[NMAriel]

Hey everyone, yet another question. Gosh you know when I make a decision I want to move forward and not **** piddle around. It may take me awhile to gather and digest all the info to make a decision, but once I have...lets move on.

Well, I was calling the local vet about castrating CT, and someone (very horsey person) said, "oh, don't use them..use so-and-so. They use a better technique. OMG, do I have to now research castration techniques so that CT has the best one?

I know I need a good vet, and not all vets are the same quality; but castration styles?

Thanks (yet again) for any info on this "additional" question.

[NMAriel]

I guess I can't type a form of urinating, or the programing stars it out. Just wanted ya'll to know that the word wasn't a bad one.

[BluEyedCowgurl]

Well, I've only ever seen colts castrated one way, and that is when they sedate them, get them down and 'sleeping,' and then they go ahead and make incisions, take out the goods, and then spray the area to keep it from hopefully getting infected.
Here is a really good link I found on the subject, it kind of gets into the whole castration thing, and includes some info on a technique I have only ever read about in my 'cowboy' books, the 'up' technique, where it is done while the horse is standing...
All About Castrating Horses

And this link:
Horse Castration Decisions and Methods

Hope they help you out.

[Top Dun]

For New Mexico I HIGHLY recommend the Los Lunas Animal Clinic.
Los Lunas Animal Clinic - Equine
I don't care if I have to haul three hours to get there I'd rather do that then some of the local generic vets. As for different techniques, it could be that certain vets Like Los Lunas Animal clinic are more equine knowledgable vs some vets who do mainly dogs and cats and only a few horses. So the dog and cat mostly vets may not have the experience of castrating horses so their surgical technique may be rusty.

[Mare]

As far as I know they are either layed down and some will do them standing. Mine have been done both ways

[Xiphias]

The one normal castration that I "helped" with, was an ottb, that the BO bought, and the "horse" vet came out and put a scotch hobble on his left front leg, a chain twitch, which I was instructed to hang onto, along with the lead rope, he made 2 incisions, cut out the goods, and used a tool to crush the tubes that the goods were attached to....he sprayed some stuff on him, and told, me to turn him out....Cathy

eta...this the vet explained to me was routien on the track for gelding colts....

[Haas Horse Farm]

Well there are two techniques... Open castration and closed. I have photos of an open one if anyone is interested. Not sure about the board rules so I did not want to post those unless I knew it was okay.

The open castration is where they do what is described above... (I am not sure why they used a chain twitch... if you knock the animal out there should be no need for the twitch. Anyway... When the animal is down and "out" they clean the area and cut the sac open, pull the goods out and clip the cord... Do that for both sides... Then spray with sulfa or some other anti bacteria spray and allow the colt now a gelding to recover and wake up.

A closed castration is where they just cut from the outside and do not actually take it all out and see it it is all there... This may allow the glad that produces the hormones to still be active even though the horse does not have the balls to produce the sperm. Literally... that is what is refered to as a proud cut. Has all the action and no sperm... Hence the reason that many myself included think that an open castration is actually better. If someone will let me know if I can post the photos here or a link to them I can show you the parts as the vet explained it to me.

[Xiphias]

Originally Posted by Haas Horse Farm

Well there are two techniques... Open castration and closed. I have photos of an open one if anyone is interested. Not sure about the board rules so I did not want to post those unless I knew it was okay.

The open castration is where they do what is described above... (I am not sure why they used a chain twitch... if you knock the animal out there should be no need for the twitch...

I was shocked, that the vet never even gave him a local, nada! Poor Mikey, I felt so bad for him....but the vet (a really well known vet too) said it was just a waist of time...and that he would be just fine....and he was....but no way would I let any vet do that to one of my colts, if I ever have one that needs castration..Cathy

[Haas Horse Farm]

WOW so you are saying they just twitched the guy and never gave him a shot! OUCH> Way uncool!

[tbtrainer]

Oh Cathy, not the icky castration story again!!!! Been on the track 25 yrs, never, ever, seen it done that way!!! We usually do it with them sedated and standing... unless we have a really bad one we will lay them down.. but the preffered way is to have them standing.. better drainage is what I've been told.

There is a laser surgery also, I'll have to look it up!