MEDICATED EAR TAG

Abstract: An ear tag for administering hormones or other medication to sheep or cattle comprising a pair of reservoirs (10) and a pair of wicks (12) each in communication with a reservoir and located either side of a recess (7) which recess is intended to receive part of an animal's ear; a barbed latch (5) adapted to hold the two wicks and reservoirs either side of an animal's ear and to pass through an animal's ear in order to secure the ear tag to the animal; the arrangement being such that medicated liquids may pass from the reservoir up the wicks and into the animal's bloodstream through the animal's ear which is held in the recess and in contact with the wicks.

Description: MEDICATED EAR TAG The present invention relates to an ear tag for the administration of medicinal substances to animals and has particularly useful application in relation to the administration of hormones to sheep and cattle. For some years it has been common practice to administer progesterone to sheep in order to facilitate synchronization of the menstrual cycles of a group of sheep and thereby ensure synchronized fertilisation and lambing thereby reducing the workload of the property owner. One currently widely used method of administering progesterone to sheep for the abovementioned purpose is to insert a progesterone impregnated sponge in the vaginal area of the sheep concerned. Whilst such method has been found to be effective it is relatively time consuming and inconvenient to insert and later withdraw the sponges and furthermore it is not readily apparent from a distance which sheep may have been treated and which sheep may not have been treated. It is additionally not apparent if a sponge has become dislodged from a sheep unintentionally. SUBSTITUTE SK£ET The present invention seeks to ameliorate one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages with present methods of administering progesterone to sheep. According to the present invention there are provided an ear tag comprising a transfer surface adapted to contact the skin of an animal; a liquid reservoir within the ear tag and wick means adapted to transfer material from the reservoir to the transfer means in such a manner that substances may be absorbed through the animal's skin into its bloodstream from said liquid; tensioning means adapted to urge the transfer surface against the ear of an animal or other area of loose skin and means for securely locating the ear tag in position against an animal's ear or other like area of loose skin. One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ear tag in accordance with the present invention depicted in the closed mode in which the device will operate about an ear of an animal; SUBSTITUTE SK£2T Figure 2 is a side elevation in section of the ear tag depicted in figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan view of the ear tag of figures 1 and 2 but depicting the ear tag in an open position. Figure 1 depicts an ear tag 1 formed as a clip having two opposing sides 2 and 3 joined at the bottom by a hinge 4 and at the top by a latch comprising barbed spike 5 being integral with side 2 and complementary aperture 6 being incorporated in the top of side 3. In use barbed spike 5 is introduced through the ear of an animal such that part of the animal's ear sits in recess 7 formed between the two sides of the ear tag. It will be noted that each side of the ear tag incorporates an inverted U-shaped cut 8 which defines a tongue 9 on each side of the ear tag. Turning now to figure 2 it will be observed that each of the two sides of the ear tag incorporates a reservoir 10 adapted to contain liquids, such reservoirs being provided with openings 11 near their upper extremities in order that a braided fabric wick 12 may be introduced into each reservoir. SUBSTITUTE SHEET The wick 12 extends from the base of the reservoir 10 up through opening 11 past internally directed protrusions 13 on the internally directed surfaces of tongues 9 and then out through cut 8 defining the upper peripheral area of the tongue. The dimensions of the wick and the cut 8 are such that the wick is tightly held in cut 8 thereby securing the wick in position. It will be appreciated from figure 2 that if the barbed spike 5 is introduced through the ear of an animal with the ear of the animal hanging down into recess 7 and such that latch is secured then the internally directed surfaces of wicks 12 will come into contact with the animal's ear. More particularly, good contact between those portion of the wicks sandwiched between protrusions 13 and the animal's ear will be assured provided that the thickness of the animal's ear does not differ from the distance between opposing protrusions by more than the thickness of the wicks 12. Animals' ears up to the actual width of recess 7 may be accommodated due to the fact that tongues 9 are adapted to flex outwardly to accommodate larger ears. The resilience of tongues 9 and dimensions of protrusions 13 may be varied in practice in order to achieve adequate urging of the wicks against the animal's ear without constriction of the animal's circulation in such area. SUBSTITUTE SH£ST The area of the wick being urged against the animal's ear by protrusions 13 becomes the "transfer surface" of the ear tag whereat active material in the liquid contained in reservoirs 10 may pass through the skin of the animal into the bloodstream of the animal in order to achieve the desired effect. The reservoir ensures that the ear tag may continue working for a number of days or weeks depending upon the solvent and active material involved and furthermore the inclusion of a reservoir with its attendant weight and inertia may assist a pendulum like swinging action of the ear tag as the animal moves which action may stimulate blood flow through the ear and hence absorbtion of active material. A device in accordance with the present invention has been tested upon sheep with the active material in the reservoir being progesterone. Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) is used as the solvent in order to encourage secretion of the medication into the skin and bloodstream of the animal. The sheep wears the ear tag containing the progesterone for approximately fourteen days during which time the reservoir ensures continued delivery of progesterone up the wick and through the transfer surfaces and into the bloodstream of the animal. After removal of the ear tags from a group of SUBSTITUTE SH£H cattle or sheep synchronised insemination may occur in the usual way (the ear tag may then be reused by using a hypodermic needle to refill the reservoirs). It should be appreciated however that the present invention is not restricted to use in conjunction with progesterone as any medication or other substance which may be absorbed into an animal's bloodstream through the skin may be administered by this method. It should additionally be appreciated that many other embodiments of the present invention may be devised without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the above-described clip comprising two virtually identical hinged sides may be replaced by a U-shaped bow (not shown) the free ends of which are joined by a pin passing through the animal's ear. Such a device may incorporate one reservoir and one continuous wick running from one free end down through the reservoir and up to the other free end. SUBSTITUTE SHEZΥ

