# Formaldehyde clogging needle/syringe... (Goat CL abscesses)



## ItsWolfeh (Oct 6, 2013)

I work at a dairy and have a crappy boss who doesn't want to take the time to show me how to inject the abscesses. All I know is that she injects them with formaldehyde (1-3 ccs depending on the size) and has me do it too. The formaldehyde she has seems to be a powder and water/liquid mixture, and the powder part of it constantly clogs the needle and syringe, just trying to suck it up into the syringe is a huge task which takes a few minutes and then I go stick an abscess, go to inject, and nothing happens, the needle is instantly clogged. It is infuriating!

I've been thinking maybe I should be pouring it into the syringe as opposed to trying to suck it up, but then there is still the problem of when I go to inject the goat, it won't inject. I've read to stick the center of the abscess and I tend to try and do it from the side because I'm afraid if I stick it in the center, with the goat struggling it might go deeper (it takes a lot of force to break the surface because it is squishy) or just cause unnecessary pain, going from the side seems easier and less risky.

So what am I doing wrong?! The formaldehyde bottles look like they are from the 70s to 80s, should I get a more modern solution? They look like pure liquid (the modern solutions), but I don't know which are strong enough either, I don't think 10% formalin would do the job.


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## jodief100 (Oct 6, 2013)

I can't help you with this, I suggest you try and talk to your boss. 

 I do find it a little disconcerting that a dairy is using a treatment that is not only not approved but discouraged by the medical community.  I do not know about dairy animals but I do know if I did that with my meat goats and got caught I would be shut down.  Any off label use of medications for a commercial animal must be under a vet's supervision.  This is as far "off label"  as you can get.  I don't suggest telling this to your boss though.  She probably knows and doesn't care and would make you even more miserable for calling her out.

Sorry I can't help.  Be careful, injecting the formaldehyde too deep will cause some very serious problems.


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## MDres (Oct 6, 2013)

I had a heifer about a decade ago that kept getting chronic mastitis. Yes, a heifer - never bred, never exposed to a bull - in fact, the state university wanted to purchase her to use for research, she was that odd. 

Anyway, it got to the point we needed to slough her udder starting with one quarter and eventually we sloughed all 4 quarters. Each time, she stayed at the vet for a week or more, and the udder was injected with formaldehyde.

I had no idea injecting formaldehyde into an abscess would be beneficial, considering it was the drug of choice to make my heifer's udder literally rot off.


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## BHOBCFarms (Oct 6, 2013)

Formaldehyde is toxic to the goats and to you.  It can be dangerous to handle/breathe/absorb into your body.  It is a carcinogen.  http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde

I hope you are using safety precautions.  It seems unsavory to be injecting it into live animals, especially food producing animals.


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## CritterZone (Oct 7, 2013)

I definitely think the bigger problem is that you are injecting live animals with formaldehyde, and not that the syringes are clogging.  Perhaps this was a preferred method decades ago, but we have come a long way since then.  I think you need to have a discussion with your boss, but how isn't as important as why.


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## ItsWolfeh (Oct 7, 2013)

Whenever a CL abscess bursts, it spreads to all of the other goats. Because my injections haven't been that successful they have been spreading quicker, three goats have developed new abscesses and one goat started all of this. I've read the abscesses can spread so much that it kills the animal, so I think preventing them from spreading is a good idea. I've injected 3 goats successfully, yes it does kill the abscess, it dries up in about 2-3 weeks and falls off, the goat is perfectly fine although the injection seems incredibly painful. Tennessee meat goats has an article on treating CL abscesses with formaldehyde. Yes I know formaldehyde is extremely dangerous, I don't like working with it (but my boss knows I will if I want to keep my job...), if I could I would wear goggles and a mask, but I do wear gloves as per standard dairy procedure, it has burned my eyes several times (the fumes from it that is, I imagine that is why it is so painful to be injected, it smells like bleach), it is bad stuff, but it seems to help the goats.

I've read that CL used to not be that big of a deal, goats just had it and that was that, people dealt with it, now we are trying to get rid of it at all costs. Since the dairy has been in operation for over 20 years, I imagine that "not that big of a deal" mentality still exists and is obviously still practiced. Trying to get rid of the CL all together would be very costly for my boss, she would have to get rid of her whole herd and start all over.

I've noticed a new package of lances in the tool area recently but with lancing the bacteria can still spread right? We would have to quarantine the goats and that is like pulling teeth for her, the only time a goat is quarantined is when they are on antibiotics.

I can see that I probably won't find an answer here but just thought I'd mention all of this. I'll admit my boss could care less about her animals, she only cares about production and milk (for this reason I am not sticking around), but if there was a better way to treat them I'm sure she'd be all for it. I definitely would not use formaldehyde on a meat animal intended to be consumed, but dairy it seems to not contaminate the milk, if it did I'd imagine that we'd have some dead customers and a big FDA complaint, the milk is tested, and it seems to only affect the abscess (which would explain it not contaminating the milk). With a meat animal though, even if you inject the external abscesses, they have the internal ones... Would not be appetizing to cut into a steak and find some "cheese" with your meat... If it was my herd I would get rid of CL goats, but again, this is industrial agri, I can see why my boss is not culling her entire herd and getting a new one. It's been there so long I think it would be impossible to get rid of too, you might as well burn the whole place to the ground and build a new dairy...

But I'm interested to know, what would some better ways be? If there are any better ways to treat them I'm willing to do it and can pass it on to my boss too. I only know of lancing them which she probably wouldn't be up for.


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## jodief100 (Oct 7, 2013)

isolating, lancing and pouring iodine on them is safe.  Segregate them until it has dried out.  

There is a vaccine for CL that was approved for use in goats last year.  It won't get rid of it on the ones that already have it but giving it to any new ones purchased or born will eradicate it eventually.


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## elevan (Oct 7, 2013)

jodief100 said:
			
		

> isolating, lancing and pouring iodine on them is safe.  Segregate them until it has dried out.
> 
> There is a vaccine for CL that was approved for use in goats last year.  It won't get rid of it on the ones that already have it but giving it to any new ones purchased or born will eradicate it eventually.


x2


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## AshleyFishy (Oct 7, 2013)

elevan said:
			
		

> jodief100 said:
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> ...


3x


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