AcuShot Inc is committed to being a world leader in design and manufacturing of next generation needle-free injection technologies. Available in many countries, check here to find a distributor in your country.

AcuShot Needle-Free Technology offers:

• Faster vaccinations
• Safer through design – no needles, no CO2 supply and no electrical cords
• Reduced worker fatigue and chance of injury to the animal
• Better economics – improved product efficacy, advanced electronic monitoring system and versatile application options
• Flexibility through various vaccine supply methods
• Lower cost of ownership when compared to other needle-free systems

Advanced Electronics

AcuShot delivers one-shot vaccination to a weanling or mass vaccinations to larger number of animals. The advanced electronics can set the dosage from as low as 0.2ml way up to 2.5 ml and up to 1,000 injections before recharging the battery (depending on dose and cylinder selected).

To inquire about AcuShot for your distribution contact cal@acushot.ca or fill out the question form here.

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What is an “ID” (Inter-Dermal or Intradermal) injection? Here’s what Wikipedia says:

Intradermal injection is the injection of a substance into the dermis, just below the epidermis. This route has the longest absorption time as compared to subcutaneous injections and intramuscular injections.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intradermal_injection

Although Needle-Free technology is still early in its adoption phase, interest in this disruptive technology is growing. Livestock producers, Food processors, Veterinarians, Pharmaceutical companies and many other industry partners are expressing interest in adopting Needle-Free technology into their enterprise. Along with its ability perform traditional IM and SQ injections, perhaps the greatest optimism lies in the AcuShot’s ability to accurately perform “ID” injections.

So…why the interest in “ID” injections? Here’s what the World Health Organization has to say:

Most vaccines are delivered by the intramuscular or subcutaneous routes using a needle and syringe; the intradermal route is only widely used for the administration of Bacille Calmette-Guérin and rabies vaccines. However there is renewed interest in intradermal vaccine delivery, driven by the fact that the dermis and epidermis of human skin are rich in antigen-presenting cells, suggesting that delivery of vaccines to these layers, rather than to muscle or subcutaneous tissue, should be more efficient and induce protective immune responses with smaller amounts of vaccine antigen. http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/89/3/10–079426/en/

What many people don’t know is that “ID” injections occur passively every time you use an AcuShot NeedleFree injector because a small amount of the vaccine is left in the skin of the animal on each and every injection. Add to that the fact that several trials conducted by leading pharmaceutical companies using AcuShot Needle Free have proven its ability to consistently apply “ID” injections as low as 0.2ML. All this means the future of “ID” injections using AcuShot’s industry leading Needle-Free technology looks bright.

As we see a move to adoption of “ID” injections using AcuShot Needle Free, we will continue to see improved vaccine utilization, further reduction in stress to animals and improved biological and economic performance.

Broad adoption of “ID” injections was a key reason for the development of AcuShot’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology.

View actual on-farm injection videos at www.acushot,ca and see for yourself how effective our device really is.

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The whole purpose behind the vaccination of animals is to protect against diseases that plague modern livestock operations. A healthy, strong animal that hasn’t had to deal with the effects of diseases like Circo or PRRS virus will grow faster, better utilize feed and able to produce more progeny. Proper vaccination also decreases the chance that these animals will be exposed to secondary infections which often require the use of antibiotics. We all know that today’s consumer wants food that’s free of antibiotics.

This article from “The Pig Site” is helpful in understanding the reasons for and challenges that exist with vaccinations.  http://www.thepigsite.com/pighealth/article/97/vaccines/

When vaccinating an animal, it’s important to keep the following things in mind:

• Insure that the animal receives as close to 100% of the labeled dose as possible
• Insure that the vaccine is injected correctly; common injections depths include inter muscular, sub cutaneous and more recently Intradermal or Trans dermal.
• Keep the animal calm during the vaccination event. Added stress can adversely affect the animal which can decrease the animals productivity

AcuShot’s Needle-Free device addresses each for these areas of concern:

