Like real estate, proper implanting technique boils down to location, location, location.
During a presentation at the Western Canadian Feedlot Management School, an annual series of courses put on by the University of Saskatchewan, representatives from implant makers Merck Animal Health and Elanco Animal Health both said implants should be injected with the entry point of the needle in the outer third of an animals’ ear, with the implants themselves ending up in the middle third.
Implants were originally designed to be injected into the base of the ear when they first hit the market, similar to other antibiotics or vaccinations, according to Roger Meyers of Elanco Animal Health.
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However, this tended to cause some implants to be injected into the cranium rather than under the skin as producers with thousands of animals to implant got rushed, said Glen Cartwright, the representative from Merck.
Injection into the middle third of the ear was found to be the best bet for ensuring implants don’t bunch up or get crushed and can deliver their full payout.
Injecting into the base of the ear was found to be undesirable because there is muscle there that is trimmed and used in hamburger meat.
Again, in implanting, as with houses, having the right spot is key. But even a good location can be ruined by a messy yard. When implanting cattle, making sure the injection site is clean is another critical step to getting implants in hassle-free.
Both Cartwright and Meyers stressed that a clean injection site helps prevent abscesses and keeps injection guns running smoothly. They said any dirt or manure present should be brushed or scraped away before proceeding.
In addition to learning proper implanting technique on some sample cow ears, students at the course were shown how to use cleaning trays for the injection guns.
Each manufacturer generally makes its own version of the cleaning tray, but they all work roughly the same way.
The trays have a set of rollers or sponges that are lightly soaked with a disinfectant solution.
Between implanting each animal, the needle is passed between the sponges, which clean it up for the next use.
Meyers did point out that excessive disinfectant on the sponges is a problem too, as it can cause the guns to gum up, particularly if temperatures are a bit colder and they freeze up.
Lastly, Meyers and Cartwright told students that after getting the right location and making sure it is clean, proper implanting requires checking for undesirable neighbours. They advised a quick feel of the animal’s ear for old implants that may still be present, and giving a good few centimetres of space from any tags in the ear.
If a producer is new to implanting, Meyers and Cartwright suggested that they consider having a company representative visit and test a few animals every month to make sure no abscesses have formed and to check that the implants are paying out properly.
