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COLT CASTRAT ION
Veterinary surgeon
Claire Hodgson
XLEquine practice
Wright & Morten
Veterinary Surgeons
Claire Hodgson BVetMed CertAVP(EM) MRCVS,
Wright and Morten Veterinary Surgeons, Cheshire
Castration -
what
to expect
So you have a colt or stallion and you would like to get him
castrated as you don’t plan to use him for breeding. If you
are not sure when you should do it, what is involved and
what to expect afterwards, then please read on!
What age?
●
Most colts can be castrated from six
months old assuming both testicles have
descended into the scrotum. Occasionally
they can be done earlier if they have
particularly problematic behaviour, but
you should discuss this with your vet.
●
If only one or no testicles can be felt, you
should wait until the colt is a little older to
see if they appear. If this has not occurred
by around 18 months of age, it is
probably not going to happen and it will
be recommended that surgery under
general anaesthesia is performed to locate
the testicles; removing the one descended
testicle only should never be done.
●
Older stallions can be castrated at
any time; you should discuss with your
vet whether surgery can be performed
under standing sedation or whether
general anaesthesia would be more
appropriate to reduce complication risks.
Where will it take place?
●
Young colts can usually be castrated
at home. Depending on their size,
behaviour and your vet’s preference, the
surgery will either be performed with the
colt standing but heavily sedated using
local anaesthetic
(figure 1)
or using a
short general anaesthetic.
●
If a longer general anaesthetic is
required, due to the stallion being older
or a donkey or having undescended
testicles, this will be carried out at a
veterinary clinic with full surgical facilities.
Figure 1. Injecting the testicle with local anaesthetic
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EQUINE MATTERS