New gelding method...

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Sandee

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I read about a new method of gelding where they don't remove the testicles but cut the spermatic cords. It says within two months the intact testicles degenerate and testosterone falls to levels similar to those of traditional castration. Technique uses 2 -2inch incisons (one on each side) of the scotum. Supposed to reduce risk of postoperative bleeding and severe swelling and infections. Oxygen-deprived testicles gradually shrink and become a mass of benign fibrous tissue.

Anyone know anything about this? What's you're opinion of it?
 
I think this has been discussed before in a thread...

Personally I'd rather take out the testicles, rather than let them rot away. No sense in leaving tissue in there?

Andrea
 
This would be very similar to how they emasculate bulls, goats, sheep etc...only these other animals don't get the cut...just the crushing of the cords.

I would be very interested...seems a much easier way to do the same thing, and with a much smaller incision, I would think there would also be less chance of infection? I have always wondered why horses could not be gelded like many other animals. ??

Does anyone know someone who has had this proceedure done on their stallion(S)?
 
I think in some areas they do dogs the same way I can not see how it can work for many other animals but not horses?
 
My cat was neutered that way according to the shelter. He still has two little furry appendages and looks intact, but they assured me after checking the records that he had been neutered by a "new method" that simply cut the cord but left the testicles intact. I took their word for it!

I think the primary reason to castrate the old way is so you can tell at a glance that it's been done. Can you imagine showing what appears to be a stallion in the gelding class and trying to explain to each and every judge over and over why he still has "parts?"
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Oy!

Leia

Edited to add: By the way, the cat still, um, goes through the motions with our female cat. I don't think the newer method killed enough testosterone!
 
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I agree with Leia, how would a judge tell if the horse is a stallion or gelding? would they just go by the gelding certificate?(cant think of the exact name)
 
My personal opinion is that it wouldnt be a good idea because after talking with a vet a while back about that sort of thing they told us that the reason they have to do it the way that they do is so they get as much of the cord as possible otherwise they would still be studdy and it wouldnt have the nice effect that gelding usually does.
 
Sounds terrible to me :p

You can't band a horse because of the muscles, which are much stronger and larger than other, pendulous species. Horses can tuck their testicles up into their body cavity; bulls and rams don't have that musculature.

I personally don't think that anything should be rotting inside anyone's body.
 
If you band a goat, the testicles don't rot inside them, they fall off about 2 weeks later.
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Been there, banded many, seen results.
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They also do vasectomies on goats.......all looks like they are intact, they just have no live sperm that ejaculates to impregnate. Like a human, there is sperm, it is released, just not into the female. So the testosterone is working well. These goats are used with herds where they do implants, or AI, usually. Main purpose is to detect heat but, I've been told that once implanted, they settle better if such a "casanova" is used. OK, that's what I was told.
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Personally, I feel the purpose of gelding a stallion is to eleminate as much studdy behavior as possible so a vasectomy type situation isn't my idea for him.
 
Sounds like in this procedure they are cutting the whole spermatic cord, which includes the blood supply, muscles, and vas deferens. So its not just a vasectomy, but a castration "in place".
 
If you band a goat, the testicles don't rot inside them, they fall off about 2 weeks later.
Yes, that's true, but Nathan explained why banding won't work on a horse.....and with this new procedure the testicles WOULD be rotting inside the scrotum. With banding the scrotum & everything falls off.
With this new procedure perhaps they end up drying out/shrivelling up rather than really rotting but it still seems like it could be rather nasty in there for awhile, and if the horse is left LOOKING like he's still intact I think that could lead to some questions, particularly if it is a gelding that still displays some stallion-like behavior, as some do.

Outside of this new method being less invasive, with less of a surgical opening--how is it really a lot safer? Either way the blood vessels are being cut--so if something were to go wrong & the horse starts to bleed, he will bleed either way. With the old way, the emasculator crimps the cord & the blood vessels...with the new way how do the blood vessels get sealed off? In the rare case of a scrotal hernia, I guess the new method is safer in that the intestines wouldn't end up on the ground--that's really the only benefit I see in this. Granted there's less chance of infection in the incisions with smaller incisions, but I haven't had much problem with infection with the normal gelding procedure, so that's not a big incentive for me.
 
