Table of Contents
IntroductionFor many medicines and vaccines, injection is the best method of administration to an animal. Although the purpose of an injection is to benefit the animal, if proper technique is not used an injection has the potential to do harm. Poorly injected products may not be well absorbed and may not work. The injection could create drug residues, scar tissue, and/or abscesses that could cause the animal pain and suffering. Show
Your veterinarian can instruct you on fine tuning your injection techniques. This Factsheet provides a basic understanding of good procedures. Read the LabelBefore Using Any Product, Read the LabelPharmaceutical manufacturers provide safe products that will effectively treat a health problem, provided they are stored and used according to label directions. Prior to licensing a product, research is conducted to determine the best injection site, route and dosage for the treatment of a particular condition in a particular species and class of animal. This research is required for product licensure and provides the information for the label instructions. Drug products approved by Health Canada have Drug Identification Numbers (DINs) on the label showing that their use is approved in Canada. Only use products with DINs, unless your veterinarian advises differently. An approved medicine will have a label displaying:
Products used in any manner other than that recommended on the label are used in an extra-label (ELUD) manner. ELUD treatments can ONLY be done on the specific, written recommendation of your veterinarian, who will provide additional information needed to use a product in the manner they are recommending. Label withdrawal times may not be correct or the product may not work as expected if label directions are not followed. General Principles for Administering Injections
Preparing the Product
Using Clean Equipment
Choosing Needles
Restraining Animals
Volume of Product to Inject
Mixing Products
Injection TechniquesIntramuscular Injections
Subcutaneous Injections
Intravenous Injections
Multiple Injections
Consequences of Poor Injection Techniques
Records of TreatmentAll treatments given to food animals should be permanently recorded to ensure withdrawal time requirements are met and to improve treatment decisions and success.
For more information: What range of fluid volume can be injected via the subcutaneous route in small animals Penn Foster?It is currently believed that the maximum volume for SC injections is approximately 1.5 mL.
Can you give 2ml subcutaneously?Medications administered by subcutaneous injection include drugs that can be given in small volumes (usually less than 1 mL but up to 2 mL is safe).
What volume can be injected subcutaneously?The maximum volume generally accepted for an SC injection is around 1.5 ml [29], although higher volumes (of up to 4 ml) can be administered if necessary [30].
What is the maximum amount of water soluble medication given by the subcutaneous route?The volume of solution in a subcutaneous injection should be no more than 1 mL for adults and 0.5 mL for children. Larger amounts may not be absorbed appropriately and may cause increased discomfort for the patient.
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