50 Nebraska Cattleman October 2023 The best way to transport temperature- and light-sensitive animal health products is in a cooler with cooling or ice packs, if necessary. However, producers should use caution that the products are not in direct contact with ice packs. This can cause the products to “slush” or freeze. Some products that are allowed to freeze and thaw can release endotoxins, which could be harmful to the animal and may result in serious complications, including death. Using a towel or cardboard divider between the product and ice pack is beneficial. To prevent contamination of animal health products, producers should always use sterile syringes and needles. Inserting a contaminated needle into an animal health product vial may contaminate the product left remaining in the bottle, rendering it useless. Needles should be changed periodically. A good practice is to change between every 10 to 15 head and/or every time the syringe is refilled. Additionally, needles should be changed if they become contaminated, dull or develop a bur or bend. If your vaccine or animal health product needs to be mixed, only mix what can be used in an hour or less. For certain animal health products, once the product has been mixed, it is only viable for a limited time. While you may anticipate utilizing more than one mixed vial per hour, it is best to mix it as you need it, just in case an unforeseen issue arises that would prevent you from using mixed product within an hour. Use caution with “shake/mix well” instructions. While some animal health products have these instructions indicated on the label, vigorously shaking a product to mix can cause damage to the product, resulting in the release of endotoxins. Those responsible for mixing product should roll it between their hands, swish it around in the vial both clockwise and counterclockwise or conduct several inversions of the vial to ensure good mixing. Another BMP is to label your syringes and have separate syringes assigned for specific products. Inadvertently mixing animal health products or subjecting products to cross-contamination from syringes can have adverse implications. For example, if a modified-live vaccine comes in contact with residue of a killed vaccine, it may neutralize the properties of the modified-live vaccine and render it useless. Additionally, if an antibiotic residue is present in a syringe that is used for vaccinating, the antibiotic residue may render the vaccine useless. Never mix animal health products in the same syringe to reduce the number of injections to be given. This is an illegal practice for producers and can only be done by a practicing veterinarian if special circumstances are met. After utilizing your treatment equipment, it is time for one of the most important steps to close out the day – sanitizing your reusable equipment to ensure they are ready for the next use. The best way to do this is through heat sterilization (boiling water or steam). Never use detergents (soaps) or disinfectants (alcohols) to clean syringes. These products may leave a residue behind in the syringe that could damage or destroy your animal health product the next time it’s used. Remember, all animal health products should be given according to the manufacturer’s labeled directions. All injections should be given in front of the shoulder unless otherwise directed by the label. All animal health treatments should be recorded and documented, and no animal should ever be marketed until all animal health product withdrawal periods have cleared. Many of the BMPs mentioned today are from the Nebraska BQA and National BQA program guidelines. If you have any questions or to find out more, please visit www.bqa.unl. edu. NC Consider This BQA • CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTMxNTA5