ANIMAL HEALTH TREATMENTS AND MAINTENANCE

MANAGEMENT
The sheep industry is doing an excellent job of minimizing violative drug residues in lamb and mutton. Control of violative residues has been accomplished by placing emphasis on the identification and handling of individually treated sheep. This includes identifying each animal treated; accurately recording the treatment, treatment date and treatment dosage; and following prescribed withdrawal times.

Flock owners are encouraged to work regularly with their veterinarian to develop flock health programs tailored to the specific needs of their sheep. The program developed should be practical and cost-effective. The benefits will include increased flock productivity, well-being and profitability. Such a program will ensure that breeding stock are healthy and sheep products are safe and wholesome.


BENT AND BROKEN NEEDLES
Improper animal restraint is the root of most bent-needle problems. If a needle bends, stop immediately and replace it. Do not straighten it and use it again. While very rare, you and your veterinarian must determine how animals will be handled should a needle break off in a muscle. A broken needle creates an emergency and time will be of the essence. Broken needles migrate in tissue and, if not immediately handled, will be impossible to find, requiring the animal to be destroyed. Under no circumstance should animals with broken needles be sent to a packer. Purchasing high quality needles, changing and discarding damaged needles, and providing proper restraint are all preventive measures.

DRUG STORAGE
Proper storage of drugs and vaccines will help prevent their improper use and maintain their effectiveness. Drugs should be kept in an area separate from feeds and out of the reach of children. Read the label to check temperature conditions for storage as some drugs should be refrigerated. The label also will have an expiration date. Drugs that have become outdated should be disposed of in a safe manner.

HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Health issues that affect the quality of sheep products are the administration of injections, the use of drugs and vaccines, and the control of internal and external parasites. Administration of all processing products (vaccines, dewormers, pour-ons, etc.) needs to be recorded. The record should include the date, product used, serial/lot number(s) of the product(s), dosage given, route and location of administration and the withdrawal time assigned to each product. A good method of recording treatments is individually identifying each animal in the operation by giving it a tag. The tag should include a number that identifies each animal by group and, if possible, an individual number unique to that animal.

ANIMAL HEALTH PRODUCT RECORDS
Animal health product records show origin and expiration dates of each product used. Most systems fall into one of two categories - receiving records or inventory records. The most common type of system is an "action" record describing when, why, where, how, etc., actions were taken to remain compliant with the criteria. These records allow for tracing product origination, expiration dates and product use.

Some sheep operations employ an inventory record system that allows all processing medications to be recorded under a running or beginning and ending inventory. This also allows for product usage calculation. Such a record can prove to be a great benefit when charging and billing customers and can also serve as valuable information in terms of monitoring management of the production unit.

Several pharmaceutical companies have developed computer programs to generate records of animal health product inventory. The product used is recorded at the chute at the time of administration via a chute-side computer terminal or via a handwritten system consisting of an individual treatment card or a processing work order form.

Producers should also maintain an accurate documentation system for needle inventory. This documentation can prove beneficial in documenting that needles were not broken-off in the muscle tissue when sheep were processed or treated in the production unit. The information may also prove valuable in determining if employees need additional training in the area of processing and appropriate methods of treatment for sheep.

In order to prevent drug residues in sheep products (including meat, milk and lanolin), proper identification, and record-keeping, of treated animals is necessary. Sheep treated with drugs should be given a permanent, unique identification such as by use of an eartag or an electronic implant. This will prevent them from being lost for further treatment and allow proper harvest withdrawal to be followed. In addition, the stockman may wish to use a colored mark on the face or head or a distinguishing collar for easy recognition. A written record should include identification of the treated animal, dates of treatment, drug and dose given, withdrawal time and the person who performed the treatment.

A record of pesticide use must be kept and must include product identification, serial/lot number, date used, amount used, the person who administered the pesticide, the animal or animals exposed to the pesticide and withdrawal time. If a pesticide, such as a pour-on, is used at processing, the record of its use can be included on the processing record for the group of sheep. If a premise pesticide is used, a record of its use can be included on a Premise Pesticide Use Record. Records for Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP) must be kept for three years.

ACTION IN CASE OF VIOLATION
If an unacceptable residue is found by FSIS, a joint assessment by the sheep operation, the veterinarian, the nutritionist, representatives of FSIS, FDA and the SSQA program will be made and corrective action taken to prevent recurrence of such violation. Corrective Action is defined as procedures to be followed when a deviation occurs. All violations will be reported to the SSQA coordinator and the respective advisory group for review and action.

INJECTIONS
If intramuscular (IM) medications must be used, administer them in the neck and never exceed 5 cc per IM injection site. If 12 cc is the calculated dose, use three, 4 cc injections instead of two, 6 cc injections. Administer less than 5 cc per IM injection site. The volume of solution injected at one site will directly influence tissue damage, scar tissue and potential abscesses. Always use subcutaneous (SQ; under the skin) or intravenous (IV; in the vein) routes of administration when permitted by the product's label. Check product labels closely and administer the product as specified on the label. Select products that have subcutaneous (SQ) as an approved route of administration. Ask suppliers to find products that have SQ, IV or oral routes of administration rather than intramuscular (IM; in the muscle) route of administration.