Equine and Camelid Castration
Recumbent castration
As with any surgery, preplanning is crucial.
Work through this narrated powerpoint (3.25 minutes):
After viewing the introduction above, watch the video below (through 1:30 at least) to get an overall picture of recumbent equine castration. As you watch, think about:
- how old (big) is the colt?
- I like the boys to be older/bigger vs younger/smaller. The young ones have teeny floating testicles that are hard to hold still for removal. Some people worry about castrating adult stallions. I think old stallions are easier.
- Some colts are so obnoxious (stud like, aggressive and/or attempting to breed Momma) that we have to castrate them at an earlier age
- what season is it?
- fly season is more challenging for wound management
- where are they performing the castration?
- I like open grassy areas
- how does the colt become recumbent and stand up again (how much help does he need)?
- most horses will pull back if you pull forward; this can be very useful to help them lie down gently
- how do they keep the hindlimb out of the way?
- good time to review your knot tricks
- where does the surgeon stand to perform the castration?
- avoid those feet!
- what level of sterility is being used? caps/gowns/masks and gloves (good idea) or something else?
- if we leave this open and have good drainage, is this level of sterility okay?
This gives a nice big picture overview of the process
How does the video compare with what was suggested in the powerpoint above?
Exercises
Level A. Now work through this quiz to review a few more factors:
Plan for complications
It is also good to plan for complications and be prepared. The most common complication is postoperative swelling. See the next chapter!
Key Takeaways
Why – Stallions can be dangerous and are difficult to house safely with other horses.
Who –Healthy, vaccinated, trained colts that are at least 6 months old and have two testicles. Castration is an elective procedure.
When- Spring is ideal since fewer bugs, but it depends on where you are practicing.
Where – An open grassy field is the best. Avoid stalls, wooded areas and slopes.
How – I prefer recumbent open castration. Castration can also be performed standing.
What else – Preoperative and postoperative analgesics and tetanus are necessary. Preoperative antibiotics recommended. Owners need to be prepared for the aftercare.
Key points-
- Open castration is better for larger, older stallions since you can see the artery and crush it individually.
- Closed castration minimizes opening the peritoneal cavity but makes the procedure harder; restricted to younger patients
- Avoid modified open/ modified closed techniques.
- Large incisions are needed for drainage
- Hemostasis is by tissue trauma – crush with emasculators (nut to nut) or twist with the Henderson. Ligatures are optional but handy.
- Always tag the proximal part of the cord before you emasculate because it will be easier to check for bleeding.
- Do not close the scrotum.
- The epididymis does NOT produce testosterone and will NOT make a horse act like a stud.
Resources
Two Regimes of Perioperative Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Equine Castration. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 57 (2017) 86–94
BEVA primary care clinical guidelines: Analgesia; Equine Veterinary Journal, January 2020, Vol.52(1), pp.13-27
(high certainty). The panel recommend the continuation of analgesia for 3 days following castration (moderate certainty) and conclude that phenylbutazone provided superior analgesia to meloxicam and firocoxib for hoof pain/laminitis (moderate certainty), but that enhanced efficacy has not been demonstrated for joint pain. In horses with colic, flunixin and firocoxib are considered to provide more effective analgesia than meloxicam or phenylbutazone (moderate certainty)