• The device won’t allow the user to short cut the vaccination process. Each dose is applied with accuracy of + or – 1%.
• In depth research comparing the use of AcuShot to needles reveals that the AcuShot NeedleFree injector can administer inter muscular and sub cutaneous vaccinations to the correct depth with injection accuracy as good; or better than typical speed syringe/needle applications. Add to this that AcuShot is also designed to apply Intradermal or Trans dermal injections with ease. These injections are not commercially possible with needles.
• AcuShot’s use of “Power Cylinder” technology promises superior accuracy compared to other needle-free devices that rely on compressed air, compressed CO2 gas or springs as a form of propulsion
• Animals remain calm when AcuShot’s device is used to administer vaccines. (See “Making a Difference Animal Welfare” edition for more information).

Improved use of vaccines was a key reason for the development of AcuShot’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology.

View actual on-farm injection videos and see for yourself how effective our device really is.

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Anyone who’s ever witnessed an injection event on farm using a needle understands all too well that the animal is affected during the process. There is almost always a reaction from the animal when the injection occurs. It’s bad enough when using a new needle, but it’s a common industry practice in almost every farm around the world to reuse needles.

Take a look at the pictures below which shows a new needle on the left and a needle that has given 10 injections on the right. Ouch!

When the animal is injected with jagged, reused needles, the stress of the injection reduces its desire to eat and increases the chances of an immunological challenge; both of which can cause a setback in the daily growth rate of the animal.

Although little research has been done on the economic impact of setback cost when using needles, all industry leaders recognize this as an issue. Conservative estimates calculate a decreased growth rate of 1 day per injection. With many animals receiving multiple injections, it’s not hard to see how the numbers add up.

Decreasing the stress of injections to animals was a key reason for the development of AcuShot’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology. Replacing needle use with AcuShot’s Needle Free technology drastically reduces the setback to the animal’s growth rate. Reduction of setback costs alone can help pay for an AcuShot Needle-Free device within one year on an average size farm.

View actual on farm injection videos at and see for yourself how safe our device really is. Farmers repeatedly comment that using the AcuShot device is much safer to use when compared to conventional needles.

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The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that health care workers in the United States are exposed to 600,000 – 800,000 needle sticks or cuts from contaminated sharps every year. Costs for testing and treating health care workers injured in such accidents range between $540 and $3,800 per incident, depending on the magnitude of risk. In the United States, overall treatment costs for such injuries could range from $324 million to $2.3 billion.

Needle sticks accounted for the highest number of physical injuries in swine veterinarians, with 580 out of 794 surveyed veterinarians (73%) suffering needle-stick injuries.  36% of these injuries resulted in adverse effects (pain, local swelling, hematoma, infection, superficial abscess, or cellulitis).

A study done by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) list the following reasons for accidental needle sticks https://www.cdc.gov/nora/councils/hcsa/stopsticks/sharpsinjuries.html

Improving the level of safety for farm workers was one of the driving forces behind the development of

AcuShot’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology. Replacing needle use with AcuShot’s Needle Free technology drastically reduces injuries to farm workers. View actual on farm injection videos at and see for yourself how safe our device really is. Farmers repeatedly comment that using the AcuShot device is much safer to use when compared to conventional needles.

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In recent years, the environment has taken center stage. Every day we hear concerns regarding the sustainability of the planet we live in. When it comes to disposing of hazardous waste materials we should all be concerned. Most of us have seen safe disposal sites for syringes in our doctor’s office or hospital, but what happens to the hundreds of thousands of syringes and sharps that are used each day in commercial livestock production? Would you believe me if I told you that roughly half of all needles or sharps used are simply thrown into a land fill and buried? And almost just as concerning are the needles or sharps that are disposed of on farm. They are either thrown into a pit of manure which is later spread on a field or buried on site.

The survey below was conducted by Black Sheep Inc. (a Canadian research, marketing and consulting firm) describes how needles or sharps used on farms are typically disposed of.

