How to Give Your Pet a Vaccine
If you want to vaccinate your pets yourself, you simply need to learn the technique and build your confidence with practice. Pet vaccination is not a hard skill to learn. However, preparation, application and after-care are important steps to perform correctly.
Instructions
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1
Obtain the correct vaccine from a licensed pet medicine supplier. Keep the vaccine in refrigerator, unless advised otherwise, to preserve freshness. Call your pet over to a work area with plenty of space. Have someone hold the pet while comforting it with soft speech and petting.
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2
Remove the vaccine from the refrigerator. Reverse the bottle so that it is upside down with the air bubbles at the base of the container. Insert a clean, new syringe needle into the vaccine bottle's rubber top.
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3
Hold the bottle firmly and pull back on the plunger of the syringe carefully. Make sure not to pull any air bubbles into the syringe. Stop when you have withdrawn the correct dosage.
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4
Point the syringe upward and tap it a few times to force the bubbles to rise. Push the plunger to force the air out of the syringe until some of the vaccine actually squirts out of the top of the needle.
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5
Tell your assistant when you are ready to inject the vaccine so he can restrain the pet. Target the vaccine injection site, either at the scruff at the back of the neck below the head or on the upper rear leg.
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6
Carefully but firmly insert the end of syringe into the targeted location and pull back a little to confirm you have not hit a main vein; the syringe will fill with blood if you did. If you draw blood, pull the syringe out and repeat Steps 1 through 4.
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7
Push the plunger into the syringe until the vaccine is fully administered. Pull the syringe out and place it in a plastic container after breaking the needle carefully. Use a permanent pen and mark the container with the words "Bio-hazard/sharp." Dispose of the container as a hazardous material according your local jurisdiction's waste rules.
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Tips & Warnings
Keeping your pet on a regular vaccine schedule helps prevent diseases such as rabies, distemper, ringworm, or animal leukemia.
Pets become particularly susceptible to health problems if they interact with other animals, even if just occasionally.
Vaccinations can cause an allergic reaction in some pets. Reactions can be minor and will disappear shortly. Such reactions include sleepiness, lack of interest in eating or activity, or physical swelling at the point of injection. However, if after vaccination your pet vomits, will not wake up, or develops physical spasms or skin reactions with raised texture and breakage, seek immediate treatment from a vet.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