Claims: - 7 - The claims defining the specification are as follows: • An ear tag comprising a transfer surface adapted to contact the skin of an animal; a liquid reservoir within the ear tag and wick means adapted to transfer material from the reservoir to the transfer means in such a manner that substances may be absorbed through the animal's skin into its bloodstream from said liquid; tensioning means adapted to urge the transfer surface against the ear of an animal or other area of loose skin and means for securely locating the ear tag in position against an animal's ear or other like area of loose skin. 2. An ear tag in accordance with claim 1 hereof including two opposing transfer surfaces adapted to contact the skin either side of an animal's ear. 3. An ear tag in accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein the wick means is a conventional braided fabric wick, one part of which serves as a transfer surface. 4. An ear tag in accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein the ear tag is formed as a clip each side of which is adapted to contact one side of an animal's ear and having one transfer surface, one wick and one reservoir on each side of said clip. 5. An ear tag in accordance with claim 4 wherein the clip is hinged at its lower extremity and is adapted to be SUBSTITUTE S BH1 locked into a closed position adjacent its upper extremity by a barbed latch adapted to pierce and pass through an animal's ear. 6. An ear tag in accordance with claim 5 hereof wherein the tensioning means for holding the transfer means against the animal's skin comprises two opposing tongues being substantially co-planar with either side of the clip and incorporated within the sides of the clip; the arrangement being such that when the clip is locked into position about an animal's ear with the barbed latch secured through the animal's ear each tongue, with the transfer surface sandwiched beneath it and the animal's ear, may deform outwardly in order to accommodate a thick ear without cutting off the animal's circulation at that point. 7. An ear tag in accordance with claim 6 hereof wherein the internally directed surfaces of the tongues are provided with internally directed protrusions in order to ensure that the transfer surfaces contact either side of the animal's ear even if the spacing between the opposing sides of the clips and hence the opposing internal surfaces of the tongues slightly exceeds the thickness of the animal's ear. 8. An ear tag in accordance with any one of the preceding claims wherein the lower extremity of the wick is immersed in a reservoir, the upper extremity of the SUBSTITUTE SH£ET wick is exposed to the external atmosphere and an area of the midlength of the wick forms the transfer surface. 9. An ear tag in accordance with claim 4 hereof but having one or more reservoirs and wherein the clip is formed as a bow with the transfer surfaces at the internally directed sides of the free ends; the bow being resiliently expandable so that the free ends may pass either side of an animal's ear; the free ends in use being secured either side of an animal's ear by means of a pin passing through both free ends of the bow and the animal's ear. 0 An ear tag substantially as depicted herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. SUBSTITUTE SH£ET

Inventors: MCKEDDIE DAVID JOHN, MCKEDDIE, DAVID, JOHN
Applicants: MCKEDDIE DAVID JOHN, MCKEDDIE, DAVID, JOHN
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A61D7
IPC codes: A61D7