Injecting Penicillin into the neck of your horse

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LankyDoodle

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I'm a bit nervous. Last year we had to do this with our old mare who had laminitis caused by infection. Now we don't have that old farmer to do that kind of thing for us and we are on our own. This is one time I wish I was back on a livery yard at the same time as being glad I'm not (help from friends Vs gossip and nosey beakers!).

Anyway, now we've got to inject Lanky with Penicillin for the next 4 days and seeif it leads to any improvement; but my husband is wimping out saying he's scared of killing the horse.
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Not to say I haven't wimped out - I have - but I'm also not here for 2 of the next 4 days due to work!

The vet said rump or neck is fine but he would go for the neck (due to the kickiness issue). Can we just do it anywhere? I am aware it needs to go into the muscle of course, but how particular do we have to be about where we jab?

I'm so worried about this; I'm almost more worried about killing the thing (because of my husband freaking me out to be honest) than I am about the actual lameness!

If this doesn't work he's got to go to horsepital and have all kinds of tests. There is almost definitely no abcess or puss in the foot and definitely no bruising. He almost sound in walk on soft ground, but hopping lame on hard or uneven ground. It's a mystery for sure.
 
I had to do mine before. Vet told me to just pinch a peice of skin half way down the neck and half way between top and bottem and just shove it in basically lol!
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Hi dont want to make you worry more but did similar thing to my thoroughbred following an abcess in his foot.....had all the info from the vet ...told to how to inject etc..poor devil had a major reaction, thrashing around stable (similar to epileptic) thought I had killed him.Will never do again. He survived thank god....never been so scared in all my life.
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Thanks Deefa. Thought it should be quite easy, but you never know!

charliechoo - did he have a reaction to the penicillin or to your technique!? My horse was quite OK when I went up there a moment ago, and he had the first dose at midday. Many people and animals are allergic to penicillin.
 
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Hi dont want to make you worry more but did similar thing to my thoroughbred following an abcess in his foot.....had all the info from the vet ...told to how to inject etc..poor devil had a major reaction, thrashing around stable (similar to epileptic) thought I had killed him.Will never do again. He survived thank god....never been so scared in all my life.
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This was likely to be a procaine reaction, which is rare but can happen (over the years I've had it happen to 2 horses, one in the stable who was fine after a few minutes, and one (which I didn't actually inject) which took off and ended up about 5 miles away (I am not exaggerating).

I think the bottom line is that if you are not happy injecting your horse, you will have to pay for the vet to come out every day and do it, although he probably won't be too pleased about that.

The other possibility, again rare, is that you can cause an abscess at the injection site.

I've injected hundreds of horses, and still do, and I don't worry about it.

If you are going to do it, alternate the sides of the neck. You'll most likely be fine
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I assume your vet didn't run through it then?

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Yes he did, but I'm nervous of getting it wrong. He showed me as he was doing it and he said to put it into the muscle either in the neck or the rump is fine. I was quite confident until my husband started flapping about killing him!
 
Yes, deffo use alternate sides of the neck. Aim for a more muscly bit, give it a quick rub before pinching and injecting - make sure you hit muscle and don't just run it under the skin (I think that's how you get an abscess), rub again afterwards. As I remember, it's quite thick so you need to press the plunger quite firmly (maybe that's just the one we had)

OH does all our injections, plus anyone else's if they can't face it
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I think the thing is, the vet asked if we were OK to do it and I said 'oh yeh, x will be fine' (meaning my husband would be OK to do it). We both grew up in farming families, and he has injected cattle before, so I don't get the whole big deal he's making. LOL.
 
I had the same reaction as Charliechoo's in my mare when she moved very slightly half way through the injection into her neck area.

I looked up the reaction in my mare who thrashed around with eyes on stalks kind of reaction. It turns out the procaine in the antibiotic that numbs injection site if it actually gets into blood stream can give a reaction like a cocaine hit!! Hence the very hyper hallucinating reaction from my mare. I thought I had killed her. It was a very very small amount that went into her blood stream too. Hence I have never given an injection since!

In all my readings about the reaction, people said injecting into the neck was riskier due to being more veiney in the area? Whether this is true or not, not sure?
 
Oh I see. You would be really unlucky to do any harm tbh. Has your vet drawn up the syringes for you?

I would think the worst case scenario would be an abcess forming, but you would be unlucky. I had to inject a pony with penicillin for two weeks twice a day a few years back. Obviously swapped sides every time and he didn't get one.

I'd come and do it for you if I were closer!

ETS lol! I read that you are in Somerset. Not in Dorset by any chance are you!

x
 
Oh no, now I feel even worse. Don't actually think I can do this. I've started looking on google and reading about injecting into blood vessels etc. I'm actually panicking. Will have to ask the vet for some oral stuff I think.
 
There is a triangular area on the horses neck which is a safe area for you to inject into. Google it for a diagram as it is difficult to describe in words. It is much easier to do it in the neck than in the rump. I had to do it in the rump but after the 1st time my very sociable horse turned very nasty and kicked and thrashed about a lot which made it impossible to do it on my own. She moved so much that she bent 3 needles before I gave up! In the neck you an just pinch the skin, stick the needle in and off you go - quick and easy and no legs to avoid.
 
Thanks, Persephone.

I think I just need to get over the panicking really.

I'm reading worst case scenarios on the net. So long as I am for the same sort of area my vet did, stick the needle straight in with no fussing and don't tilt the needle when it's in, maybe I will be ok.
 
Don't panic! Did your vet tell you to put the needle in first?

I do a couple of taps then in. Connect the syringe and draw back. If there is no blood when you pull back then carry on and inject steadily as it's quite viscous stuff.

If there is blood take it out and start again. Preferably using a new needle.

If you have got a blood vessel you will draw blood back, if not you are ok.

x
 
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There is a triangular area on the horses neck which is a safe area for you to inject into. Google it for a diagram as it is difficult to describe in words. It is much easier to do it in the neck than in the rump. I had to do it in the rump but after the 1st time my very sociable horse turned very nasty and kicked and thrashed about a lot which made it impossible to do it on my own. She moved so much that she bent 3 needles before I gave up! In the neck you an just pinch the skin, stick the needle in and off you go - quick and easy and no legs to avoid.

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Thanks, this is what vet said - made by something under the mane, spinal colum and shoulder. There is still a mark where the vet injected today, so I will aim for that the other side tomorrow.
 
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Don't panic! Did your vet tell you to put the needle in first?

I do a couple of taps then in. Connect the syringe and draw back. If there is no blood when you pull back then carry on and inject steadily as it's quite viscous stuff.

If there is blood take it out and start again. Preferably using a new needle.

If you have got a blood vessel you will draw blood back, if not you are ok.

x

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Thanks Persephone. I'll be OK. I just have to get on with it.
x
 
Ok, don't worry about hitting a blood vessel (I did this once and horse was fine)
a) Practise on an orange
b) Clean site with a bit of alcohol
c) Pinch a bit of skin elsewhere to distract horse (this is actually optional, you can also thump a few times where you're going to inject) stick needle in- It goes in quite easily
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c) Attach syringe, pull back a bit to make sure you haven't hit a blood vessel. If you have, pull out needle and start again.
d) Push contents in. Don't rush.
e) Rub area but don't go barmy with the pressure. Imagine he's got an itch.
Easy
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This is where to inject:

horse-injection.jpg


You can measure one hand's width from mane and one from shoulder if you're having trouble visualising the area
 
You'll be fine!

Once you have done it once you'll be an old hand lol. Honestly it is just so straightforward.

The drawing back is the important check IMO. But as an aside I have never hit a blood vessel with an IM injection Horse, cat, rabbit or human!

x
 
I'm sure vets wouldn't leave owners to inject if there were much of a chance we could kill them..
I have injected many times with no problems but do understand your worries.
I actually always inject in the butt...its a bigger area. Always needle without syringe first.
I pinch the horses neck,thump thump on thier butt and jab. Attach syringe and go.
Most times they don't even notice...

If you are really worried could you ask for some oral stuff...
 
By simply pinching some skin, you are putting into the skin or just below, where it will do no good. You need to keep the skin flat so the needle goes a little deeper.
 
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By simply pinching some skin, you are putting into the skin or just below, where it will do no good. You need to keep the skin flat so the needle goes a little deeper.

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Was that aimed at me?
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I pinch the horses neck to distract from what I'm doing at the other end
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A really easy way I've found of doing it is to 'hide' the needle in your hand, slap the neck twice as if your patting him and on the third pat just turn your hand so the needle goes into the muscle. Attach syringe and inject. Change sites and alternate sides.
Simples!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ok, don't worry about hitting a blood vessel (I did this once and horse was fine)
a) Practise on an orange
b) Clean site with a bit of alcohol
c) Pinch a bit of skin elsewhere to distract horse (this is actually optional, you can also thump a few times where you're going to inject) stick needle in- It goes in quite easily
smile.gif

c) Attach syringe, pull back a bit to make sure you haven't hit a blood vessel. If you have, pull out needle and start again.
d) Push contents in. Don't rush.
e) Rub area but don't go barmy with the pressure. Imagine he's got an itch.
Easy
smile.gif


This is where to inject:

horse-injection.jpg


You can measure one hand's width from mane and one from shoulder if you're having trouble visualising the area

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Thank you so much for this, especially for the diagram. I feel more confident now after speaking to a few people here and on phone etc.

Thank you.
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Thanks also persephone, donklet, nicnag and honeypots.

My husband is saying he will take the chance of being kicked and do it in the butt! Hey,t he plus of it is, my horse doesn't want to bear weight on the affected leg so he is unlikely to kick anyway.
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That's very sad MizElz, but not terribly helpful in the circumstances?

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Sorry, opinions and experiences were asked for and so I gave mine, as I have done when similar questions have been asked in the past. I didnt realise we werent allowed to talk about bad experiences?
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