Needle know-how for better cattle health practices

Apr 25, 2024

By Farms.com

Hypodermic needles use in cattle health management is crucial for effective delivery of medications and vaccinations. Selecting the right needle involves considering the cattle's weight, the medication's thickness, and the administration route.

A smaller gauge, which indicates a thinner needle, is preferable for minimizing animal discomfort and tissue damage, while the length should be adequate for the targeted injection depth, such as intramuscular or intravenous.

Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) guidelines stipulate that all injections should be administered in front of the shoulder to maximize safety across all ages of cattle.

Needles should be replaced after treating every 10 animals or sooner if they become dull or damaged. This helps maintain the sterility of the medication and reduces the risk of infection.

In case a needle breaks, it's important to mark the injection site immediately and consult a veterinarian for removal. If the needle cannot be retrieved, record the animal's ID to prevent it from entering the food chain and consider euthanizing according to proper protocols at the end of its productive life.

Regarding biosecurity, changing needles between animals is critical in herds with infectious diseases like anaplasmosis and blood-borne diseases such as bovine leukosis, which can be spread through contaminated needles. This practice is part of broader disease control measures, including managing biting insects and disinfecting surgical instruments.

Study shows an approx. 60% transmission rate of anaplasmosis through needle injections, highlighting the importance of changing needles between animals in infected herds.

Proper disposal of needles should be done using sharps containers or robust plastic containers with secure lids. It's advisable to consult with veterinarians or local health facilities for proper disposal methods and options for handling full containers responsibly.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.