Veterinary Instruments and Their Uses

Flashcards covering various veterinary instruments and their specific uses.

Manual Tattoo Outfit

An instrument with one jaw designed to hold three to five digits or letters and a padded block.

Hot Iron Branding Iron

A heavy duty copper instrument available in letters, numbers, and custom designs, used with a propane heater.

Freeze Branding Iron

An instrument used with liquid nitrogen or dry ice and alcohol to kill pigment producing cells.

Marking Paint

A biodegradable, nontoxic product designed to be applied to the animal hair coat.

Ear Notcher

An instrument used to make permanent identifying marks in the ears of pigs, goats and sheep.

Nose Ring

An instrument surgically placed in the nasal septum for restraint.

Hip Lift

An instrument used to assist a cow to stand, commonly during postparturient paresis.

Nose Lead or Nose Tongs

An instrument with two rounded balls placed on either side of the nasal septum.

Cow Sling

An instrument with straps positioned under an animal's chest and attached to crossbeams.

Squeeze Chute

An instrument used to secure a cow or bull while maintaining access to its head, feet, and rear.

OB Chains and Handles

Instruments used to assist with the delivery of a calf, designed to prevent trauma to the calf’s legs.

Fetal Extractor or Calf Puller

Instrument used with a cable ratchet system to gently extract a calf during delivery.

Fetatome

An instrument that protects the mother's tissues while disarticulating a dead fetus.

Umbilical Tape with a Buhner Needle

Instruments used together to suture a large animal after abdominal surgery.

Freemartin Probe

An instrument measuring the inside vagina to determine if a heifer is a freemartin.

Burdizzo Emasculatome

An instrument used for bloodless castration in large animals.

Elastrator

An instrument that applies a rubber band for blood flow restriction to perform castration.

White Emasculator

An instrument with both cutting blade and crushing platform for castration.

Newberry Castrating Knife

An instrument used to cut the scrotal sac for testicle exposure.

All-in One Lamb Castrator, Docker and Ear Marker

An instrument used for castration, docking tails, and notching ears.

Swiss Hoof Knife

An instrument with a sharp blade used to trim away excess sole from shaped hooves.

Hoof Blocks

Instruments applied to the uninjured claw to protect an injured hoof.

Barnes Dehorner

An instrument used to remove small horns from calves, goats, and sheep.

Keystone Dehorner

An instrument with a guillotine-like blade for cutting through medium to large horns.

Horn Gouge or Tube Dehorner

An instrument used to remove horn buds or very small horns with a sharp-edged metal tube.

Identification-Tag Applicator

To apply ear tags to cattle, sheep, and goats. These taggers come in a variety of versions. Their purpose is to attach some form of ear tag. Most involve a puncturing device onto which the tag is threaded; the other jaw of the applicator is fitted with the back of the tag (much like a human's post-style pierced earring), which is designed to keep the tag in the ear. The tag is placed into the ear so that it faces forward. This is not a permanent form of identification because the tags can be ripped from the ear.

Electric Branding Irons

To identify an animal permanently by placing numbers, letters, or designs on the animal's shoulder or hip. This iron has its own heating element in the handle. The brand can be single numbers, letters, or designs, or it can be a series of bends and curves that, when used together, form numbers, letters, or designs. The disadvantage of these irons is that a power source is necessary.

Rope Halter

To control an animal's head while the animal is in a chute or while it is being led. This is an adjustable halter. The headstall can be lengthened and the noseband made wider by pulling the lead rope through a series of loops. The noseband is tightened by pulling on the lead rope. This is an important distinction because if the noseband is placed around the animal's neck, it can become a choking hazard; in addition, it does not provide good control of the head. When the halter is placed on the head properly, the end of the lead rope should be on the left side of the animal's cheek. These halters are made of round plastic, polyethylene, nylon, or sisal ropes. They come in sizes that fit adults and calves and are used for routine work, such as jugular venipuncture, drenching, surgical procedures on the head, and teaching a show animal how to walk on lead.

Cattle Prods or Hot Shot

To make livestock move into chutes or alleyways. These prods are battery powered so they can deliver an electric jolt to an animal. Proper placement is important. To move an animal forward rather than down, the electrodes should be placed under the tail or anywhere on the vertical surface of the rump. An animal can be turned if the prod is used on the side of the body or the neck. If the electrodes are placed on the body's top, the animal becomes confused because the only way for it to move is down. This is a fairly rough form of motivation and should be used judiciously.

Bull Ring or Nose Ring

To control the head of a bull by applying pressure to the nasal septum on a semipermanent basis. The ring is surgically placed in the nasal septum. As the tissue heals, the ring must be turned continually to prevent the tissue from adhering to the ring. Once healing has taken place, staffs with clips on one end are attached to the ring and, with the aid of a halter, the bull is led around “by the nose.” The rings are available in brass or polished steel. When the bull is no longer of service, the ring can be removed before the animal goes to market.

