Farmer's vaccination warning

The producer – who runs 3000 adult Merino sheep in north-east Victoria – wants to warn others of the dangers surrounding vaccination.

The area on his leg that was punctured quickly became swollen and led to a series of operations (five in total), before it eventually healed five-months later.

He hopes he can save others from the same thing happening to them.

On November 23, 2012, he was vaccinating a small mob of sheep on his farm with Gudair to prevent Ovine Johnes Disease (OJD), as well as ear-tagging and carrying out a 5-in-1 injection too.

It was an exercise Mr Renkin had done thousands of times before.

"The day I was vaccinating, it was a million-to-one chance," he said.

"I was using a safety syringe with a shrouded applicator, but out of the blue the lamb wanted to go back where it came from and crashed into the fence beside where I was working.

"The lamb's head got caught and it decided to run between the fence and my leg."

The tubing from the vaccine, which Mr Renkin had placed on a tray beside him for a second, got caught on the animal's neck and bent the needle at a 90-degree angle.

As a result, Mr Renkin's right leg was pierced below the knee.

At first, he thought it impossible the vaccine had entered the leg.

"Once I realised what had happened, I went straight to the local doctors in Benalla," he said.

"I took the vaccinator in and the vaccine and the doctor was of the same opinion – that it was a needle-stick injury."

The doctor contacted the help line on the Gudair pack and was told to cut the flesh out where the vaccine had gone in.

However, he was reluctant to operate, because Mr Renkin was already taking a medication that prevented blood clots, but also meant one cut would lead to excessive bleeding.

"I was sent home and told to monitor the puncture, but during the night my leg swelled to double the size and I went back to casualty," he continued.

The doctor on duty called the Gudair line and was told the same advice – cut the flesh out.

He was then transferred to Wangaratta and was prepared for surgery, but the doctor again refused to carry out the operation – due to the blood clot medication.

"He also thought the vaccine hadn't gone in," Mr Renkin said.

"They discovered the swelling was from internal bleeding and I was put on steroids and painkillers."

But nearly a month later on Christmas Eve, the wound flared up again.

Mr Renkin underwent surgery immediately the following day, with doctors reversing the blood-clot medication.

But two weeks later, the wound became worse, and another operation was carried out on the leg.

"The skin was still dying though and the wound was not healing," he said.

Mr Renkin was then put onto a specialist at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, who had treated Gudair incidents previously.

"He operated on me the next day," he said.

"But a week later, he had to carry out another operation that was deeper and wider. And a skin graft followed."

Five months later and 18 days in the Alfred – and Mr Renkin's injury was finally cured.

His advice to others in the same situation: don't muck around.

"Get to your GP immediately and insist on a specialist," he said.

This November, Mr Renkin has begun the task of vaccinating again.

He now uses an applicator with a protective cover and an internal locking valve using a push instead of a trigger squeeze. There is no tubing and the bottle is directly connected to the vaccinator.

"And I never put the vaccinator down – you just can't be too careful," he said.