How often do you change needles?

[J+ Cattle]

Just out of curiosity how often do you change needles when vaccinating your herd?
Only when it gets bent or becomes dull?
Every 10 head?

Here's why I'm asking...
Last year I had a few calves that had some warts, so I bought the wart vaccine and ran them all through the chute to vaccinate them. After vaccinating them almost all of them developed warts, some more severe than others but almost all had some. I know I should have waited for the warts to go away on their own, but I thought with the vaccine they would clear up faster and be ready to sell. I think using the same needle from one to the next helped spread the warts. Luckily it was only warts and not something more serious. Imagine vaccinating an animal infected with something like IBR or BVD and not changing the needle and spreading it through the whole herd.

Curious to know what our vets like @Buck Randall have to say on the subject.

 

[bird dog]

Every 10 for me. I mix up a modified live vaccine in the 10 dose and once its gone, all needles get changed. If the calf is obviously sick than the needles get changed after it goes through.

 

[Dave]

Some years ago my youngest daughter accidentally stuck herself with a needle. Hit the bone at the base of her thumb. Got a small infection so she went to the doctor. The doctor asked was it a clean needle? She laughed and asked him if he had ever been to a branding.
I have given shots at a 200 head branding where the same needle was used all day. And I know people who use a fresh needle after every calf. I always have spares with me but don't change then nearly as often as should.

 

[farmerjan]

I try to change every 10-20... Mostly it is blackleg for calves, Tetanus for larger bull calves; and Triangle 10 for any other vaccinating. With this "new" tick disease Theilerosis (?) from the asian longhorn tick having been found here in the valley, I know we should change it after each one. I hate using a dull needle so try to change it more often rather than less often.

 

[SBMF 2015]

I don't charge needles nearly as often as I should. As long as it still works, it gets used.
The exceptions are when I do spinal blocks and hormone shots to synchronize cows. Then I changed every cow.

 

[kenny thomas]

I want to add that the needle going into the animal shouldn't be the same needle that's in the vaccine or wormer bottle.

 

[Buck Randall]

I've never heard of needles being a major transmission vector for warts, but I suppose it's possible.

Needles are cheap; we really ought to use a new one every time. Most people (myself included) don't because it's inconvenient. I do work with some herds that use individual needles and a clean palpation sleeve for every animal, but it takes time.

I usually change needles every 10 head for chute jobs. If I drop a needle, hit the chute with it, or hit bone I change it. I don't reuse IV needles. Sick animals get individual needles.

One of my bigger pet peeves is farmers hanging on to used needles/disposable syringes. It's bad enough to reuse needles, but to come back to one that's been sitting on the shelf for days/weeks/months is crazy. Injection site abscesses cost a lot more than a thirteen cent needle. The only cases of blackleg I've ever seen have all been caused by bad injection technique.

 

[wbvs58]

BLV, Bovine Leukaemia Virus is one that can be readily transferred with needles. I guess you have to assess the risk. If you have a closed herd you may get away with multiple use of needles with some things but then people who have a closed herd tend to be a bit more pedantic with their biosecurity and be more likely to change needles. I don't think BVD and BRD are biggies being transmitted by needles, if you had a PI in your herd it is more likely spread through the likes of water points. If you bring outside cattle into your herd I think changing the needles every dose would be more important.

Ken

 

[Ebenezer]

"I do work with some herds that use individual needles and a clean palpation sleeve for every animal, but it takes time."
What we do.

 

[Buck Randall]

BLV, Bovine Leukaemia Virus is one that can be readily transferred with needles. I guess you have to assess the risk. If you have a closed herd you may get away with multiple use of needles with some things but then people who have a closed herd tend to be a bit more pedantic with their biosecurity and be more likely to change needles. I don't think BVD and BRD are biggies being transmitted by needles, if you had a PI in your herd it is more likely spread through the likes of water points. If you bring outside cattle into your herd I think changing the needles every dose would be more important.

Ken

We tend not to worry about BLV in commercial cattle in the states, but I'm growing increasingly convinced that's a mistake. I don't have any idea how prevalent it is in beef herds, but it's pretty common for most of the cows on large dairies to be infected.

 

[TCRanch]

Every. Single. Time. Disposable syringes & needles are pre-filled, bagged & identified in separate coolers when we work cattle. The exception is when I use a mod live at weaning in a repeater syringe, but still use a new, disposable needle for every calf. Excessive? Maybe. But once you have a fave cow diagnosed with BLV, and then a 2nd, you change your protocol. Needles are cheap and it takes all of a few seconds to switch one out.

How did they get it? I have no clue. My herd is closed and I haven't purchased a cow since our original bred cows in 2009. New, virgin yearling bulls as carriers? Unlikely. Vector transmission? Also unlikely but not impossible.

