Posted by Administrator on June 12 2003 16:02
Vaccination Sites Continued
Equine Newsletter 2nd Quarter 2003
To give a shot in the rump, first you need to stand beside the horse rather than behind them. The closer to the horse you stand, the safer you are. It is best if your hip is touching the horses hip. They need leverage to get in a kick. If you stand close, you mostly get bumped with a hock. The best place to give the shot is in the muscle near the tail, at the point where the rump is furthest from the nose. After finding the spot for injection, follow the same steps as for the neck.
The Pectorals
This is an underutilized, but ideal site for vaccine injection. The pectorals are the large muscles between a horses front legs. This is a very good site, especially in the case of an abscess, because it is able to drain well. It is as safe as vaccinating in the neck, and most horses have good muscle mass in their pectorals.
When giving a shot in the pectoral muscle, place the needle in the lowest point on the pectoral. Then follow the steps as the the other two sites.
Vaccinating horses can be an adventure if your horse has already made up it's mind about needles. Implementing restraint techniques can be a key to success. Another way to make vaccination easier is to change the routine. If the horse is used to getting a nose twitch and a shot in the neck as they rear and buck around the lawn, confuse them with an ear twitch and a shot in the pectoral muscle. Even just a different injection site can confuse them enough to be good for vaccinations.