There are three types of injections:

1) Intramuscular (IM) - in the muscle
2) Intravenous (IV) - in the vein
3) Subcutaneous - (SQ, Sub-Q) - under the skin

The leg and loin regions should be avoided when giving IM injections. IM injections can cause damage to the muscle tissue (meat). IM injections should be given in the heavy neck muscle near the back of the head. The needle should be inserted into the muscle with a quick thrust. Care should taken to make sure the needle is inserted in the muscle, not just under the skin. You should pull pack on the plunger to make sure they the needle has not been inserted into a blood vessel, as evidenced by blood appearing in the syringe. The medication should be slowly injected into the muscle.

SQ injections should be given behind the point of the shoulder, in the neck region, or on the side of the animal. A SQ injection is given by making a "tent' with the skin and injecting the solution under the fold of the skin, parallel with the muscle. The medicine should be slowly injected.. Sometimes IV injections are necessary to get medicine directly into the blood stream for a quick response. These are given in the jugular vein. Most producers rely on veterinarians for this type of injections.

For SQ injections, a ¾ or 1 inch needle should be used. A 1 inch needle is recommended for IM injections. For thin solutions, such as vaccines, an 18 or 20 gauge needle should be used. For thick solutions, such as penicillin, a 16 or 18 gauge needle may be used. Larger gauges may be necessary when drawing blood or fluid from an abscess.

Oral medication or a SQ injection is preferred to an IM injection and should be given, if allowed. Use the smallest gauge needle possible when giving injections. A clean needle should be used (each time) when drawing medications or vaccines from a bottle. No more than 5 cc should be injected at any one site. You should not inject into a dirty or wet spot. Unhealthy animals should not be vaccinated. Each time you give an injection (or administer other animal health products), you should keep a record of it. Withdrawal times should be strictly adhered to.