The elimination of discarded needles and the associated environmental risk was another one of the driving forces behind the development of AcuShot’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology. Replacing needle use with AcuShot’s Needle Free technology eliminates the need to dispose of used needles.

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In today’s edition, we want dig deeper into the topic of “Food Safety” and take a closer look at an issue that continues to be a concern throughout the food chain. It impacts farmers, processors, retailers and most importantly consumers. The elimination of “Broken Needles” or “Needle Fragments” found in our meat.

An article by Utah State University titled “Foreign Object Contamination in Beef Cattle” highlights challenges once a needle is broken on farm. It states “Broken needles migrate in muscle tissue, with its movement, and if not removed immediately, the broken needle will be almost impossible to find in the live animal.” It goes onto say that “This would require that the animal be removed from the regular market channels and slaughtered at a facility where instructions could be given for a large mass of meat around the injection site be condemned and not used for consumption. Animals with broken needles in them must not be sent in regular market channels.” Read more at https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=extension_histall

Very recently a pork governing body in Alberta Canada made the following statement, “It has been brought to the attention of the Canadian Quality Assurance program that 1 unreported broken needle was found in an Alberta facility…….This is the third case in less than 2 years.” As you can see, this issue spans multiple species and continues to be a difficult to deal with.

It’s difficult to consistently remove the contaminated animals from our food chain. Take for example the Canadian family that found a broken needle in their roast beef dinner.  “I was just chewing a piece of meat and I felt a sharp poke in my gums, in my cheek, and then bit down on something hard,” Orry Lamb said, adding that he initially thought it was a piece of bone. “He took it out of his mouth and we looked at it and he says, ‘It looks like a needle.’ It looks like a piece of a needle that’s broken off,” said his mother. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/needle–found–in–roast–beefduring–dinner–family–says–1.2694715

And the issue doesn’t stop there. What about the effect on the animal injured by the broken needle that’s now inside its body? Broken needles can cause serious injury to animals, abscesses, infections, lameness and even death. The risk to consumers and the overall cost to our food chain is enormous!

The elimination of broken needles/needle fragments was one of the driving forces behind the development of AcuShot’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology. Replacing needle use with AcuShot’s Needle Free technology eliminates the possibility of broken needles hurting animals. It also eliminates the chance of needle fragments hurting consumers. View actual on farm injection videos at and see for yourself. Farmers repeatedly comment that using the AcuShot device is much less stressful on both the animals and farm workers.

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In our last edition of “Making a Difference” “Animal Welfare”, we reviewed the renewed interest in how the livestock that’s a part of our food chain are treated. We want to delve a little deeper into that conversation in today’s edition “Animal Welfare”.

As we discussed last month, many of us are ignorant about where our food comes from or how our animals are treated.

But….we know that change is happening. According to the American Humane Society,  “more than nine out of ten respondents (95%) in our latest Humane Heartland Farm Animal Survey expressed that they were “very concerned” about farm animal welfare. Over three-quarters (76%) of survey participants were also very willing to pay more for humanely produced eggs and dairy products, and humanely raised meat. And in rankings of the importance of food labels, “humanely raised” scored highest. Interestingly, however, more than half of respondents (55%) reported that products branded humanely raised were either not available (36%) or too expensive (19%).”  

 “Science-based policy is at the center of the American Humane Certified program, which enforces common sense and attainable, albeit rigorous, welfare standards to ensure and verify humane practices. This criterion – determined by an independent scientific advisory committee comprised of leading experts in the fields of agriculture, species-specific animal behavior, and ethics – is centered around the internally accepted Five Freedoms of animal welfare, ensuring that certified animals have appropriate space, lighting, air quality, food and water. These Five Freedoms are globally recognized as the gold standard in animal welfare, encompassing both the mental and physical well-being of animals; they include: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, and disease; freedom to express normal and natural behavior (e.g. accommodating for a chicken’s instinct to roost); and freedom from fear and distress.” http://www.americanhumane.org/blog/five–freedoms–the–goldstandard–of–animal–welfare/

Animal welfare is one of the driving forces behind the development of AcuShot’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology. Use of AcuShot’s technology virtually eliminates the chance of injury as well as the pain and discomfort normally associated with injecting animals. View actual on farm injection videos at www.acushot,ca and see for yourself. Farmers repeatedly comment that using the AcuShot device results in calmer, happier, less stressed animals. It really works!

