the laundry detergent container burned in the burn barrel is I believe acceptable almost anywhere  - dumping them loose in the garbage is bad - and potentially dangerous to anyone handling your garbage

I use a new needle with every cow (come on - did you expect any different???) - if I had as many cows as ELBEE I'd probably do exactly what he does - although I would probably change needles more frequently. I advise that if you reuse needles you change if you draw blood

Leaving syringes and needles in drugs is a bad practice because it can let air into the drug and cause oxidation and it can also predispose to contamination - tetracyclines and the tetracycline clones are particularly susceptible to oxidation. It doesn't make sense to spend money on a drug and take the chance that it will not perform properly because of how you stored it. If you need to figure out which syringe goes with which drug buy a sharpie and label it ;D

Going back into a drug with a syringe that has been in a cow is also a bad idea - this can contaminate the drug and with some drugs (GNRH for example) the drug is very likely to degrade

If you wash regular plastic syringes I would only use hot water - other stuff esp soap can degrade things esp vaccines

I guess I should have numbered them because I really can't remember what else I asked!

I never use a syringe for more than one drug, never go back into the bottle with a used needle, and generally use the left neck for shots - sometimes the left armpit - or over the ribs

 

[Cowboy]

Due to evironmental and economic worries, I find it hard to sleep this eveing -- soooooooo -- I felt compelled to post on this subject that every one SHOULD be pretty darned concerned about!

First -- Geetic Testing results are "IMPERATIVE" to absolute sanitation. Meaning, any little bit of dirt, hair, and especially blood residue WILL impare the result -- usually to the point where the result is not accurate enough to go by with any level of confidence. Look at all the false possitive (Or negatives) already found in the testing for TH and PHA. I would hate to guess at this point already as to how many cattle have been potentially sent to slaughter due to a false test -- and it was NOT the fault of the testing facility. Keep that in mind .

Secondly -- DL, almost all of your questions are an absolute "NO" in my own herd as well -- especially as well - in my ET business.

I do NOT have multiple cow needles or syringes, but have many mutiple needle cows -- hehehehe!
Due to the prevelence of BVD and BLV in alot of the cows we get -- many untested and toally unknowns --  never do it. There are board members here who know me, some have flushed cows here -- so to re-assure these folks and all others -- I never use a needle or sryinge for more than one cow -each donor gets her own set, and I never - as well - use a common bottle of FHS for the herd. Each donor -- no matter how many are working -- has thier own syringe and needle and bottle of product. I do not sway from that ever -- any one who knows me will tell you that I am a nut case about sanitation. Period.

On a side note -- I had an older very experienced vet one time over in Colorado, no name mentioned of course, that felt it was just fine to reuse the same syringe and needle time after time on blood work cows. I had a very heated discussion with him that day, and went in the barn and brought out an entire box of 6 ml syringes along with a new boc of 18 ga needles to pull blood with -- at my expense. He got mad and refuses to adhere to the extra time it would (HUH????) -- Bottom line is this -- I fired him on the spot and later had the state vet give him a call to set him straight! That didn't go over too well needless to say -- but right is right -- it wasn't long before th eold boy retired. Goo dvet for the most part -- just not up to the task in some areas! Sorry to all vets reading this -- but that is where I stand -- and every one SHOULD stand!

You go DL -- be as stubborn and mean as I am on this topic -- don't worry -- those who don't like the details will either get over it or use some one else -- hehehe!

Any way -- every body keep these little tales inmind when you are out working your cows. I personally do not like to look at or treat a lump "I" caused in one of my precious cows becasue I was lazy or cheap. There simply is no excuse. However, I don't want to say either that if things are done properly with a GOOD multiple dose sryinge and the needles are protected from damage, that in a larger herd itis not bad to do. All the cows in the herd are already exposed to each other -- so disease spread is not usually the issue. Just everyone try to NOT use dirty or bent needles, your cows will and mostlikely DO tell you thanks for the good job!

I always vaccinate in the neck for muscle shots, and I use the arm pit for sub-Q, especially for Clostridiums. Lumps are a given for that stuff, and it seems to be less diffivult to be trully sub-q inth earm pit -- most of the time you have to actually PULL the skin away from the body to do it there -- so it works well. If a lump does form there, it is rarely seen until it heals and goes away!!! hehehe

I also have a steel sharps container, about a 20 gallon small barrel. After a couple thousands (!!) deposits, I fill it with used oil and light it on fire until it goes out. After that - two things have taken place. NO bugs are going to live thru it, and almost every last sign of anything SHARP is gone as well --usually melted to obscurity! No need for land fill -- I do apologize for adding to the atmospheric problems!

Well, I have finally ran out of air -- even though some will be surprised at that -- that pretty much covers my stance on the subject! Yes I spend a ton on injection equipment -- but I sure do sleep well -- (MOST of the time any way )

Terry

 

[linnettejane]

bump

 

[nkotb]

The thing I find it weird no one has mentioned is using a syringe used for antibiotics for a modified live virus.  A MLV vacc. should only be given with a new syringe, or an automatic syringe designated specifically for MLV's.  Also, these MLV syringes should never be cleaned with any disinfectant or antibacterial soap or product.  The residues in any of these cleaning products, or residues from an antibiotic could kill your MLV vacc, rendering it useless, and making you administer nothing more than water.  Also, I would be very careful what I did with used needles, broken lights, etc. as many states/areas have very specific rules as to the disposal of these.