Someone other than a vet

[Shari]

No choice here, and, if you are honest, over there either.  It is AGAINST THE LAW for any non-vet to practise Veterinary medicine or procedures- ASK LYN!!!!!  As to doing it without anaesthetic- shame on you- SHAME!!  That is just downright cruel.  Try it- next time YOU need an op and the Doctor says "Oh we have this really experienced Mennonite/Amish guy here who will do it for a third of the price BUT you get no anaesthetic, we just hold you down, or you pay full price." Which would you do?? Be honest now, WHICH?????

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I am with Rabbitfizz....

Am supprised that you even asked such a question after what Lyn has said and what she is going through.

Maybe I am out of line, but I wonder...............if this isn't a set up?

 

[Kendra]

When castrating a bull calf or a pig the testicles are "pulled" out, stretching and closing off the tiny blood vessels, thus they can be banded.

A horse has a much larger blood supply running to their testicles, and I don't believe banding would be a possibility. Emasculators are specifically designed to crush the artery and stop bleeding.

As far as "proud cut", the only actual "proud cut" horses would be monorchids where the retained testicle wasn't removed. But ... they also remove the epididymis as it also produces some amount of testosterone. If you've ever seen a geld, its the thicker area of cord right above the testicle. According to my vet, there haven't been any studies that actually prove that there would be a change in behavior due to the amount of testosterone produced by the epididymis, however, this "old husbands" tale has been around a long time and there must be a reason for it!

Horses don't "thrash around" coming out of anesthesia, but they are unsteady and bang into stuff, like walls and people and things. Our vets prefer to geld in a wide open area, so that the horse can stagger around without anything to whack into.

 

[Tammie-C_Spots]

I would never let anyone but a qualified vet castrate any animal of mine. I also feel that not using some anethetic to be cruel- no one can tell me those animals don't feel pain. I know it goes on but I just cringe when I think about it.

Tammie

 

[shminifancier]

Banding of calves is easy... One time when I did not have the Correct banding tool and the band I just used a Rubber Band and took it several turns around to make it tight...Work great.. Now I have the same tool the vet would use and also the same tool to stretch the band...Same thing with dehorning I have the same tool the vet would use to Cut the horn bud off and also I have the same kind of Electric iron if I choose to Burn the area around the horn bud... I don;t like the caustic paste for dehorning...But have had nice results by these other methods..

 

[minicount]

Just a curiousity quesiton here. How does everyone feel about calves/hogs/sheep being casterated without any anethetic?

Couple of years ago there was a drive by some "do gooders" to have all the above have to be "under" to be caterated. It was squashed by a large group of VETS.

**Need to clarify here. We run cattle, have cut in the spring and late in the fall, although the last few years (5-6) we have taken to banding. The biggest draw back to banding is, yep I miss the oysters.

**

 

[shminifancier]

Just a curiosity question here.  How does everyone feel about calves/hogs/sheep being castrated without any anesthetic?
Couple of years ago there was a drive by some "do gooders" to have all the above have to be "under" to be castrated.  It was squashed by a large group of VETS.

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I helped my friend castrating his calves like that 30 head,, standing up without any being put out...The guy saved all the Oysters and had them for supper...And this was my Neighbor place Who is A VET...Just did all the castrations and deworming and shots all one at a time...Although I did NOT stay for supper that night lol I just band mine.

 

[Fred]

I graduated from an aggie. We did a lot of castrations on pigs, cows and sheep.

Our teacher was a vet and we never ever did horses as they are totally different

from the other farm animals. We were also drilled about law and liability. If it is

your own animal or you are an agent of the farm you work for you can do some

things like give shots and things. [We did this on the dairy farm and the Morgan

farm.] If however you gave shots, dispensed medication or diagnosed any

animal other than your own or the farm you worked for you were in deep trouble

as it is against the law. I am a farrier and at farrier school this was also drilled

into us NEVER DIAGNOSE. I could give my opinion but thats it. If I am not sure

of a client I won't do that either. I always tell them call the vet. I work with vets

on a daily basis and sometimes they do leave things up to me but they have the

responsibility of treating the horse not me! As for castrating a horse I never would

as too many things could go wrong. I could do it but I will gladly pay the vet.

Anyone doing this to others horses that is not a vet is breaking the law. Linda B