doctoring with an air gun

[footballjdtractor]

does anyone have any experience treating sick animals using a dart gun to deliver the drugs? I'm looking at a pnuema-dart gun. I think this would be handy to use out in the pasture.

 

[T-Bro]

Friend is also considering this. He's looking at a company in Oklahoma that makes a crossbow type device. The dart delivers the medicine on contact, then the needle retracts, and the dart falls off the animal.
I wonder how this works with some medicines, though. Some are thick and take a while to push into the muscle.
I am curious also for info from anyone who has used one. They are a little expensive to me.

 

[TB-Herefords]

There is this thing called a "lariat" maybe even "rope"; and every time you miss it wont cost you a syringe of medicine. Lets talk quality beef cuts; starts with shot placment of vaccines and such. When you shoot for the neck and hit a nose or eye; do you take another shot than catch for treatment of new wound or catch first than treat both. :lol:

 

[hayray]

There is this thing called a "lariat" maybe even "rope"; and every time you miss it wont cost you a syringe of medicine. Lets talk quality beef cuts; starts with shot placment of vaccines and such. When you shoot for the neck and hit a nose or eye; do you take another shot than catch for treatment of new wound or catch first than treat both. :lol:

That is a good point I never heard anyone mention before and also made me laugh. Ya know now with those screen writers on strike you should start writing for those late night stand ups.

 

[grannysoo]

Sure it would be handy, but there is only a very limited area of the neck that shots should be given. Anything else and you cause damage to the meat.

Perhaps a head gate instead?

 

[denoginnizer]

I use a benjamin type air rifle that shoots up to a 10cc dart. I have no problem hitting within a three inch circle at 2o yards.
It is very helpful treating footrot, pinkeye etc.
It is alot less stressful to the animal than roping it . Much faster than trying to lead an aminal to the catch pen in many cases. It has its limitations but I wouldnt be without one.

 

[loomis]

We tried one a few years back don't remember the brand name but it would fall out before the meds were injected. It is much cheaper to rope them tie a foot up and docter them we have 800 head of cows and to people can cover them no problem.

 

[TB-Herefords]

I think in todays age people are forgetting the market we are in. Sure there are things to help but there is a limit. RID tags 2.50 a head; RID reader avg. 1000.00; Blood test for pregnancy "I think" 2.00 a head; four wheelers for the whole family; new 40,000.00 truck. Whats the cost of those shots for the gun? Whats the cost of the gun? Whether you have 10 head or 10,000 you have to keep your cost on a per head basis not a per convenience basis. Although if it works for you dont let us stop. What happens when your RID reader gets walked on by some moma cow; or you new four wheeler gets wheeled around by some hot headed bull. I am not in the business to support the latest gaget to make thing easyier. Unless it makes a substantial difference that I can see in my operation and cost not just the "University" results. By this I mean I use a John Deer swather not Percheron pull team. :lol:
As for being a writer; great compliment. Problem is my belief's would bleed through my wrighting to much. Like support of "Right to Work" and the 2nd Amendment. Which I expressed today; as I got my self a new S&W M&P .45 :tiphat: :clap: .

I guess this whole paragragh really just says. If it works for you and pays benefits than go for it. Keep in mind there are a lot of thing that might work but not pay off.

 

[Calman]

Don't think I would buy one.
In four years had to use one only once for a wild steer with hoof rot. It certainly did work. I borrowed it from a neighbor.

Cal

 

[stocky]

The air gun is indispensable here. I have a cap-chur gun and use disposable pneu-darts. They come in 3-10 cc sizes. LA-200 is too thick and you have to use too much. It is better to tranquilize them and doctor with the LA-200 if you cannot get them to a chute. The gun costs around 300 dollars and the darts are around 3 dollars each. You can get reusable ones, but, for us, they arent worth the time and trouble. Saving 1 calf more than pays for the gun. With cows in many different pastures and the pastures not having handling facilities it is the best way. There is far less stress on the animal and it takes very little time. The gun is very accurate and the shot is into the neck. My father can hardly walk, but he has no problem driving the truck or 4-wheeler up toward an animal and doctoring it with the dart gun. Also, I dont want him using Micatil by hand, so he only uses it through the gun. If not for that gun, the animal would either live or die without being doctored. With pneumonia, most of the time they die if they are not doctored. Seems like an easy decision to me. I have friends and neighbors who dont believe the gun is for them, but I cant count the times they have either borrowed it or asked me or Dad to come and shoot a calf for them.

