Topic:Castration
Castration in horses is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of the testicles, primarily performed to reduce aggressive behavior and prevent breeding. This operation, typically conducted on young male horses, or colts, can be done using various techniques, including open, closed, or laparoscopic methods. The procedure is generally carried out under anesthesia and requires post-operative care to minimize complications such as infection, swelling, or hemorrhage. Castration can influence a horse's physiology and behavior, often resulting in calmer temperaments and easier handling. This page offers a collection of peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, physiological impacts, and behavioral changes associated with castration in equines.
Strangulating left colon volvulus following nonsurgical castration in a 6-year-old donkey. Colic is a clinical syndrome and has been defined as a visceral abdominal pain and/or acute abdominal disease. It is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in horses. The most common forms of colics are related to gastrointestinal tract in nature and most often linked to colonic disturbances. However, colics are not well understood in donkeys compared to those of in horses and the literature is poor regarding bowel strangulating obstruction in donkeys. This report described the clinical signs and post-mortem necropsy findings of an abdominal colic due to the left colon volvulus following a ...
Differentiation of boldenone administration from ex vivo transformation in the urine of castrated male horses. Boldenone is an anabolic-androgenic steroid that is prohibited in equine sports. However, in certain situations, it is endogenous or is believed to be formed by microbes in urine, and therefore, an approach for the differentiation is required. Following the identification of Δ1-progesterone and 20(S)-hydroxy-Δ1-progesterone as potential biomarkers of microbial activity, the presence of six steroids was investigated in the postrace urine of castrated male horses (geldings, n = 158). In line with endogenous findings from several other species when ultrasensitive methods are employed, bolde...
Testicular torsions in veterinary medicine. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive comparison of spermatic cord torsion in domestic animals. Spermatic cord torsion leads to occlusion of testicular blood flow resulting in ischemia and tissue hypoxia. Spermatic cord torsion has been reported in all domestic mammals but dogs and horses are overrepresented. Abdominal pain (colic), anorexia, vomiting, lameness, and stiff gait are the most common clinical signs reported. The condition may be asymptomatic in cases of a low degree of spermatic cord torsion. In dogs, spermatic cord torsion is most commonly reported in undescend...
Comparison of two doses of ketamine for induction of anaesthesia in ponies undergoing field castration. Ketamine-based total intravenous anaesthesia techniques are commonly used in equine practice for ponies requiring short procedures such as castration in field conditions. When a longer duration of recumbency than provided by the initial dose of anaesthetic agents is required, administration of supplementary 'top-up' doses of anaesthetic agents is required. Ideally, a single dose of anaesthetic agents would reliably achieve a longer duration of action whilst maintaining adequate anaesthetic, surgical and recovery qualities. Objective: This prospective, randomised and blinded study aimed to comp...
Investigation of equine testis contribution to vitamin D bioactivation. Although vitamin D acts in various biological processes, it plays a critical role in the maintenance of bone health, and regulates calcium homeostasis. In humans and rodents, the main tissues involved in vitamin D metabolism are the liver and the kidneys, however it has been shown that the testis has strongly participated in its bioactivation. Indeed, in these different species, enzymes metabolizing vitamin D (CYP27A1, CYP27B1 and CYP2R1) have been demonstrated in this tissue. Moreover, men with hypogonadism have shown a decrease in circulating levels of vitamin D. In equine species, the castr...
Pain assessment in horses using automatic facial expression recognition through deep learning-based modeling. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a machine vision algorithm to assess the pain level in horses, using an automatic computational classifier based on the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) and trained by machine learning method. The use of the Horse Grimace Scale is dependent on a human observer, who most of the time does not have availability to evaluate the animal for long periods and must also be well trained in order to apply the evaluation system correctly. In addition, even with adequate training, the presence of an unknown person near an animal in pain can result in behavioral ch...
Development and Formative Evaluation of a Low-Fidelity Equine Castration Model for Veterinary Education. Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) are units of activity that early-stage professionals perform in the workplace that necessitate simultaneous integration of multiple competencies. EPA #6 requires students to perform a common surgical procedure on a stable patient, including pre-operative and post-operative management. Castration is one of the most common surgeries performed by equine primary care practitioners and is considered an "entry-level competency" for veterinary graduates entering equine private practice, however, to our knowledge there are no equine castration models availabl...
The effects of xylazine or detomidine when used as a pre-anesthetic sedative on recovery quality and duration in horses undergoing elective equine castration. The purpose of this prospective, blinded, randomized clinical trial was to compare the effects of low dose detomidine to xylazine on recovery quality and duration in a castration procedure. Horses were administered either detomidine [0.015 mg/kg body weight (BW)] or xylazine (1.1 mg/kg BW) intravenously (IV) before IV induction with ketamine (2.2 mg/kg BW) and diazepam (0.05 mg/kg BW). Two anesthesiologists who were unaware of treatment allocation scored the recoveries using a simple descriptive scale (with a low number representing the most desirable recovery) and recoveries were timed. Horse...