This is a neighbors cow that shares a fence line with my herd. They vaccinate once a year, the cows get fly tags and that's it: no other fly control, mineral, etc. I asked him about the cow & he said she has "cancer". Coincidence mine were subsequently diagnosed?

 

[Big Creek]

We change needles every injection. Too cheap not to in my opinion.

 

[Lucky_P]

New needle for each animal here. No in-and-out of a bottle with a needle that's been in an animal.

OK. Here's my story, starting back around 2006... we only had ~ 40 cows at the time. Was losing at least one or two cows to lymphosarcoma every year. Wife said, "We've gotta do something about this!" I bled and tested every female on the place... 40 of 44 adult cows were BLV-positive; 1 of 4 replacement heifers was BLV positive.
I used to use the same needle 'til it got too dull to stick another cow, in and out of the bottle, over and over. As a veterinarian, I KNEW BETTER, but like so many other folks, I was lazy. I have no doubt that *I* was responsible for the high incidence of BLV and lymphosarcoma in my herd.
But, I didn't want to sell down and just start over with 7 animals, so... from that day on, no female animal - cow or heifer - that had a prayer of staying on the farm got stuck with a needle that had been in another animal. Sure... I could have continued to re-use needles on animals that I knew were already BLV-infected, but it was time to make the change in a positive way, and without changing for each animal, the likelihood that someone (ME) would slip up and stick a 'clean' animal with a 'dirty' needle.
I did, however, re-use needles on steers and heifers that I knew were destined for a feedlot... somebody would be eating them before BLV status or lymphosarcoma ever became an issue.

No in-and-out of a bottle of vaccine or medication with a needle that's been in an animal... insert a clean, sterile needle in the bottle, draw out the appropriate dose, uncouple, and put a new needle on the syringe for the injection. I will use the same needle, in some instances, for multiple injections on the same animal... say, a heifer receiving a MLV vaccine and a Clostridial bacterin... I'll give the MLV injection, then switch that needle over to the syringe containing the Clostridial bacterin.

Disposable needles are cheap. Is it a PITA to have to change needles between animals? Yeah... but it's the RIGHT THING TO DO.
If you live in an area where anaplasmosis is endemic, or have anaplasmosis in your herd, think about this... KSU researchers did a little project where they had a parasitemic cow... just on the brink of breaking with clinical anaplasmosis... they stuck a needle in her(10 times), mimicking giving injections, then stuck 10 Anaplasma-negative cows with those needles. 6 of 10 cows became infected.

If all I had were stocker/feeder animals... I might just fall back into the old use the needle 'til it's dull deal... might even invest in a pistol-grip syringe... but for a cow-calf operation... I think it's a no-no.

 

[ksmit454]

I have always used a new needle after each head. Now I do have a very small herd so it's easy for me to switch out each needle.

 

[J+ Cattle]

Every. Single. Time. Disposable syringes & needles are pre-filled, bagged & identified in separate coolers when we work cattle. The exception is when I use a mod live at weaning in a repeater syringe, but still use a new, disposable needle for every calf. Excessive? Maybe. But once you have a fave cow diagnosed with BLV, and then a 2nd, you change your protocol. Needles are cheap and it takes all of a few seconds to switch one out.

How did they get it? I have no clue. My herd is closed and I haven't purchased a cow since our original bred cows in 2009. New, virgin yearling bulls as carriers? Unlikely. Vector transmission? Also unlikely but not impossible.

This is a neighbors cow that shares a fence line with my herd. They vaccinate once a year, the cows get fly tags and that's it: no other fly control, mineral, etc. I asked him about the cow & he said she has "cancer". Coincidence mine were subsequently diagnosed?
View attachment 17077

There's an entry for the ugly cow contest if I ever saw one!

 

[TCRanch]

There's an entry for the ugly cow contest if I ever saw one!

Oh no. He's got this gnarly looking black cow with lopsided horns growing back inside her head. Towards the back of the pic, he has an all black cow with a white tail, plus she's butt ugly. His bull at the time was so skinny, from a hind view, you could only tell it was a bull if you looked south. Woof!!!

 

[J+ Cattle]

His bull at the time was so skinny, from a hind view, you could only tell it was a bull if you looked south. Woof!!!

Maybe we need an ugly bull contest!!!

 

[wbvs58]

We tend not to worry about BLV in commercial cattle in the states, but I'm growing increasingly convinced that's a mistake. I don't have any idea how prevalent it is in beef herds, but it's pretty common for most of the cows on large dairies to be infected.

Buck, the place you mentioned that does use new needle and sleeve on every animal, would BLV be the reason?

Ken

 

[TCRanch]

Maybe we need an ugly bull contest!!!

Just sayin' . . .

 

[Buck Randall]

Buck, the place you mentioned that does use new needle and sleeve on every animal, would BLV be the reason?

Ken

Yes. They export a lot of embryos and some of their bulls go into AI studs. Being BLV negative is required to sell frozen embryos or semen into the EU.