What is your most favourite multidose syringe gun for vaccinations?

[sunnyblueskies]

Hey guys,
it's not a question about types of vaccines, but about the tools you use to administer.

Processed calves and cows today, using new to me auto load syringe guns. Allflex to be specific.
One has the bottle mounted directly on top of the barrel and administers 2 to 5 cc's at a time when the handle is pressed, the other has the bottle attached to a clear line which is then attached to the single dose gun, again, something like 2 to 5 cc's.
The idea is all great, but I'm having a hell of a time keeping air out of the barrel.

With the bottle direct mount it's tough to get the gun loaded without air in it. No matter in which angle I hold the whole contraption. Yes, bottle upside down up top, needle end of the gun raised in a 45 degree or so. Can't ever get the air completely out.

With the other one it's easier to get the air out because it's gravity fed through a longer clear line and you can hold the syringe gun completely upside down to get the air out.
If you hold the bottle mounted gun upside down you are drawing in air from the bottle, because you know gravity of the fluid and all that.

Another downside I found on the syringe guns with the long 'line feed' attached is too much leakage where the line attaches to the gun handle.

What kind of problems did you run into with these auto load/feed syringe guns and how did you solve those problems?
Any little tricks you like to share on how to make better use out of these little syringe auto loaders?

Thanks.

 

[Silver]

I find with Allflex gun, bottle mounted on top style, that there is always a little bit of a bubble in the syringe. But it seems to work out well enough, as in a 50 dose bottle seems to do roughly 50 head so I quit worrying about it.
I quit using the syringe that attaches to the bottle via the tube just because it seemed unhandy. I had even cut a hole in my bibs front breast pocket so I could put the bottle in upside down and run the tube out through the slit at the bottom of the pocket and out to the gun. That was nice in cold weather to keep the stuff flowing.

 

[Lucky]

The Allflex 50MR2 repeater syringe (had to look that up) is our favorite. I like the type with the hose also. The hose type are given to us with wormer usually. The bad thing about the hose type is having the right ends to fit the bottle you are using. We've got a small pile of them at this point though. If you really want to make things easy but the short sub Q needles. They stay sharp and don't bend.

 

[gcreekrch]

The idea of the bottle top guns is best ever but quality of guns can vary greatly. One will fail after 200 cows by either not sucking from bottle or pushing back into bottle instead of delivering product to animal. The next will survive several cleaning and several thousand doses.

 

[Lucky]

I had even cut a hole in my bibs front breast pocket so I could put the bottle in upside down and run the tube out through the slit at the bottom of the pocket and out to the gun.

Do you do this to walk up and down the alley and give shots? Our vet supply gives us big plastic bottle protectors for 500ml bottles to hang upside down in and protect the bottle if it gets dropped. They aren't very handle if not catching every one and just bunching them up.

 

[Silver]

Do you do this to walk up and down the alley and give shots? Our vet supply gives us big plastic bottle protectors for 500ml bottles to hang upside down in and protect the bottle if it gets dropped. They aren't very handle if not catching every one and just bunching them up.

I did this to walk up and down the alley giving shots but mostly to keep the vaccine from freezing off. It can be chilly vaccinating in late fall around here.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I have a Multimin90 brand and another one that looks exactly like it that I love. You can put the bottle at any angle. I load one to use on the left side of animal and one for the right side. So, one is tilted left of center top and one is tilted right of center top. You want the bottle in an upright position when you are actually pulling the trigger. They have been fool proof for me. And I use a 3/4" needle because they are all SQ injections.
This is what both of mine look like. This is a PrimaTech. I push and release while the needle is in the animal and vaccine loads perfectly.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

I did this to walk up and down the alley giving shots but mostly to keep the vaccine from freezing off. It can be chilly vaccinating in late fall around here.

Up to which minus temps do you ivomec?

