Homesteader News
A free online newspaper written by homesteaders for homesteaders! Sponsored by
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Owner- LaMar Alexander
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Thank you from LaMar!
Just wanted to say thanks to all the homesteader and off-gridder groups and people that have made HN possible!
A special thanks to our editors that work hard to bring you quality information for free. Without great homesteaders HN would be lost and so would our way of life.
Please thank them here readers as the only reward they get is knowing the articles they write are helpful and interesting.
LaMar
Response to "Cut your animal vaccination costs"
Cut Your Animal Vaccination Costs" gave many good tips and tricks. In the case of vaccinating horses, it's critical to know where to apply the needle!
For instance, the haunches tend to have less efficient drainage which can lead to infection and abscesses from an injection there. As a result, this area is usually only used for injection of antibiotics. If one must inject into the haunches, draw an imaginary line from the top of the croup to the buttocks, and another imaginary line from the dock of the tail to the point of the hip. Consult a conformation chart if you are at all unsure about the location of these areas .Where those two imaginery lines intersect is the best place for the injection.
The neck is another area where you want careful placement of the needle. It's important to avoid the spinal column and the ligamentum nuchae which is responsible for supporting the horse's head and neck. If you give the injection in the wrong place in the neck the horse may suffer nerve damage, infections, ligament damage, and painful swelling. The most common and safe injection area of the neck is what is referred to as "the triangle." If you know what you are looking for, you can see a kind of an elongated triangle on each side of the horse's neck. Sometimes their mane will cover part or all of it. The muscles tend to outline the outer portions of this triangle. If you aren't sure where it is, for heaven's sake ask someone who knows before you inject. The result of a badly placed needle is pain and suffering for the horse, and sometimes a vet bill for the owner (who wanted to avoid that in the first place!).
I have heard of some injection either at what they say is "the base of the spinal column," however that leaves me with more questions than answers. The base would be closer to the root of the tail than the neck! Some say they prefer to inject around the side of the shoulder blade, or "withers." The bone is very close to the surface of the skin there, and an injection site could still be sore a day or two later, and could cause further pain if the horse is saddled at that point.
Another injection point is the "thigh" of the horse. I have had to inject in the thigh of a hind leg, and can attest that if you're going to try that, it often triggers the horse's reflex to kick, just as they would if a fly were biting them there. If you are well acquainted with working around horses who are prone to kick, you will know to stand very close to the horse, so that their leg can only shove you. If you are not well versed in such tactics, it is safer if you can secure more experienced assistance!
Thanks for publishing a great resource for all of us who are pursuing self-sufficiency and desire to leave a smaller impact on the earth.
Best wishes,
Tig Haner