It’s castration season, trust us, your downwind neighbors will thank you!
Responsible breeding of your male goat or sheep includes managing their environment to prevent accidental breedings, conducting biosecurity health testing and promoting breed excellence through lineage and objective individual standards. The American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) and the American Boar Goat Association (ABGA) are great resources if you think your boy has potential. For most, however, castration is the best option to keep them happy, healthy, and safe!
EquidDoc offers two options for small ruminant owners for castration, the Burdizzo method and a surgical method. Both procedures can be done on adult animals but ideally done on animals between 4-6 months of age.
The Burdizzo method involves using a clamping tool to crush the spermatic cord within the scrotum which will result in infertility. This procedure is done under sedation and with numbing agents. The Burdizzo clamp is applied for a total of 4 times to ensure an effective and complete crush. Once the procedure is complete, he will be given a tetanus shot, an injection of pain medication and, depending on his level of sleepiness, a reversal medication to wake him up.
Surgical castration is also performed under sedation and with numbing agent. With surgical castration, the scrotum is opened with a scalpel and each testicle is removed and the spermatic cord severed. The incision is left open to heal from the inside out. Once the procedure is complete, he will be given a tetanus shot, an injection of pain medication, an antibiotic and, depending on his level of sleepiness, a reversal medication to wake him up.
What about banding?
Banding involves using a rubber ring to cut off blood supply to the testicles. Eventually the testicles will shrivel up and fall off. Although breeders and producers still commonly do banding, EquidDoc Veterinary Services does not promote banding for castration. There are just too many serious risks to banding that can lead to infection, hemorrhage, and bladder issues. In addition to these complications, there is often inadequate pain control as the testicles die off. Unfortunately, we have seen too many “banding gone wrong” cases to advise owners to choose this method.
It’s castration season! Please call the office 508-885-4205 or e-mail (Office@EquidDocVet.com) to schedule your small ruminant castration today!