How to Give a Horse a Shot

Many horse owners don't give their horses shots. They make a trip to the veterinarian's office for any vaccinations or injections that are needed. Sometimes with severe injuries or illness your horse will require daily injections. You will have no choice but to learn how to inject your horse safely without causing further injury. It may seem daunting, but correctly giving a shot is not hard if you take the proper precautions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Medication
• Syringe or needle
• Halter or lead rope
• Betadine or alcohol

1. Tie the horse securely or have someone hold the horse. The horse may get nervous and jump around when you start to inject the medication.
2. Decide where you will give the injection. Most medicines need to be given in the muscle, not the vein.
3. Choose the neck, the thigh or haunch for the injection site. The neck will be the easiest and the area least likely to cause problems.
4. Clean the injection site with either alcohol or Betadine. Betadine is a scrub used before surgery to clean the site of dirt and debris.
5. Draw the medicine into the syringe while avoiding air bubbles. If you get air bubbles in the syringe, empty the syringe and start over.
6. Insert the needle quickly into the injection site.
7. Pull back on the syringe slightly to see if there is any blood. If there is no blood, slowly inject the medication. If there is blood, take the needle out and insert it again.
8. Take the needle out quickly and straight from the site.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are unsure about where or exactly how to give a shot, have your veterinarian show you when you are at his office. Having someone demonstrate the technique will help you administer future shots.