Some of the old timers used Bulldizers (ssp) which basically are a pair of wide mouthed locking pliers used to crush the cords leading to the testicles on horses in our area. And to be honest it seemed to work from what I have seen personally in the hands of someone that was experienced in using them.
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But and that is a big but in the hands of an in-experienced person sometimes it did not get both cords etc etc, so the practice in our area at least is not used on horses much anymore. In talking today with a friend (80+ years old) that was a long time working cowboy who has castrated literally 1,000's of cattle. The problem came in with the anatomy of a horse with shorter cords, than with a calf. Which when thinking about it makes some sense just from the outward appearance.
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Interesting post though and only time will tell if this is something that will catch on or be discarded by herd managers.
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Some of the old timers used Bulldizers (ssp) which basically are a pair of wide mouthed locking pliers used to crush the cords leading to the testicles on horses in our area.
Hahaha. I used to teach high school Agriculture classes. You should've seen the looks on the teenage boys' faces when I demonstrated the Burdizzo on a pencil. Priceless...

Have to say though, the old method seems fool-proof, the new method, I'd be too worried about studdy behavior.
 
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This sounds like a really really bad idea. For many many reasons. One, the purpose of gelding a stallion is two fold. To prevent reproduction and to prevent those reproduction behaviors. Testicles produce the testosterone which produce the behavior. Leave the testicles, keep the behavior. Second, even if the testicles "died", you still have this rotting decaying flesh in the scrotum. Horses don't do well with rotting and decaying flesh. Third, if something went wrong and the vessels bleed back into the scrotum you would have a HUGE problem and a very HUGE scrotum.

For the life of me I do not understand why some individuals are attached to their animals testicles (this isn't to any one in particular, just something I've noticed in the last 11 years I've spent in veterinary medicine). They don't want the animal to reproduce yet don't want to remove the testicles because they feel the animal is some how emotionally attacheded to them. Testicles are only good for one thing and that is producing sperm. Nothing else. It is a huge dis-service to the animal to leave them intact unless you intend to breed. It's a frustrating life to have testicles and they cause nothing but trouble.
 
Testicles are good for two things
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Sperm and testosterone. Sometimes you want the hormone and not the sperm, but not very commonly with horses. And I take offense at the "testicles are nothing but trouble" :p Both from a personal standpoint and a professional one, hehe. Professionally, we have more stallions than anything else here on our farm. We have a paint, qh, donkey, and two minis that are intact and live very happy lives. Personally, I'm not ALL trouble......
 
Nathan,

Since we have 6 sets of testicles here (all equine), I stand by that statement!!!
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The human variety can be just as troublesome!
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This would be very similar to how they emasculate bulls, goats, sheep etc...only these other animals don't get the cut...just the crushing of the cords.

Goats and Sheep are banded and they eventually fall off. The majority of cattle are cut by cutting off the tip of the 'bag' and then cutting the testicles out, from the horses I've seen cut they can be cut that way or just by making an insicion and not cutting the bag off. I've done tons of bull calves, since I grew up ranching/farming and have a hubby that makes his living ranching. LOL
 
I have never had a horse have it's scrotum removed in the gelding procedure...has anyone else here??

Not sure what advantages this procedure is supposed to have but I can't see it catching on, it is a fifty year step back as far as I can see.....
 
I have never had a horse have it's scrotum removed in the gelding procedure...has anyone else here??
It's done here by some, kind of one of those 6 of one/half a dozen on the other type of thing. Supposed to help in the draining and keeping infection out. But like it said it's a 6 of one/half a dozen of the other on it, as I've seen horses done both ways, and they both heal the same. Just personal preferance as to whose horse it is and who is doing the gelding.
 

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