vaccinations

[BlessedMom]

Hi all;

We are new to the goat world as of last year. I was told when I got my goats that February was vaccination time. Okay....what does that mean and what do i need?

Thanks!

lori

[Jen H]

The vaccine you want is CD&T. You'll find it in any well-stocked feed store.

The dosage will be printed on the side of the bottle - mine says 2ml, repeat in 3-4 weeks. I give vaccines SQ.

When you're getting your vaccine, GET EPINEPHRINE. Every once in a blue moon, an animal will go into allergic shock after vaccination - you'll see their eyes glaze over and they just melt to the floor. Epinephrine is what saves these animals. Keep a pulled syringe of it in your pocket and hang around for 15 minutes after you give the vaccine just in case. The epinephrine dose is again on the side of the bottle - mine says 1ml per 100lbs body weight, IM.

[BlessedMom]

Originally Posted by Jen H

The vaccine you want is CD&T. You'll find it in any well-stocked feed store.

The dosage will be printed on the side of the bottle - mine says 2ml, repeat in 3-4 weeks. I give vaccines SQ.

When you're getting your vaccine, GET EPINEPHRINE. Every once in a blue moon, an animal will go into allergic shock after vaccination - you'll see their eyes glaze over and they just melt to the floor. Epinephrine is what saves these animals. Keep a pulled syringe of it in your pocket and hang around for 15 minutes after you give the vaccine just in case. The epinephrine dose is again on the side of the bottle - mine says 1ml per 100lbs body weight, IM.

Hi Jen;

Thanks for the info! What is SQ?
Also, would allergic shock still be a concern if the animal has had them before and is almost 5 years old? I imagine with our one goat that was born last January (so she just turned a year) that this would be a concern.

Well dh got the CD&T at the store today but we don't have epinephrine...so I'll wait until we can get that also, since we are about an hour away (it would be two hours before we could get ther and back) from any feed store or help.

Thanks
Lori

[Jen H]

Sorry, SQ is subcutaneous (under the skin). IM is intramuscular. Shots are given in different places depending on how fast you want the medication to get into the system. Vaccinations are safer if the dose is absorbed slowly, so they're given SQ. IM shots get into the system and start working faster, so that's how you give epinephrine and antibiotics if the animal is really sick.

Allergic shock can happen any time. It's the same thing as people all of a sudden having problems with bee stings when they're in their 40s.

I haven't ever had any of my animals go into shock. It's really not that common. Epinephrine is cheap, though, and if the animal does go into shock that's the one medication that can save it's life.

[BlessedMom]

Originally Posted by Jen H

Sorry, SQ is subcutaneous (under the skin). IM is intramuscular. Shots are given in different places depending on how fast you want the medication to get into the system. Vaccinations are safer if the dose is absorbed slowly, so they're given SQ. IM shots get into the system and start working faster, so that's how you give epinephrine and antibiotics if the animal is really sick.

Allergic shock can happen any time. It's the same thing as people all of a sudden having problems with bee stings when they're in their 40s.

I haven't ever had any of my animals go into shock. It's really not that common. Epinephrine is cheap, though, and if the animal does go into shock that's the one medication that can save it's life.

Okay, now I understand! I finally had dh pick up Probios after I had to transfer the rumen from one goat to the other this past year. now I know if I had been able to give them priobios I could maybe have skipped that. It's so hard to know what to have on hand.
What gauge needles do you use? dh brought home a whole variety!
Now I give the shots just up from the front shoulders into the neck right? (the CD/T) Just under the skin. Now the others, where do I give them? In the back leg or something?
Thanks,
Lori

[Jen H]

I use 20 gauge needles - a bunch of neighbors and I went in together and bought a big box of them to save money. (20 gauge seems to be the all-purpose size for sheep, goats, horses, cows, etc...)

When I give SQ shots I pinch some skin off of the top of the shoulder and inject into the tent-like area. Just pull back the plunger a bit to make sure you haven't hit a blood vessel before you press the vaccine out. Expect to see a lump where you gave the injection for a couple of days - some goats lump up more than others do. It's normal and will go away eventually.

The easiest muscle to find is the rump. Grab one of the back legs and pull it back and out a bit - you'll see the muscle bulge. The needle goes into the biggest part of the bulge. The problem with using the rump is if you plan on butchering your stock at all - the rump is the biggest, nicest piece of meat on a goat and repeat injections can cause scarring in that area. There is a good sized muscle on the top of the neck where the neck meets the shoulders. Folk who use their goats for meat usually use that muscle for injections.

Anytime I've had to give an IM shot the critter has been really sick (things can come up really sudden, no matter how attentive you are) and I've been feeling freaked out - so I've just used the rump. My goats also aren't for meat, they're basically pets I make scarves and shawls out of.