Used syringes - what do you do with them?

[Roll farms]

I would never reuse a needle (unless it was one made to be reused) but I cannot bear to throw away syringes after only one use, so I sterilize them and use them over again until they stop sliding easily. I've meant to ask how others who use a lot them treat their used syringes, so thought I'd try out the new 'poll' featuer to find out.

 

[20kidsonhill]

Okay, Hang head, I will admit it.



This is a bad subject on our farm and something we have talked about needing to improve. Honestly, we just reuse them, as in We use the same needle and syringe when we are vaccinating to do all the kids, ect... It is a bad habit we got from working for years on all those hog farms. You would just keep using the same needles, syringes until it was no longer sharp or break and then go onto the next one.

OUr new plan is going to be to use one needle per animal and then wash everything, soak in alcohol, and reuse after that. Roll, maybe you can jump up and down and scream at us, to get us to do a better job with this.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Yep, I keep them too. Sometimes I''ll toss them if it's a particularly nasty medicine that was in them (like the pour-on cydectin) though. I'll either pop them in the dishwasher or boil them, depends on what kind of mood i'm in. Typically I don't re-use needles, but if I'm low I've been known to save them and boil them as well. And 20kids, don't feel bad. We re-used needles on multiple animals on all the farms where I used to work. We would have 1 needle to draw from the vial, and one needle to inject animals. It would be very expensive to use a separate needle for each animal.

 

[helmstead]

Disposable needles and syringes are about 15 cents each, folks.

 

[Hickoryneck]

I boil and reuse When they get old or wore out I toss them. I need to order more. BTW what size needles do you'll use? I have used 20 & 18 gauge

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Disposable needles and syringes are about 15 cents each, folks.

Sure, and when you have a small herd that's affordable. When you've got 1,000 cows it adds up quick.

 

[helmstead]

Sure, and when you have a small herd that's affordable. When you've got 1,000 cows it adds up quick.

When you have 1000 cows, you should be using jet injectors.

 

[redtailgal]

I do not reuse needles for injections, but I do keep old needles. I have used them for draining abcesses, for oiling things in very small and tight places (the inside of a hinge) I keep them in an old box, and when the box is full I dump it and start over.

As for syringes, Yes I reuse until they become difficult to slide.

 

[ksalvagno]

I will reuse a syringe if we are giving oral meds but never if I inject anything. Needle and syringe are only used once for injection.

For oral meds, I will reuse a syringe if giving mulitple animals the same dewormer on the same day or if giving one animal some type of oral antibiotic for x amount of days in a row but do wash in between each. I will not save a syringe for future uses.

 

[Hillsvale]

Yep, I keep them too. Sometimes I''ll toss them if it's a particularly nasty medicine that was in them (like the pour-on cydectin) though. I'll either pop them in the dishwasher or boil them, depends on what kind of mood i'm in. Typically I don't re-use needles, but if I'm low I've been known to save them and boil them as well. And 20kids, don't feel bad. We re-used needles on multiple animals on all the farms where I used to work. We would have 1 needle to draw from the vial, and one needle to inject animals. It would be very expensive to use a separate needle for each animal.

I only reuse the medical syringe on multiple animals if I am using it on the same occassion and only if it is oral, like ivomec. Needles always used only once... the syringes that are designed for multiple uses (ie: can't take a needle) are washed but once again only reused if its not the gooey gunk.

To someone elses point they are about 40 cents here for a needle and syringe.. splurge.

And as a note one of my neighbours throw out their syringes and needles... in the garbage ... please everyone dispose of them correctly, we take ours to work where their is a needle disposal case on the wall, I'm sure everyone has access to one somewhere... even if at the mall or drug store.