Posted by Vicki McGaugh on January 16, 2001 at 18:39:12:
In Reply to: Re: Wethering an older animal posted by Sandy Logan on January 16, 2001 at 16:29:37:
Back when Nubians were the meat wether shows, a gal showed up at my place a week from check in and bought an intack buck. My vet came out the next day to castrate him. She clamped his testicles, cut them open at the bottom, pulled out each testicle, scraped the cords, and then let the clamp go. He squirted some blood, then it started dripping, soon the dripping stopped, as you sprayed furox on it. He obviously was current on his Tetanus. I walked her back to the truck, I will admit just a little bit horrified. I heard some noise out at the barn, he was already at the fenceline blubbering at the yearling does. Took about 2 weeks, for his testosterone level to drop where he wasn't bucky, and he never missed a meal. All without anesthetic. Definetly made a believer out of me!
I am just the opposite with anesthetic, I prefer locals, injections of lidocaine instead of anesthesia. For major surgery I would have a long talk with my vet, and then of course very close monitoring. This type of lifesaving type of procedure would of course only be used on the very best stock that could recoup the costs. Vicki