How to Give an Injection to a Horse

Image Gallery Intramuscular shots can be given in the rump, but — unless you know the animal won't buck — the neck (inset) is probably a better choice. PHOTO: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF

For many folks, buying that first horse (or cow, or goat) is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. And for some, the veterinarian bills that follow can soon turn into a nightmare.

"There's an easy way to cut some of those medical expenses quite drastically, however," say Ron and Linda Martin of Imbler, Oregon. "Namely, perform your own injections!" The Martins speak from experience: They recently gave their horse—Long John Silver—both antibiotic and tetanus shots after the animal suffered a deep puncture wound on some hidden barbed wire. Here's how they did it:

First, the couple asked their vet—who had treated Long John before—what drugs to buy, what dosages to give, the gauge of needle to use, etc.

Next, Ron and Linda searched the Yellow Pages for the address of the nearest veterinary supply house, and drove out to the establishment. There, they bought the following equipment:

Supplies You'll Need to Give Horse Injections

• NEEDLES. "Initially, we made the mistake of buying 3/4 inch needles," says Linda. "Well, they weren't nearly long enough to put an injection as deeply into a horse's muscle tissue as a shot should go, and—as a result—Long John developed several large abcesses where we gave the antibiotics. We thought for sure we'd murdered our beloved horse! (The lumps, however, disappeared within 10 days.) Now we know enough to use 1 1/2 inch, 18-gauge needles for our horses, and save the 3/4 inch ones for our goats' shots."

•  SYRINGES. "The plastic, disposable kind served us well in the beginning," remarks Linda, "but we now prefer a permanent nylon syringe that we can sterilize and reuse many times." (Note: Syringes come in different sizes and must—therefore—be chosen with a specific dosage of medication in mind.)

• DISINFECTANT. The Martins chose to store their reusable injection equipment in quaternary ammonium disinfectant rather than alcohol, which can adversely affect certain medicines and syringes.

• MEDICATION. Here, Ron and Linda—on the advice of their vet—bought an antibiotic preparation called Combiotic, to stop the infection that was developing in Long John's wound. They also bought tetanus antitoxin, to protect the animal against tetanus. "It's important to note," says Linda, "that there are two kinds of tetanus medication: a long-acting toxoid, intended to be given once yearly . . . and a short-term antitoxin for use when injuries occur between yearly shots. We bought the second kind for Long John."

How and Where To Give Horse Injections

After purchasing their injection equipment, Ron and Linda read everything they could find on injuries, injections, medicines, anatomy, etc. Says Linda: "This 'boning up' taught us-among other things—that different drugs must be injected in different ways. We learned, for instance, that tetanus antitoxin must be given subcutaneously —or just under the skin—while most antibiotics are given intramuscularly, or deep in the muscle.