Lariat w/ Quick-Release Honda

To capture an animal by the neck or feet. Lariats are nylon, nylon-polyester blend, or silk sisal ropes that are between 30 and 35 feet in length. They end in a honda (burner), a Turk's head knot, or a quick-release honda, which holds the loop open. The quick-release honda is a metal device; once the animal has been caught and secured, the loop can be opened by releasing the clasp that holds it together. The honda and the Turk's head knot have to be pulled along the rope for the loop to be opened.

Trocar and Cannula

To release from the rumen gases that cause bloating. A sharp metal shaft is attached to a handle. The user plunges the trocar into the side of the animal. The cannula is a tube that is placed over the trocar and left in the hole created by the trocar. That allows gases to escape from the rumen. The cannula can be left in place until the reason for the bloating has passed, or in cases of chronic bloat it can be left in place indefinitely.

Magnets

To collect and hold metal that has been ingested by a cow as it eats. The metal can cause “hardware disease” if allowed to pass through the rumen. Three-inch magnets are passed into the rumen through the mouth. They remain in the rumen and collect bits of wire, nails, and other metal items that are inadvertently swallowed. Unfortunately, this is a cow's only option, because it cannot spit.

Calf Weaners

To keep weaned calves and adults from nursing. This device is attached to the nasal septum of an animal that insists on nursing long after it has been weaned. The device has prongs that prick the udder, making the cow kick the offender, or it has a flap that rests on the nose and prevents the animal from nursing. Both forms allow the animal to eat and drink normally

Gigli Wire with Handles

To remove large horns. A rough-surfaced wire with handles is pulled back and forth across the surface of the horn, and it cuts through.

Electric Dehorner

To remove horn buds by killing the cells that produce horns or to cauterize blood vessels after the horn has been removed by other methods. A metal head is heated by an electric or propane power source. The metal heads can be obtained in a multitude of shapes and sizes. They can be used to prevent horn growth in animals as old as 4 months and to prevent blood loss and the possibility of shock resulting from blood loss when large horns are removed.

Calf Jack

To assist with the delivery of a calf. The strap on the brace piece is placed over the hips of the cow. Obstetrical (OB) chains or straps are attached to the legs of the calf. Along the shaft of the calf puller is a come-along, which is a cable attached to a ratchet that reels the cable into a spool. The cable is attached to the OB chains, and the user gently inches the calf out of the cow, while working with the cow's contractions and at the correct angles.

Calf Snare

To assist with the delivery of a calf. This nylon-coated cable is equipped with a locking device that will not tighten down on the body part to which it is attached. This is very useful in pulling a head into proper alignment and keeping it in place until the calf is delivered.

Ob Wire Guide

To help guide the OB wire to the appropriate area for cutting. A curved handle ends in a weighted bulb in which the wire is threaded.

Fetotomy Knife

To disarticulate a dead fetus so as to aid in its removal. This instrument is designed to fit into the palm of the hand. The index finger is slipped into the ring and curled over the top of the blade. This allows the knife to be directed to the appropriate area for cutting.

Krey OB Hook

To hold onto the fetus while performing an embryotomy. The hooks bite into the fetus to hold it steady.

Umbilical Tape with Buhner Needle

To suture a large animal after abdominal surgery or to suture the vagina closed after a prolapse. Polyester braided “tape” comes in 1⁄8-, 3⁄8-, and 1⁄4-inch widths. It is usually packaged in a canister that allows the user to withdraw as much as needed without contaminating the remainder.

Vulva Suture Pins

To retain a uterine or vaginal prolapse. Metal pins are placed across the vulva and stoppered with hard rubber ends that keep the pins in place.

OB Gloves

To protect personnel from zoonotic diseases and keep clothing clean. These gloves have extra-long sleeves that reach to the shoulder. They are made of plastic or latex and are disposable.

Ewe Prolapse Retainer

To retain a vaginal prolapse. The paddle is placed inside the vagina, and the wings are secured to the outside of the sheep. The retainer does not interfere with lambing and can be left in place for an extended period.

Lambing Instrument

To help a lamb from the birth canal. A loop is placed around the lamb's front legs, and the body is eased out as the ewe has a contraction.

Hoof Trimmer

To rough-cut long hooves of cattle and horses while the foot is on the ground. Two sharp blades are placed on 30-inch handles, which allow the user to stand at a distance and use the knees to assist in squeezing the handles together. The trimmer is used to remove large pieces of overgrown hoof so that the smaller instruments can be used to shape the hoof.

Hoof Knife

To trim the frog and sole of an animal's foot. A sharp blade on a wooden handle is used to trim away excess frog and sole after the hoof is shaped. Right- and left-handed blades are available.

Swiss Hoof Knife

To trim the sole of an animal's foot. An oval, sharp blade on a wooden handle is used to trim away excess sole after the hoof is shaped. A larger version is simply called an oval hoof knife

Hoof Tester

To check through a hoof wall for abscesses or sore spots. Two jaws are curved so they fit around a hoof; they are attached to handles. The jaws are placed on the hoof wall and sole and squeezed. If the animal reacts, the presence of an abscess is to be suspected.

Hoof Abscess Knife

To curette a small hoof abscess. A very small, sharp loop is attached to an ergonomic handle; it clears out the area of the abscess.

