Injections - as painless as possible

 I am no veterinarian, but was shown by an experienced vet how to give sub-cutaneous (under the skin) injections when we bought our first alpacas.  I have used this method of injection to administer Vitamins, 5 n 1 immunisations, Dectomax (worm treatment), antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs to my alpacas when needed.   Over the course of the last 3 years I have discovered a couple of things that have made the experience not such a painful one for the alpaca.

1. Use the smallest gauge needle that you can.  When I was first sold a needle and syringe the size I was given was a 16 GA x 1 inch (1.6mm x 25.4mm) needle as I was told that most of the drugs I would be administering would not flow through anything smaller.  Now I’m using 20 GA x ½ inch (0.9mm x 12.7mm).  When you see them side by side it is remarkable the difference to them.  I know which needle I’d rather have someone jab into me on a semi-regular basis.  In short - The smaller the needle, the smaller the whole in the skin, the less discomfort the animal will feel.
2. Never use a blunt needle.  Best practice would be to only ever use a needle once.  However, I know that a lot of us try to save money by reusing needles etc. so I have adopted the following practice. (Use each needle no more than twice, sterilizing between each use.  I always use a new needle when injecting cria, then I reuse the needle (after it has been sterilized) on an adult before finally discarding it).
3. Warm up the liquid that is to be injected to body temperature. (I do this by putting it in my pocket or somewhere near my skin for 15mins beforehand). As the liquid warms up you will find that it flows much easier through the needle thus allowing you to use a much smaller gauge needle than if you injected it cold.  Also, when you inject liquid that is already body temperature under the alpaca’s skin they don’t even notice it going in.  It’s all over with before my guys even know what I’m up to.
4. Some products can sting  (e.g. some antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory drugs can sting if the liquid is on the needle before you even insert it into the skin so make sure you use a fresh clean needle to cut back on this form of discomfort.

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The information presented here is from our own experiences, adapted from others to suit our situation, property and our animals. We don’t claim to be experts and you are welcome to disagree, if you find something useful – great. Everyone is welcome to comment and provide feedback – see Contact Us.