INJECTION TECHNIQUE FOR ALPACA WORMING

You can succeed in giving your own shots to your alpacas if you use a simple injection technique. If you have never given an animal shots before, it can be very intimidating.

Alpacas need ivermectin or other injectable worming medication for maintenance of their health. These medications are usually given by the subcutaneous route. That means just under the skin.

First, you need to decide where to give the shot. Below is a drawing of sites to give IM (intramuscular) and SQ (subcutaneous) shots that are safe to inject medication on an alpaca.

On our farm we use the shoulder area. The reason for using this area is that if an abscess develops (we have never had that happen so far) then the shoulder area will allow for good drainage of the abscess.

You can use a 20 gauge needle to give the medication, but we prefer the 22 gauge. Ivermectin is close to honey in consistency. The larger the needle, the faster you can inject. We have found, though, that giving it a little slower with a smaller needle works just a little better for our alpacas. They don't seem to mind the jab as much and it doesn't push that much slower.

Have a new needle for each alpaca. Using the needle on more than one alpaca dulls the needle and hurts the alpaca more and is unsanitary.

We, also, have a syringe for each alpaca. Our herd is small and it's just easier to have the syringe ready to go. We draw up the ivermectin for all alpacas before we start giving alpaca shots. We label each syringe with the alpacas name on a piece of tape. If you do it by weight, you might prefer to draw it up and give it after you have weighed the alpaca.

We herd our alpacas into a catch pen and tie them up. One person holds the alpaca while the other gives the injection. Be sure you are standing in a zone where you will not get kicked. Mostly, our alpacas try to cush or jump and one does spit but she just spits forward. If the wind is blowing it may come back on us. We try to have the side of the alpaca we are not injecting up against a wall or fence.

Pick a clean spot at a recommended injection site. Make sure there is no mud, spit, or anything else on the fleece or body where you are going to inject.

After you have located a spot, clean the skin with alcohol (the rubbing kind not the drinking kind).

Alpaca skin is tight. Pick as loose a spot as you can find for this injection technique. Pinch the skin. This is called tenting. Insert the needle sort of parallel to the body at the base of the tent. Remember you are only going under the skin. Don't push into the muscle. You should be able to feel it punch through the skin. Stop there.

Pull back a little on the plunger of the syringe to make sure you are not in a vein. If blood comes back into your syringe, remove the needle and start again.

Inject the medication quickly and remove the needle from the animal. Discard that needle and syringe and go to the next alpaca.

The subcutaneous injection technique is the easiest shot to give your alpaca. The first time you do one you can have your vet show you. It saves a lot of money in the long run and you can do it whenever without having to wait for the vet to come to your farm. Give it a try and be proud of your husbandry skills.

Retrun from injection technique to alpaca farm.

Return from injection technique to owning alpaca home page.