Injection Sites

a Look Under the Hide

Abstract

Cattle are injected with a variety of animal health products including vaccines, bacterins, antibiotics, anthelmintics, analgesics, and vitamins. Giving proper injections improves animal welfare, product response, and beef quality. Current Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) recommendations are to give products in the neck. Injections should be four or more inches apart. No more than 10 mL of a product should be given at any one injection site when giving products labeled for intramuscular administration; label instructions should be carefully followed when administering products labeled for subcutaneous use. When given a choice, the subcutaneous route of administration should be used. Needles should be sharp and changed often. Damaged needles should be discarded. Veterinarians, technicians, and others giving injections should follow BQA recommendations.