 

[footballjdtractor]

You can get reusable ones, but, for us, they arent worth the time and trouble.
What are the draw backs of these reusable darts? Have you ever used draxxin through the darts? does the gun waste medicine?

 

[stocky]

Football, The reusable darts have to have better care than we give them. You have to clean all the parts real well each time and you have to put them together and put the charge in to make them fire. You have to carry all the parts and cleaning supplies with you so they stay clean. It is a complicated process until you have learned to do it and then it is just time consuming. With reusable, you may have to wait an hour or more for the dart to fall out, and if you are doctoring a few animals, that is very unhandy. Draxxin, Micatil, Drexel, Baytril, any of those thin medicines that dont require 30-50 ccs go through the gun real easy. I would get the darts with the gel collar, they hold the dart in for all the medicine to go into the animal. If you are in freezing weather, it is advisable to warm the medicine enough to keep it from jelling and being too thick. I have never picked up a dart that has medicine left in it and I havent seen the medicine shot outside the animal, so I havent seen any waste. The dart has a charge in it and when it hits the animal, the medicine is shot into the animal by the charge. With reusable, you load the charge, with disposable, it is built in. My gun is powered by CO2 cartridges and it lasts about 30-40 shots before replacing cartridges. PM me if you have any more questions, I will help if I can

 

[Jogeephus]

Though I don't consider myself lazy by any stretch of the imaginination nor do I desire to ever be a cowboy, I have found the crossbow is a good tool to have when one or two animals need some medication and they don't need to be isolated. The crossbow will deliver up to 30cc's of LA 200 with no problem and is an excellent tool to use to quickly knock out a case of pink eye or some other problem without having to spend an hour or so getting the animals in a pen then sorting out the ONE you want. If you miss, 9 times out of ten the dart will not trigger and release the medicine so it is not wasted. They also make SQ and IM needles to use on the dart and they aren't hard to clean at all. They also make different needles based on hide thickness. I prefer the #3, it sticks good.

I would never suggest using this as your basis for herd treatment. Where it shines is the early treatment of that single animal in the herd. My time is valuable, and I know my crossbow has paid for itself - and I don't have to feed it or pay it. :lol:

If you are looking to purchase one, I would chose the crossbow over the airgun simply because of the amount of medicine it can deliver as long as you can get within 25 feet of the animal. 40 feet is possible but ... Also, the animals get wise to whats happening especially if you got to treat the same animal more than twice.

I think you will find the co2 is even more limited in use. I think I know where there is one holding up the corner of a barn if you are interested in purchasing a used one.

 

[Dusty Britches]

There is this thing called a "lariat" maybe even "rope"; and every time you miss it wont cost you a syringe of medicine. Lets talk quality beef cuts; starts with shot placment of vaccines and such. When you shoot for the neck and hit a nose or eye; do you take another shot than catch for treatment of new wound or catch first than treat both. :lol:

Ditto.

And I'm surprised that Caustic Bruno has not responded with his cowboy ways.

 

[Weaver]

We have the crossbow type and as long as you pay attention to the directions and keep it clean, as far as i am concerned, it is well worth the money. We run cows in strip mine hills where the sqeeze chute may be mile or more away. The sick cow doesn't want to see you and doesn't care about the bucket of grain you have, it is very easy to load the dart, shoot her, and grab the dart and go. Depending on the amount of medicine used, they usually loose the dart in about 5-8 seconds. it makes sense in our situation to have one handy.

 

[stocky]

Dusty,
I would just say that my CO-2 gun is accurate with 3-5 cc darts at 50 yards and with the 10ccs at 30-40 yards. I havent had the experience that you quoted of hitting in the nose or eye and having to doctor the injury. The gun is accurate enough that there isnt the miss and waste the medicine that you mention. The times I have used a lariat, the animal gets very excited and there is a tremendous amount of stress. However, I havent used it from a horse, so it might be that the excitement and stress level is different that way. I think it is much better for the animal to shoot it with a dart and let it romp around for a minute than to try to chase it a half mile to a pen and then get it in the chute and then it takes off and runs again after being doctored. If you use the lariat from a horse, dont you still have to get the animal to a pen in order to get it completely immobilized to use Micatil? You cant risk getting that stuff into yourself from a cow or large calf fighting and throwing the needle into you.

 

[LGodlove]

I have a question, is the reason why you are supposed to give shots in the neck totally because of ruining the meat or is there another reason like the medicine is delivered faster via the neck?

 

[dun]

I have a question, is the reason why you are supposed to give shots in the neck totally because of ruining the meat or is there another reason like the medicine is delivered faster via the neck?

Carcass quality is the only reason