How to Give a Goat an Injection
In this post, I'd like to go over how to give a goat an injection. I will cover both a subcutaneous (SQ) injection and an intramuscular injection (IM). If you own goats, chances are you will need to give your goat both of these types of injections at some point.
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I am not a veterinarian, this is only an example of what we do with our animals. Please consult your vet before making any health decisions with your animals.
When to give subcutaneous injections vs. intramuscular?
Subcutaneous injections are given under the skin, where intramuscular go into the muscle. Usually, vaccines like CD&T, injectable wormers, or injectable supplements are given subcutaneously, whereas things like antibiotics are given intramuscularly. Always read the labels of the substance to make sure you are administering it properly.
Both injections are simple enough to perform on a goat, however, if you have any reservations please ask your veterinarian to teach you how to give a correct injection or ask a seasoned goat owner to mentor you through the process. It's rare, but nerve damage can occur if an injection is given incorrectly.
What you will need for a goat injection
You will need the following:
-new, sterilized needle with cap (make sure the safety packaging has not been tampered with)
-new, sterilized syringe (make sure the safety packaging has not been tampered with)
-sharps biohazard waste container
How to choose a needle and syringe for your goat injection
You should always use a new needle and a new syringe for every injection. Do not share needles between animals. This can cause infections and abscesses. It can also transfer disease from one animal to the next.
We buy needles and syringes that use the Luer Lock system. This ensures that your needles with successfully screw on to (fit) your syringes.
For reference ml = cc. You will often read the doses on the sides of medication given in ml, whereas the syringe language is often given in cc. These are read as the same measurement.
1 milliliter (ml) = 1 cubic centimeter (cc)
Always cap needles when not in use. Do not lay an open needle down on a surface, keeping the needle sterile is very important.
Needle gauge
For the most part, you will be using needle sizes (gauge) 18G to 22G. Needle diameter increases as the number goes down. For example, 18G is larger than 22G. A needle's gauge should be selected based on the viscosity (thickness) of the liquid being administered. Thick liquids are injected with a larger needle, whereas thin, watery liquids can be administered with a smaller needle.
Needle length
For subcutaneous injections, you should use a smaller needle length of around 3/4" to 1/2". This will ensure that you don't go too far when giving the injection (more about this below).
For intramuscular injections, 3/4" to 1" length will work well.
Syringe size
The syringe should be large enough to inject the whole dose at once. Many injectable doses are based on weight, so make sure you weigh your goat and do your calculations before purchasing syringes. (Check out my post 5 Ways to Weigh a Goat.)
We wanted to give our buck Baltus an injectable Vitamin B Complex supplement and according to his weight, he needed a 7.11 cc (ml) dose. I had to purchase a 12 cc syringe to fit all the Vitamin B in the injection.
How to prepare an injection for a goat
1. Begin by gathering your supplies and doing the calculations for dosage. Here we are giving a Vitamin B Complex injection. (Check out my post The Importance of B Vitamins for Goats).
2. If the needle and syringe are packaged separately, then remove the syringe and needle from the packaging and screw the needle onto the syringe.
3. Remove the needle cap and draw back a dose worth of air.
4. Invert the medication and pierce the rubber seal on the top of the medication bottle. Inject the air into the medication. This pressurizes the container helping the liquid to come out more easily.
5. Then draw back the syringe pulling a little more than a dose worth of medication.
6. Remove the needle from the rubber seal and flick the syringe. This will help the air bubbles rise to the top of the syringe.
7. Press the syringe, expelling a small amount of the medication and the trapped air bubbles until the plunger is level with your dose amount.
8. Place the safety cap on the needle until you are ready to give the injection.
9. Always clean the injection site with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol.
Hold the goat from moving by securing it in a stanchion or have a friend help hold the goat still.
How to give a subcutaneous injection to a goat?
The best place to give a subcutaneous injection to a goat is in the armpit area, shown in the illustration below. The light blue area is a good area to pinch the skin in a tent shape, the dark blue is where you'll find it easiest. The photos show us giving Penelope her injection on her hip because she is very pregnant and very fussy, and she was not having it in her armpit this day.
Clean the injection site with a cotton swab and alcohol.
Then pinch up a tent or triangle of loose skin. The tent will form a hollow area (shown in blue below), this is where the injection should go (red X shown below).
Angle the needle slightly at a 45-degree angle (see Injection Angle drawing above) and be sure not to go through the tented area and out the other side.
Insert the needle and compress the liquid.
Remove the needle and replace the safety cap.
I always like to rub the area where the injection was, this helps soothe the goat and also helps to prevent abscesses, especially with CD&T vaccines.
Dispose of the needle properly (more about that below).
How to give an intramuscular injection to a goat?
The best place to give an intramuscular injection is on the neck above the shoulder. There is a triangle of "safety zone" above the shoulder, between the spine and the esophagus and jugular. The illustration below shows the best place to give an injection, shown by the blue circle with the center dot as the aim. You can feel the muscle with your hand.
Clean the injection site with alcohol and a cotton swab.
Then holding the needle at a 90-degree angle (perpendicular to the goat) drawing below)) insert the needle. Pull back slightly on the plunger to look for blood to ensure you haven't hit a blood vessel. Then compress the plunger.
Remove the needle and replace the safety cap.
You can rub the area to soothe the goat. Many times antibiotic injections are painful.
How to properly dispose of used needles
You will need to purchase a biohazard-labeled sharps disposal container. You can find them on Amazon. Always cap your used needle and place it immediately in the disposal container.
Do not overfill your sharps disposal container. When the container is 3/4 of the way full it's time to dispose of the container per your county guidelines. Check with your local County Extension, Health Department or trash removal services to find out how sharps containers should be handled. Or you can visit the FDA's site on Sharp Disposal Container Guidelines.
Do not throw it away in the garbage.
Keep away from children and pets.
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new, sterilized needle with cap (make sure the safety packaging has not been tampered with)
new, sterilized syringe (make sure the safety packaging has not been tampered with)
sharps biohazard waste container
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