MEDICATED EAR TAG

ETIQUETTE D'OREILLE MEDICAMENTEE

English Abstract

2032148 9013270 PCTABS00002
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.

Claims

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The claims defining the specification are as follows:
1. 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


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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

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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.
10. An ear tag substantially as depicted herein with
reference to the accompanying drawings.

Description

WO90/13~70 2 0 3 2 1 ~ 8 PCT/AU9~/00168
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MEDICATED ~AR TAG
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The present invention rela~es to an ear ~ag for the
administration of medicinal substances ~o animals and has
particularly useful application in rela~ion to the `-
administratîon of~hormones to sheep and cattle.
For some years it has been common practice to ~dminis~er
proges~erone to sheep in order to facilitate
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synchronization of the menstrual cycles of a group of sheep --
and thereby ensure synchroniæed fertilisation and lambing ~;
.10 thereby reducing the workload of the property owner. ~`~
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One currently widely~ used method of admini~tering
progesterone ~o sheep for the abovementioned purpose is to`;
insert a progesterone impregna~ed sponge in the v~ginal
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area of the sheep concerned. Whilit such ~ethod has been
found to be effective it i9 rel3tively time consumlng and
inconvenient to insert and later withdraw ~he sponges and
furthermore lt~ is not readily~ apparen~ from~ a distance
which sheep may have been~treated and ~hich ~h~ep may no~
20 have been treated. It l~ addltionallyjnot app~rent, if a ~
sponge has become dislodged~from~a sheep ~nint~ntionally. ~;




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The present invention seeks to am~liorate one or more of
. the abovementioned disadvantages with present methods of .
admini3tering progesterone ~o sheep.
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, 5 According to the pre~ent~ invention there are provided an ;
i ear tag comprising a transfer surface adapted to contact
the skin of an animal; a liquid res~rvoir wi~hir the ear ~.
tag and wick~means adapted to transfer material from the
reservoir to the transfer means in such a manner that:
subgtances may be absorbed through the anim~l's skin into f
; its bloodstream rom s~aid liquid; tensioning me;~ns adapted .`-
to urge the trsnsfer surfsce sgainst the ear of an animal ~:
or other area of loose s~in and means for securely locating ~::
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the ear tag in po~ition against an animal's ear or other
15 like area of 1009e skin. i.



One embodiment of the present invention will now be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings in
: which~

Figure 1~ is a perspectlve view of an~ ear ~ta:g~ in
sccordance with the present invention depi Ited in the -
~closed mod~ in which the device wlll operate abou~ an

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~ ; : ear of an animal;



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~ SU~S~ITU~ S~

WO90/l3270 2 0 3 214 8 PCT/AUgO/00l68
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Figure 2 is a side elevation in ~ection of t~e ear tag
depicted in figure l.
Figure 3 is a plan view of the ear tag of figures l
and 2 but depicting the ear tag in an open position.
"l;
Figure l depicts an e~r tag l 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 comp1ementary aperture 6 b~ing ~:
10 incorporated in the top of sid~ 3. ~`~

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In use barbed spike 5 is introduced through th~ ear of an .
animal such that part of the animal' 5 ear its in recess 7
for~ed between the two sides of thP ear tag.
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It will be noted that each side of the ear tag incorporates
an inverted U-shaped cut 8 which defines a tonguP 9 on aach `~
side of th~ ear tae.

;:~20 ~urning now to figur:e 2 lt will be observed that each of
the two sides of the ear t~g .incorporates a reservoir lO
adapted to contain liquids3 such reservoirs b ing provided -~
with openings 1l near the1r upp~r e~tremities~in order that
~i~a braided~ fabric wick 12~ may be introduced into each
¦25 reser~oir. :




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The wick 12 extends from the base of the reservoir 10 up
through opening 11 past internally directed protrusions 13
on the lnternally 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 ~ill be appr~ciated from figure 2 that if the barbed
10 spike 5 is introduced through the ear of an animal with the :'
ear of the animal hanging down into recess 7 ~nd such that
latch is secured then the internally directed surfaces of ::
~icks 12 will: come into contact with the animal's ear.
More particularly:, good contact between those portion of
15 the wicks ~andwiched between protrusions 13 and the ~`
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animal'~ ear will be assured provided that the thickness o -^
: : the animal's ear doe~ not differ from the distance between
oppo~ing protrusions by: more than the thickness of the `;`
wicks 12. Animals' ears up to~he:actual width of rece~s 7
may be accommodated due to the fac~ that tongues 9 are -~
, . . ,~,
adapted to flex outwardly to accommodate larger ear~. The
re~ilience of tongue~ 9 and dimensions of protru~ions 13
may ~e varied in: ~ractice in order to achieve adequate
urging of the wicks sgsinst the animal 1 9 ear w~hout
25 constriction of:the animal's circulation in such area~ ~`

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Sl)~ST~Tl~T~ S~
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WO90/13~70 2 0 3 214 8 PCT/AU90/00168


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The area of the wick belng urgéd against the animal's ear
by protrusions l~ becomes the "transfer ~iurface" of the ear -`
'~ t~g whereat active mat~rial in the liquid cont~ined in
re~ervoirs lO may pas~ through ~he skin of the animal into
~he bloodstream of the animal in ord~r to achieve th~
de~ired effect. ~`

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The reservoir ensures that th~ ear tag may con~inue working `~
for a number of days or weeks depending upon the solvent
and active mat~rial invol~ed and furthermore the inclusion ~ .
of a res~rvoir with its attendant weight and in~rtia may ~:
a~sist a pendulum like ~winging action of the ~ar tag as
the animal move~ which action may stimulate blood flow
through ~he ear and hence absorbtion of active material~
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A device in accordance with the present invention has been ;~
te~ted upon sheep ~ith the active material in the res~rvoir ~:
being progesterone. Dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) is used as '~.
the solvent in order to encourage secretion of the
medication into the skin and bloods~ream of the ani~al.

The she~p wears the ear tag containing the progesterone fo
a~proxim~tely fourte~n days during which time the ,esDrvoir
ensures contlnued delivery of proge~t~rone up the ~icX and
Z5 ~ ~hrough the :trsn~fer surfaces and into thc bloodstream of
! the animal.~ After removal of the ear tags from a group of


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`;.~ ~ ~ SUBSTlTUT~ S~

WO90/13270 PCT/AU90~00168
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c~ttle or she~p synchronised insemination m~y occur in the~:
usual way (the ear ~ag may then be reused by using a
! hypodermic needle to refill the reservo.irs).

It should be appreciated however that the present invention
is not restrlcted to use in conjunction with progesterone
as any medica~ion or other substance ~hich m~y be absorbed :;
nto an animal'~ bloods~r~am through thP ~kin may be ;~
,:
administered by thi~ method.
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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 comprisinO 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 devlce may
incorporate one reservoir and one continuou3 wick running
from one free end down through the reservoir and up to:the~:~
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other free end.
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Representative Drawing