Weaning time is in full swing, and with it comes decisions producers must make regarding the preparation and marketing of cattle for the next segment of the beef industry. Many producers will choose to precondition and vaccinate their cattle before sending them down the road. As producers administer treatments and vaccinations, they should take steps to ensure the quality, health and productivity of their cattle.
Medications are commonly given to beef cattle as a part of regular husbandry practices or part of a herd health plan. Medications may be given by mouth, topically or by injection. Injections are commonly given in the muscle, under the skin or in the bloodstream.
Medications are administered to cattle by injection for a variety of reasons, including preventing diseases, treating infections and controlling parasites. Intramuscular injections of almost any medication results in some form of injection site lesion or blemish.
The severity and economic loss of the resulting lesion can be reduced, and the animal’s health can be improved, through the use of Beef Quality Assurance-approved injection techniques and proper injection hygiene.
Learning the basics
For a couple of decades, the beef industry has made an effort to reduce the economic loss from injection site lesions. This effort included educating beef cattle producers and beef industry workers to administer all intramuscular and subcutaneous injections to cattle in front of their shoulders in an area known as the injection site triangle.
This Beef Quality Assurance recommendation has proved beneficial to the beef industry, as the number of injection site blemishes found in higher-priced cuts of beef has greatly been reduced. In fact, results from the 2011 National Beef Quality Audit showed that 87 percent of all types of beef producers preferred the neck region for the administration of animal health products.
In a report from the Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, veterinarians agree that a majority of injections in beef cattle are being given in the neck region away from the more expensive cuts of beef. However, even though the beef industry has responded and improved beef quality with recommended injection sites and techniques, some concerns remain, particularly in the area of animal health.
Veterinarians reported encountering a couple of cases of cellulitis in beef cattle that resulted from injections. Generally, damage from injections is localized in the tissues around the injection site (i.e., injection site lesion).
However, if cellulitis occurs due to bacteria entering the animal via the injection site, greater amounts of animal tissue may be compromised and animal performance (intake, gains, etc.) may be negatively affected. In severe cases, cellulitis can lead to the death of the animal.
To determine the cause of the cellulitis, veterinarians performed necropsies on several animals. They isolated the bacterium Clostridium perfringens from neck tissues (near injection site) of affected animals. Additionally, they isolated the bacterium from the vaccine vial used in the vaccination process.
The vial was previously used and stored prior to the incident. The previous use allowed contaminants to enter the vial, and storage allowed those contaminants to grow. In comparison, no bacteria were isolated from an unopened, unused vial of vaccine.
Veterinarians identified the main culprit in these infections to be the storage and use of partially used animal health products. It has also been suggested that infections can result from the use of unclean syringes and needles.
A look into storage
To gain some perspective on how many partially used animal health products may be stored on farms and ranches, consider the results of two recent studies that examined the refrigeration and storage of animal health products on beef operations.
In Arkansas, a total of 1,800 bottles of animal health products were found in the refrigerators of 191 surveyed producers. Of those, 216 (12 percent) were expired, and 522 (29 percent) were opened or previously used.
Similar results were found in Idaho. A total of 2,257 bottles of animal health products were found in refrigerators of the 129 surveyed producers. Of those animal health products, 463 (20 percent) were expired, and 614 (27 percent) were opened or previously used.
Considering the results of these studies and the case study findings from KSU, producers should choose to discard any open/previously used products.
For a number of years, the beef industry has worked diligently to reduce the impacts of injections on carcass quality and provide beef consumers with safe, high-quality and wholesome products.
When administering animal health products, the same level of commitment needs to be exhibited in regards to injection hygiene to protect an animal’s heath and allow for maximum productivity. The following are several injection recommendations that, when observed and followed, should result in improved beef quality and healthier, better-performing cattle.
- Read and follow all animal health product label and package insert information.
- Store and maintain animal health products as indicated on the label.
- Discard any partially used/previously opened animal health products.
- Discard any expired animal health products.
- Wash (with boiling water) syringes between uses. Store syringes in a clean place.
- Use clean/sterile transfer needles to draw animal health products out of the vial.
- Use clean/sterile, sharp needles of the correct length and gauge.
- Clean/change needles between uses if they become soiled. Change dull, bent, burred or broken needles immediately.
- Change needles after each animal if the potential of spreading blood-borne diseases (i.e., anaplasmosis, bovine leukosis) exists.
- Clean (i.e., remove mud, manure and foreign matter) injection site prior to animal health product administration.
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J. Benton Glaze Jr.
- Extension Beef Cattle Specialist
- Department of Animal and Veterinary Science University of Idaho
- Email J. Benton Glaze Jr.
