As animals walk off the truck, evaluate and document the animals’ condition and anything that needs immediate attention.

Allow freshly received animals to rest for 24-72 hours before processing. They should have access to long-stem hay and unlimited fresh, clean water. This rest period allows time for the animals to settle and adjust to their new environment, whether that’s a dedicated “receiving” pen or the animals’ home pen.

Vaccinate after animals have rested and had a chance to eat and drink, dropping their stress level and giving their immune system a chance to recover and prepare for responding to the vaccine.

Vaccines should be given in front of the shoulder unless otherwise directed by the label.

All animal health treatments should be recorded and documented.

No animal should be marketed until all animal health product withdrawal periods have passed.

Read the label and follow directions for uses, storage guidelines, administration, dosage and other instructions.

Do not expose vaccines to conditions outside the labeled temperature ranges, including freezing, or to sunlight.

Light-sensitive animal health products should be transported and stored chute-side in a cooler with ice packs, if necessary. Use a towel or cardboard divider to keep the products from coming into contact with the ice packs, which can cause slushing/freezing.

Some animal health products can be frozen and thawed safely, but others release endotoxins if they are frozen and thawed, which can be harmful and cause serious complications, including death.

Anytime the vaccine gun is not being used, it should be stored in the cooler, or at least out of the sunlight.

If the vaccine or animal health product needs to be mixed, mix only what can be used in an hour or less. Some products are viable for a limited time once mixed, so mixing it as you use it helps ensure its effectiveness and that you don’t waste product when unforeseen delays happen.

Use caution when shaking/mixing animal health products, even when instructed to “mix well” by the label. Shaking vigorously can damage the product, releasing endotoxins. The best way to mix it is to roll it between your hands, swishing it around in the vial, both clockwise and counterclockwise, and turning it upside-down several times.

Label your syringes and have separate syringes assigned for specific products. Inadvertently mixing animal health products or subjecting products to cross-contamination from syringes can have adverse implications.

Never mix animal health products in the same syringe to reduce the number of injections. This is prohibited by federal law for producers.

Sanitize syringes and reusable equipment using heat—boiling water or steam. Do not use detergents (soaps) or disinfectants (alcohols) to clean syringes. These products may leave a residue that can damage or destroy animal health products on the next use.

Always use a new, sterile needle when drawing up animal health products, to avoid contaminating the product left in the bottle, which may make it useless.

Change needles every 10-15 head and/or every time you refill the syringe, or if the needles are contaminated, dull, develop a bur, or bend. Needles are cheap, compared to the cost of vaccines and animal health.