Tags: health education
Want to save time and money by vaccinating your dog at home. If you follow the basic recommendations, you will carry out the procedure correctly. Vaccination at home can be simple and safe. Before vaccination, make sure that the dog is healthy.
Vaccine preparation
Check the vaccine, make sure it has been stored at the temperature indicated on the label. You may need to mix vaccines. To do this, combine two bottles in accordance with the instructions:
- To prepare the vaccine, put a needle on a syringe, insert it into a vial of liquid. Draw out all the liquid by pulling on the plunger of the syringe.
- Inject the liquid from the syringe into the vial containing the powder portion of the vaccine.
- Remove the needle from the vial and shake gently for a few seconds to mix the contents well.
- Insert the needle back into the vial and draw up all of the mixed liquid into the syringe.
- Remove the needle from the vial. Hold the syringe with the needle up.
If there is air in the syringe, slowly push down on the plunger to force the air out through the needle. You are now ready to be vaccinated.
Most injectable vaccines can be given directly under the skin. For dogs, the best and least sensitive area is the loose skin between the shoulder blades. Gently pinch this area between your thumb and forefinger. If you pull the loose skin up, you can see a small depression in the skin between the fingers.
Insert the needle into this recess, pull back on the syringe plunger slightly to make sure the needle is not in a blood vessel (if so, blood will flow into the syringe when you pull on the plunger), then administer the vaccine. If the needle is in a blood vessel, remove it, try to prick in another place. This method is called subcutaneous vaccination.
Some vaccines can also be given intramuscularly, but veterinarians are not advised to do so.
Intranasal vaccines
Most intranasal vaccines need to be mixed like injectable vaccines. After mixing, the needle is removed, an adapter supplied by the manufacturer is put on the end of the syringe. In some cases, the vaccine is drawn into a pipette. The entire dose is usually administered, half in each nostril. After vaccination, animals sneeze or shake their heads - this is a normal reaction. Never inject an intranasal vaccine under the skin, as this can cause a complication and even an abscess.
Now you know, how to vaccinate your dogfollowing the instructions. Remember, with any vaccine or injectable medication, always use a separate, sterile needle and syringe for each injection. Never reuse needles or syringes, dispose of them.
