Vet leaving drugs...do you feel comfortable in administering them?

I used to hate injecting horses, I found it very upsetting.

However, my two stallions and one mare hate my male vet so now I do all the IM with no trouble at all - it used to be a nightmare. However it was a female vet who taught me how to do it without stress.

I don't do IV only IM.
 
My horse needs injecting once a month could be forever from allergy to dust mites. He has immune therapy which is only tiny needle, the vet started the course as he needed to be watched after but he once he had it in his system the vet watched me and i took other as it would cost me a lot in call out fee.
 
Yes I am confident in administering injections etc - spent a summer worming and vaccinating sheep as well as taking blood samples from chickens - don't ask!! So injecting a horse with antibiotics is a doddle! TBH I think it is something every owner should be able to do is administer a simple subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.
 
Spit That Out said:
Are you ok with injecting your horse? Are you allowed to inject other peoples horses or have i offered to do a big no, no? Does your vet leave you with administrating the medicine or do you require a daily vet visit?
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I've not had to yet but wouldn't have a problem as have done most farm animals and cats. Fella has also done farm animals, dogs and horses. So certainly wouldn't bother with the vet coming to do it.

The farm I used to work on, the farmers wife used to pay me to come in specially to do injections when required as couldn't bring herself to. Same with clipping pet animals nails, shearing sheep necks etc. She was happy to take to abbatoir and eat, but simply shook when handed a needle, so can understand people not doing it. She even admitted she didn't know why she couldn't as was irrational, hers was a fear of hurting the animal even though consequences of not doing certain things would incur more injury.
 
maisie06 said:
TBH I think it is something every owner should be able to do is administer a simple subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.
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Why?

It's not a regular occurence for most people to have to do so and I completely understand why people wouldn't. Vets are trained to do so and if someone would rather pay a professional then I don't see a reason not to.

I'm only happy as I've regularly done so on the farm and pets as have all the family. I doubt I'd have the same level of confidence never having done it before.
 
millsandboon said:
Horses are fine. Guinea pigs are particularly difficult. They squeak too much :p
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I've done my own horses, chicken, ferrets and pet rat. The rat was the worst as he squeaked alot, he had thick skin and the needle blunted :( Saved his life though when nobody else was that worried about it!
If a horse needed injections running over several days I would much rather do it myself than pay a fortune in callouts.
 
I've no problem injecting horses. It's just part and parcel of owning lots of horses to me. I don't mind injecting other peoples horses but only when they live on my land. I no longer inject others horses who live off-property, but I'm happy to show the owners how to do it properly themselves.
 
Im fine, done my own and other peoples as most know I do farm work so jab cows/calves/sheep daily. Can do under the skin or into the muscle no bother. Most folk dont take teh needle off to put it in which is when u get bent needles/massive lumps or make a big hole that pees blood.

Worst thing a vet ever asked me to do was inject a calf in the eye - massive eye infection, made my stomach turn, but cleared it up!
 
I would prefer if it meant saving on vets bills and if I was certain that I was doing it the right way/right dose etc. Don't have a problem doing these kind of things. When my boy fell ill we had the vet out morning and night for 2 weeks, this cost me thousands and I always wanted to know why I wasn't allowed to do it ?

I know people who used to vaccinate their own horses but now we can't buy the drug any more ? It used to be available in a local tack shop so the vet has to be called out to vaccinate (which he charges 30 euros call out fee for and 100 euros call out fee after 8pm).
 
I must admit that when my yearling had his bits off I went for the powder penicillin as I didn't want him to become needle shy but the Lump doesn't mind and just eats his hay...a couple of thumps and it's in.
I found out tonight that the vet is calling in on a daily basis but only charging £10 as a special offer so I don't feel so bad for her now!
 
I've been injecting my own horse almost daily since December (liver damage, steroids, long story). I'd never done it before, I was a wobbly mess the first few times, luckily my vet had kindly clipped off a few patches around my horse's body as a guide to where to inject him, a sort of X marks the spot and it helps that my horse is very tolerant. I'm OK with it now. Hmmm actually not completely, it still feels a bit like stabbing my own child...
 
I can and have injected mine....and lady up the yard horse gets lymphangitus so vet leaves her the steroids to inject and as she works odd hours has a few of us liveries on standby who can inject to give it to her horse for her.
 
mine always has to get penicillin as he wont take the powder either no matter how many carrots/apples/polos i put in his feed.

i used to be fine doing it and had done it 100 times but last time i must have went at a funny angle and the needle bent and poor fox got such a fright and sore butt, so i lost the confidence to do it! luckily another livery is happy to and im happy to let her haha!
 
