Best way to restrain a KK for an injection?

[blades]

Can anyone tell me how they restrain their KK's for an injection please?

The vet visited yesterday for a routine vaccination and we found out almost impossible to restrain our girl for an injection she stopped talking to us for the rest of the day but a banana won her heart this morning

I'm thinking about using sheep hurdles to create a walk in 'pig crush'??

Very interested to hear everyone manages this operation?

Thanks in advance

[pedro1]

What I usually do is to use a sheep hurdle and use it as a crush cage and put ether up against a wall so she can't move then just a quick injection in behind the ear and also I am starting to train my pigs so they will hopefully just stand for injection from tom

[Di]

I must be very lucky. I did all mine yesterday, including the boar and just put their sow rolls on the ground and while they are eating I scratch with a finger nail behind the ear then quickly replace finger nail with needle. Often I get no response at all, sometimes just a grunt!! I think speed is the thing - don't hang about just do it.

However I think a hurdle against a corner is a good idea or we did put one in the cattle crush the other day when the vet had to treat an abscess on her cheek. That worked well as she couldn't turn around. She just complained loudly the whole time.

[The Rushbury Pig]

I use a slapshot injector with all my pigs not just the kunekune. You can only buy these from Holmefield Services ( Mail Order) at a cost of about £5. The are simply a flexible tube of just over a metre with one end which attaches to the syring and the other allows a needle to be twisted securely on. This allows you to put the needle in and then follow them if they move whilst you administer the medicine.

I usually put them in my stable put food down for them and then go round all 10 one by one usually without too much bother

I recommend it to everyone who attends my pig keeping courses and have lots of reports back saying how easy they find it and a couple of vets who have had to visit my big girls have chosen to use it so I would highly recommend this for novice injectors as well as professionals!!

I hope this helps as some Pigs can be a little troublesome when it comes to injecting.....fine the first time round but the next time they know what to expect!!!

[truella]

I use a slapshot injector with all my pigs not just the kunekune. You can only buy these from Holmefield Services ( Mail Order) at a cost of about £5. The are simply a flexible tube of just over a metre with one end which attaches to the syring and the other allows a needle to be twisted securely on. This allows you to put the needle in and then follow them if they move whilst you administer the medicine.

Silly question Rushbury, but how do you attach the bottle to your injector?
I have 1 but have yet to be able to use it as the wormer bottles just won't fit it to administer the medicine.
Do you attach the bottle or can you syringe it in?
Do you use it for antibiotics to?
I do have a few 'awkward' to inject sows to do & a few rather large boars (hence why I got the slapshot).
I usually load them into the trailer then restrain them in a corner with a pig board.
I prefer to use a pig board (large one) than sheep hurdles or gates as they can't manage to get their snouts through the gaps & force their way out, although some do manage to get their snouts under the boards.
Pig boards also offer more protection to your legs if a sow decides to have a nip or a boar has a 'swipe'.

[pedro1]

Another technique I use to inject my kunekune pigs is to load the dart and to blow dart them I use this technique because I am a zoo keeper and know how to use this and it also means that once the dart hits the pig the medicine is put in straight away and then I just remove the dart once the pig has calmed down. I would like to hear people's opinion on this technique and see if anyone else uses it from pedro

[wendy scu]

i use a slapshot like Sam's and it has a small 'gun' attached to the end of the flexi tube . the bottle of wormer, anticiotic or whatever screws into the gun. both bits available from Homefield, price under £15 last time i bought one

[The Rushbury Pig]

Hi there,

The slapshot injector I use is the one which is simply a tube that attaches directly to any size syringe so you can administer any amount you wish.

I do use the gun type Wendy mentions for Ery and Parvo when I know I'm going to do all of them and use the whole bottle.

The great thing about the simple tube one is you don't have to use a whole bottle you can just draw what you want out. I use it for everything and if I need somehting unusual I ask the vet to include an extra 4 to 6 ml in the syringe he puts out to allow for the slap shot. I often use them as a disposable tube but you can rinse and re-use to a degree.

I haven't been able to buy these from anywhere other than Holmefield services...I'll find the packaging for one, scan it and try and upload it so you can see what it is.

[The Rushbury Pig]

Hi Truella,

Not sure if you're a facebook user but I've put a link to some photos I've taken of the Slap Shot I use.....very exciting I know!!!! I couldn't get my images to upload using the forum sorry and I don't know whether this will allow a fb link?? I'll try though:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?s ... 155&type=1

This may or may not be helpful??!!