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Over the next few months we’ll explore some of the most significant issues that are “Making a Difference” in our food supply and how we as “consumers” can impact these challenges.

Today’s topic, “Animal Welfare” part #1

Years ago most of our ancestors had a direct connection with the food we ate. Our parents or grandparents likely came from an agrarian background or knew someone close to them that did.  As migration to larger urban settings took place, our connection to the food we ate disappeared. When many of us were asked “where does your dairy, poultry or pork come from?” we’d answer “Safeway or Costco”.

But….there’s a change happening. People are becoming more and more interested in where their food comes from and how these animals are treated. More and more “Food” companies are recognizing this ground swell of consumer concern and are becoming proactive in their response. Companies like Olymel (One of Canada’s largest pork and poultry processors) has moved to entrench “Animal Welfare” as a cornerstone in their approach to providing safe, sustainable, and ethical food to its customers.

https://www.olymel.ca/en/social-responsibility/

In a recent study conducted by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, They noted that 77% of consumers said they are concerned about the welfare of animals raised for food. We’ll dig more into some of the major issues surrounding Animal Welfare in part #2 of “Making a Difference”.

Animal welfare was one of the driving forces behind the development of AcuShot Inc.’s innovative second generation Needle-Free technology.

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Merko E.U., a division of Allflex, the world’s No. 1 livestock identification system, signs exclusive distribution agreement with AcuShot Inc., a Canadian developer of second generation needle-free technology with offices in Winnipeg, Canada.

Mathieu van Delden, General Manager of Merko E.U., was quoted as saying; “Merko is proud to add AcuShot to our list of preferred suppliers. Merko is a global leader in providing innovative solutions to the agricultural sector and AcuShot is the perfect fit for our organization. We congratulate AcuShot on their vision and commitment to bringing this product to the global market place.”

Merko actively promotes innovative livestock solutions for producers across numerous European countries. Merko specializes in providing world class identification systems including traditional ear tags, RFID systems and a variety of other livestock solutions.

“Providing AcuShot needle-free technology to our customers fits so well with Merko’s drive to provide producers with safe, time saving, and economical solutions for their farm operations” said van Delden.

Cal Funk, Director of Business Development for AcuShot Inc. stated; “It’s been exciting to witness the advent of AcuShot needle-free technology and its entry into the global market place. So many livestock and poultry producers have commented on how glad they are to finally see a reliable, safe, and cost effective alternative to needles.”

AcuShot’s innovative second generation needle-free technology offers producers;

• Faster, more reliable means of application, reducing labor requirements
• Safer mode of application, through the elimination of needles, and effective safe guard measures incorporated into AcuShot’s user friendly design.
• Better economics through improved product efficiency, electronic monitoring system and versatile application options

“Partnering with the Merko was an obvious choice for us. Merko has been given the exclusive rights to market AcuShot’s (HF) Hands Free System in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Merko’s commitment to providing their customers with the best available technology fits well with the philosophy we believe in AcuShot. Merko has a strong infrastructure in place in all of the countries in which they distribute AcuShot products. We are confident that Merko will do an excellent job of representing and marketing our technology. We look forward to building on this already strong relationship in the months and years to come” said Funk.

For more information go to www.acushot.ca or contact:

Mathieu van Delden
Merko E.U. ++32 (0)3 360.26.70
mvd@merko.be

Cal Funk
AcuShot Inc. (204) 746 4411
cfunk@acushot.ca

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