I'm quite happy to do it for mine or others (never been asked!) Mine had a series of 7 injections and I used the neck as his bum is hard! It saved me a fortune in callout fees. The vet taught me, so I was confident although hated doing it to him!
 
I think I would be okay if someone showed me how, but as it is I haven't a clue so would rather not :D. So far mine haven't needed the sort of injections I could give anyway - just their annual jabs, and a steroid injection for the older mare.
 
I am happy to inject my own. One of my foals needed an injection every day for two weeks :eek:

However I have another mare who is evil to inject, I don't enjoy that much.
 
I have never done it but would be up for doing it if the vet showed me first. To be honest on the few occasions I have had the vet inject, the horse has been wound up, the vet has been time pressured and I think I would be better of trying to do it in my own time with a calm horse.

I had a horse get a kick in the field and vet had to chase him round to get him sedated (this vet seemed a bit unsure around horses), it didn't affect him enough to be able to stitch the wound, had oral antibiotics and sprayed normally. Complete waste of time and 175 quid for the pleasure!
 
I often call to the vets with my diagnosis of a problem and am given meds usually penicillin/ anti inflammatory for poorly sheep or pigs. I don't have a problem injecting them. Don't think my vet would do the same with my horses, he'd want to call out and inject. Perhaps vets think that horsey folk can afford to pay £45 call out (and he's only down the road!) but farmers can't.
 
I'm happy injecting, either I.V or I.M. I had to learn when I was working on a stud and rehab yard, and now do all injecting for my liveries and my own horses.

I think it's madness not to learn - why pay such extortionate callout fees for something that's so easy to learn?!
 
Yes. I am required to administer drugs in my job so administering drugs to an animal is minor. I have also removed stitches as the vet in question was.....well......questionable!!
 
I have injected my girl before when she refused to eat antibiotics and had to jab a friends foal every day for a week when she was only a few days old so i am used to it now. I also have to inject my cat twice a day with insulin. I can understand people not wanting to do it, but it doesn't bother me and I certainly wouldn't be paying the vet to come up and jab her every day!
 
Well I can't see why ever horse owner should be able to do it... You wouldn't have wanted to try and inject one of my previous horses. He hated needles and it was a two man job to inject him. Vet for him!
 
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 states that an unqualified person is covered for

•Any minor treatment given to an animal by its owner, by another member of the household of which the owner is a member or by a person in the employment of the owner.

Therefore you can inject your own horse or those you are employed to look after but this does not cover you for injecting for a friend or another livery
 
I got my first lesson on IM from a vet when I was a teenager. Since then I also learned IV.

In the USA, proficiency with IM/IV is often a required skill on job listings. Show grooms, unfortunately..... will find themselves sticking all sorts-a-stuff into horses regularly...... :(

What irks me, is when people I don't regularly work for want me to inject their horses (often either a sedative, joint medication, antibiotic, or such) and they don't want to pay me. Sticking a needle in someone's horse is a risky proposition. They want me to do it as a 'favor.' I stopped doing that. Sick of it. If they want it enough they can pay me, or get the freakin' vet out to do it.

Interesting I hear so many people here mention penicillin. Not as common the USA, where procaine penicillin is often used. It can cause a very severe, and immediate, reaction in the horse if accidentally introduced in the bloodstream.

Is the penicillin used in the UK often laced with procaine?
 
Isabeau said:
Interesting I hear so many people here mention penicillin. Not as common the USA, where procaine penicillin is often used. It can cause a very severe, and immediate, reaction in the horse if accidentally introduced in the bloodstream.

Is the penicillin used in the UK often laced with procaine?
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I don't know...we have a lot of things in the UK which have been banned compared to other countries but I've only heard it called penicillin but I'm not sure what goes into the ingredients?
 
i've injected my old horses and ponies however my big lad needed injecting and i just couldn't do it, i asked a friend to come and listen to the instruction from the vet (when and how often) and got her to do it for me, i trusted her and i knew he would be fine with it. for some reason i just couldn't inject him!
she would walk up to him in the field, give him a polo then inject with no head collar or anything, he really wasn't bothered!

he needed to have a massive dose of steroids recently and i had to ask the YO to do it for me. the vet has known each time that it would be some one else and he has given the instructions to us both so not a problem.
 
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