 

[sunnyblueskies]

The Allflex 50MR2 repeater syringe (had to look that up) is our favorite. I like the type with the hose also. The hose type are given to us with wormer usually. The bad thing about the hose type is having the right ends to fit the bottle you are using. We've got a small pile of them at this point though. If you really want to make things easy but the short sub Q needles. They stay sharp and don't bend.

Yes I just use short needles, maybe not short enough. Will have to see how much shorter I can get around here.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

I find with Allflex gun, bottle mounted on top style, that there is always a little bit of a bubble in the syringe. But it seems to work out well enough, as in a 50 dose bottle seems to do roughly 50 head so I quit worrying about it.
I quit using the syringe that attaches to the bottle via the tube just because it seemed unhandy. I had even cut a hole in my bibs front breast pocket so I could put the bottle in upside down and run the tube out through the slit at the bottom of the pocket and out to the gun. That was nice in cold weather to keep the stuff flowing.

We had nothing but problems yesterday with 2 of the 'tube' fed guns. I really like the idea, but there are so many connecting points and thus areas where one could have a leak, we lost quite a bit of vaccine and then a bottle top failed, rubber pushed in while trying to push the hose connect through, just about dumped the whole bottle. Never had that happen before.
It simply was 'one of these days'.

 

[Silver]

Up to which minus temps do you ivomec?

I don't like to put it on if it's very cold out. I had a vet explain to me that the ingredient in Ivermectin pour-ons that cause the skins pores to open up to accept the Ivomec (is it called ethylhexyl something or other?) won't function as it should somewhere around -7. Perhaps one of our vets could help out here.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

I don't like to put it on if it's very cold out. I had a vet explain to me that the ingredient in Ivermectin pour-ons that cause the skins pores to open up to accept the Ivomec (is it called ethylhexyl something or other?) won't function as it should somewhere around -7. Perhaps one of our vets could help out here.

Well that gives me somewhat an idea. We usually get it done before November anyway, but this year the cows came home late from the lease, this weekend we started with a new to us vaccination program and I didn't want to add Ivomec on top of the to do list when they have to come back in in 2 weeks anyway. Just hoping that the temps don't drop too much by then.
Ah well, 6 months winter to look forward to. Sigh..... not.

 

[SBMF 2015]

Allflex 25MR2 is my go to. Most vaccines are a 2ml dose. You get a fuller pull with the 25 vs the 50ml syringes.
I still have several Roux syringes. I'm the only one who likes them so we don't use them anymore.

 

[Dave]

Allflex is the only thing they sell at the local livestock supply store. So that is what I use and it is the only brand I see at all the brandings in the spring.

 

[Silver]

The Allflex 50MR2 repeater syringe (had to look that up) is our favorite.

I'm not a fan. I have one and try not to use it. It just doesn't hold a candle to the Roux. No matter how much I oil it and clean it it seems to get sticky and hard to work with. The Roux just works. Well, now they work as back up because I've got to really like the type the bottle attaches to directly.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Before you try to push the hose connector into the rubber, use a needle to stab several holes in the center of the rubber. Makes it easier to push the bigger connector into it.

 

[Lucky]

I'm not a fan. I have one and try not to use it. It just doesn't hold a candle to the Roux. No matter how much I oil it and clean it it seems to get sticky and hard to work with. The Roux just works. Well, now they work as back up because I've got to really like the type the bottle attaches to directly.

I ordered a 5ml gun the bottle attaches to after reading this thread. Going to try it out see how we like them. Might be the new favorite.

 

[Redgully]

Best ive used was one i borrowed where the bottle screwed onto top of gun but then a hose came out with syringe on the end of hose. Push needle in with one hand, inject with the other. No idea on brand but was super fast to do my whole six cows!

 

[Stickney94]

For those of you using multidose syringes -- are you using the same needle each time -- or do you swap out the needle? Or are you simply not worried about spreading disease?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I change about every 10 shots. No not worried. Fairly closed herd.