Pig Tooth Nipper

To clip the wolf teeth of piglets. Looking much like the side-cutters found in most toolboxes, this sharp-jawed instrument allows the user to nip off the teeth that can cause great harm to a sow's udder.

Rectal Prolapse Rings

To retain rectal prolapses. These acrylic plastic rings come in a variety of sizes to fit the diameter of the rectum. Diameters are 1⁄2, 5⁄8, 3⁄4, 7⁄8, and 1 inch, all of these 2 inches long; there is also a ring that is 11⁄4 inches in diameter and 3 inches long.

Hoof Trimmer for Sheep and Goats

To trim excess hoof material. These shears have long blades that can easily trim one entire side of a hoof at a time. They are available with angled or straight blades and with blades that can be replaced.

Teat Dilator

To open the teat canal. A gradually widening instrument is slipped into the teat canal to open it.

Teat Slitter

To make an incision from the inside to the outside. The blade of this slim instrument is hidden inside the shaft. The instrument is slipped into the teat canal, and the blade is released by pushing on the ring; that allows an incision to be made from the inside to the outside.

Cornell Teat Curette

To scrape the inside of the teat canal and remove obstructions or tumors or to take biopsy specimens. The bottom of the loop has a sharp edge and is affixed to a handle. The loop gathers tissue as it is pulled out of the teat.

Lichty Teat Knife or Bistoury

To open stenotic teats by incising through scar tissue or other constricting tissue. A slim stainless steel blade is attached to a handle. The point or tip of the blade may be sharp or blunt.

Udder-Infusion Cannula

To administer medications into the teat canal. Other possible uses include draining a mastitic quarter, keeping a teat canal or sphincter open during and after surgery, flushing an abscess, and performing a peritoneal tap. A blunted needlelike tube can be inserted into the teat canal; by using a syringe, medication can then be injected.

CMT Kit

To screen for and diagnose mastitis in cattle. The paddle is divided into four quarters that correspond to the four teats. Milk from each quarter is placed into its corresponding circle. A reagent is mixed with the milk, and if agglutination is seen, mastitis is suspected.

Milking Tubes

To keep an injured teat open for milking. These tubes are inserted after surgery or after an injury that may cause the teat to swell. They help to keep the canal patent while the teat heals.

Udder Support

To support an injured or pendulous udder. A net is placed around the udder, then strapped to the cow's body. This transfers the weight of the udder to the cow's back and keeps the udder from being stepped on or injured.

Simplex Intravenous Bell Sets/Gravity IV Set

To provide a connection between the IV catheter and the IV fluids and to regulate the flow of those fluids. This set uses gravity to enable the flow of the fluids. Latex tubing has a flexible funnel at one end that fits over the top of a bottle; the other end of the tubing has a tip that fits into a standard catheter hub. Some models have an air hose that can be clamped to prevent the fluids from flowing. The bottle is raised or lowered to speed up or slow down the rate at which the fluids are introduced into the animal. This set is used in large animals.

Dose Syringe/Drenching Syringe, Drencher

To administer liquid medications orally. A stainless steel syringe is marked in oz and ml; it can be used to give multiple animals an oral dose of medication by pushing in the plunger.

Oral Calf Drencher

To give large amounts of oral fluids to calves, foals, or lambs. A large reservoir bag ends in a drenching wand. The wand is passed into the esophagus, and gravity causes the bag to empty.

Stomach Tube

To deliver liquid medications directly to the stomach via the esophagus; also used to relieve gas from the rumen in cases of moderate bloat. Long red rubber or PVC tubes come in a variety of diameters and lengths. Inside diameters and lengths are ¼ inch x 7ft, 3/8 inch x 9ft, ½ inch x 10ft

Drench Pump/Stomach Pump

To pump medication through the stomach tube into the stomach. A stainless steel pump with a handle at the top performs the pumping; an adapter for the stomach tube can be attached to the pump. Once the tube is in place, it is attached to the pump. The operator pulls the handle up to load the pump and pushes it down to deliver the medication through the tube.

Balling Gun

To deliver solid medication to large animals orally. A plunger reaches through the shaft of the instrument and ends in a flared receptacle for a pill or bolus. Some guns have springs inside the receptacle to hold the bolus in place. The gun is pushed down the throat, and once past the esophageal groove, the plunger is pushed to send the bolus the rest of the way down the esophagus. The receptacle comes in 5⁄8-inch, 7⁄8-inch, and 1- inch diameters. Some models have interchangeable heads that screw on and off.

Frick Speculum

Used on large animals to hold the jaws open wide enough to enable the passage of the stomach tube down the throat. A stainless steel tube that is about 191⁄2 inches long.

Transfer Needle

To transfer the liquid contents of one bottle to another without the use of a syringe. The double-ended needle can aseptically pierce the rubber stoppers on the bottles.

Automatic Dose Syringe

To administer intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SQ) injections to multiple animals without reloading the syringe. A syringe barrel is attached to a handle with a dial that can be set to deliver 1 to 5 ml at a time with a squeeze of the handle. Care must be taken to clean the syringe thoroughly to prevent drug interactions and to prevent the spread of disease.