52 replies to this topic

[ArabHrsLvr]

Found this thread on another forum...I was shocked! People are gelding their own colts and then some!

http://www.horsegroo...ork-474652.html

[arabsRgreat]

I for one, would not be interested in selling these people a horse!

[Stanislav]

Wow. Gelding a horse without a vet, no thanks! My boys took two skilled vets and 3x the normal amount of sedatives to get and keep them down, I couldn't imagine trying to do them in a set of stocks...I would guess a vet would have had to have given them Ace/Torb, etc to sedate them?

That said, I am a vet tech for another vet, so I am comfortable to with vaccinating, minor sutures, IV or IM injections, and wound care and my large animal vet is comfortable with my health protocols and decisions. I keep a good relationship with my vet. She comes out for my coggins, rabies and health certificates annually, plus any emergencies. I lucked out the last few years, but I am making up for it in 2012. I have had three emergency visit this year:(

My vet always says she will be right down as soon she realizes it is me on the other side of the phone, because she knows I can tell the difference between emergency and not.I

[krissylekrix2001]

gah. irresponsible.

[ladycascabel]

Not too long ago it was very common for non-vet people to geld colts. It isn't rocket science (you do have to know how far up the cord to cut!) but if something goes wrong (hernia, cryptorchid, etc.) it's best to have a professional on the job. Thank heavens for modern anaesthesia!
I have been taught by two vets the proper procedures to geld a colt either standing or lying down but you can bet I am happy to leave that chore to someone else. It's bad enough that I have to castrate our bull calves (a much simpler operation).

[Dreamcatcher]

It costs me around $125 to have a colt gelded. And that includes an overnight stay in the hospital for him. For that amount of money, they can do it. Last time I had a vet out to the farm and I 'assisted', I turned green and nearly fell out when he cut the sac. Yeah, I'm soooo not into that!

I do give all my own vaccines, can do IV injections when needed and do a lot of my own wound care but I have not gone to school for all the years a vet has, I don't have experience on a bajillion other horses than my own and if I ran into trouble, that's exactly what it would be TROUBLE because I'd have no idea what to do in a wierd situation. The vet is worth every dime I pay him!

[Marketing]

I do a lot of the farms vet work but no way am I gelding anything.

[windyacres]

When my sister was in high school,she dated a Vet's son. He told her about a young man that ride with his father when his father gelded colts. This young man's family owned a lot of grades horses, that included 6 yearling colts. Well, after one afternoon of riding with the Vet, he dediced he knew enough to geld his family's 6 colts. So, he did,gelded all 6 of those colts and all of them survived with no problems!!! The vet couldn't believe it! I've seen many colts gelded, nothing I woulld ever attempt on my own. However, my sister used to castrate the barn cats!

[ladycascabel]

Me-ow!!

[stace]

I heard of a local man who wanted to geld his horse cheaply and sent his horse down the road to someone or other. Worked out fine until infection set in and the horse had a massive swelling. Pulled the stitching and...um, well it got gross from there. From what I remember the person doing it cut too deeply, infected the area and....boom, something like that. The repair job was far too devastating and the horse was put down.

We do have some old timers up here, well into their seventies to nineties, that have been gelding their own boys since the 50s. They only do their family horses but no problems that way. I just can't see me castrating anything...

well, except when a boyfriend really sets me off and I want to daydream about the idea of cutting off their gonads :P