Protective Actions during Veterinary Procedures

Examination of animals: Wear appropriate protective outerwear, and wash hands before and after examination of individual animals or animal groups (e.g., a litter of puppies). Wear facial protection if a zoonotic respiratory tract disease is suspected. Potentially infectious animals will be examined in a designated examination room and remain there until diagnostic procedures and treatments have been performed.

Injections, venipuncture, and aspiration procedures: Wear gloves while performing venipuncture on animals suspected of having an infectious disease and when performing soft tissue aspirations.

Needlestick injury prevention: Do not bend needles, pass an uncapped needle to another person, or walk around with uncapped needles. Do not remove an uncapped needle from the syringe by hand or place a needle cap in the mouth. Do not recap needles except in instances when required as part of a medical procedure or protocol. Dispose of all sharps in designated containers. After injection of live vaccines or aspiration of body fluids, dispose of used syringes with needles attached in a sharps container. Otherwise, remove the needle by use of forceps or the needle removal device on the sharps container, and throw the syringe away in the trash. Do not transfer sharps from one container to another. Replace sharps containers before they are completely full.