Syringes

4.8.1 Syringes Syringes come in many sizes indicated by the number of milliliters (ml's) or cubic centimeters (cc's) they contain. (Note: 1 ml = 1 cc) Syringes are made of durable plastic, metal or glass. Glass and metal syringes usually last longer and are easier to clean and re-sterilize. However, they are expensive and glass parts are easily broken.

Some syringes come in the form of a "pistol" or "dosing syringe." They are designed to inject several animals consecutively with the same product before it is necessary to refill the syringe.

The dosing syringe can be adjusted to automatically deliver a set amount of vaccine or oral medicine at each injection. Dosing syringes can be connected by a plastic tube to a "backpack" that contains a large quantity of medicine or vaccine. This avoids having to refill the syringe repeatedly. It is especially useful if many animals will be injected consecutively and rapidly with the same product. However, if the needle is not changed between animals, certain diseases can be spread from animal to animal.