Retrospective and prospective assessment of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine (BAM™) for immobilisation of feral horses (Equus ferus caballus). Butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine (BAM™) has not been evaluated in horses. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate BAM™ for chemical restraint of feral horses. Methods: Retrospective and prospective descriptive studies. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively from medical records of 28 feral horses immobilised with BAM™ over a 6-year period. Prospectively, 0.0125 mL/kg bwt of BAM™ (butorphanol 27.3 mg/mL, azaperone 9.1 mg/mL and medetomidine 10.9 mg/mL) intramuscularly (im) was administered to eight stallions via dart, and once recumbent, 1.0 mg/kg bwt ketamin...
Total Intravenous Anaesthesia with Ketamine, Medetomidine and Midazolam as Part of a Balanced Anaesthesia Technique in Horses Undergoing Castration. To evaluate the use of ketamine-medetomidine-midazolam total intravenous infusion as part of a balanced anaesthetic technique for surgical castration in horses. Five healthy Standardbred cross colts were premedicated with IV acepromazine (0.01-0.02 mg/kg), medetomidine (7 µg/kg) and methadone (0.1 mg/kg) and anaesthesia induced with IV ketamine (2.2 mg/kg) and midazolam (0.06 mg/kg). Horses were anaesthetised for 40 min with an IV infusion of ketamine (3 mg/kg/h), medetomidine (5 µg/kg/h) and midazolam (0.1 mg/kg/h) while routine surgical castration was performed. Cardiorespiratory variables...
Evaluation of the subcapsular technique for primary closure castration in donkeys (Equus asinus). This study described the subcapsular technique for primary closure castration in donkeys with special regard to its efficiency and welfare impacts. The study was conducted on twelve adult male donkeys, allocated randomly into two groups; subcapsular castration (SC) and open castration (OC) groups, whether the donkeys were subjected to surgical castration either by subcapsular or open castration techniques, respectively. Testosterone, cortisol, lactate, glucose, total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and nitric oxide (NO) were measured before an...
Validation of the Donkey Pain Scale (DOPS) for Assessing Postoperative Pain in Donkeys. This study aimed to validate a scale for assessing acute pain in donkeys. Forty-four adult donkeys underwent castration after sedation with intravenous (IV) xylazine, induction with guaifenesin and thiopental IV, local anesthetic block, and maintenance with isoflurane. The scale was constructed from a pilot study with four animals combined with algetic behaviors described for equines. After content validation, the scale was evaluated in 40 other donkeys by three blinded and one reference evaluator, by means of edited videos referring to the preoperative and postoperative periods: before anesth...
Removal of equine cryptorchid testes through an enlarged umbilical portal in dorsally recumbent horses after intra-abdominal laparoscopic castration. Laparoscopic removal of cryptorchid testes has been routinely reported through enlarged parainguinal incisions in dorsally recumbent horses. Outcomes following removal through an extended umbilical incision have not been previously reported. Objective: To describe the surgical technique of removing cryptorchid testes in dorsally recumbent horses through an enlarged umbilical portal after laparoscopic intra-abdominal castration. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for horses that underwent laparoscopic removal of unilateral or bilateral cryptorchid testes ...
Castration Complications: A Review of Castration Techniques and How to Manage Complications. Castration is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in equine practice. Open, closed, and semiclosed techniques are described for castration of horses, and the procedure may be performed in a standing, sedated animal or in a recumbent animal under general anesthesia. Although a relatively routine procedure, complications can occur, with reported complication rates ranging from 10.2% to 60%. Most complications are mild and resolve rapidly with appropriate treatment, but more serious or life-threatening complications can also occur. A thorough knowledge of male reproductive anatom...
Spontaneous Behaviors of Post-Orchiectomy Pain in Horses Regardless of the Effects of Time of Day, Anesthesia, and Analgesia. This prospective and longitudinal study aimed to identify spontaneous post-orchiectomy pain behaviors in horses regardless of the effects of anesthesia, analgesia, and recording time of day. Twenty-four horses divided into four groups were submitted to: inhalation anesthesia only (GA), or combined with previous analgesia (GAA), or orchiectomy under pre (GCA), or postoperative (GC) analgesia. The data obtained from the subtraction of frequency and/or duration of 34 behaviors recorded during seven 60-min time-points in the 24 h after the anesthesia from those recorded in the mirrored time-points...
Anesthesia techniques used for field castration of 10 intractable horses. Dealing with an intractable horse is a reality for nearly every equine or mixed animal veterinarian. Establishing an adequate level of sedation prior to induction of anesthesia for various clinical procedures involves little margin for error regarding the safety of the veterinarian, handler, and patient. This is further compounded by the extreme difficulty of gaining venous access required to obtain rapid and reliable results. This case series describes a technique of intramuscular sedation used for field castration of 10 captive, formerly wild horses, which may be useful for various other typ...
Inflammatory response of miniature horses subjected to open and half-closed orchiectomy techniques. This study aimed to evaluate the inflammatory response of miniature horses subjected to open and half-closed orchiectomy by physical examination, blood cell count, peritoneal fluid evaluation, total plasma protein, fibrinogen, and serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations. Methods: Thirteen male healthy miniature horses were divided into two groups, according to the surgical approach: half-closed technique (HCT) and open technique (OT). The HCT group was subjected to ligation of the spermatic cord followed by its sharp incision, and closure of the vaginal tunic, and the OT group was only submitted ...
Towards an improved pain assessment in castrated horses using facial expressions (HGS) and circulating miRNAs. Pain in horses is an emergent welfare concern, and its assessment represents a challenge for equine clinicians. This study aimed at improving pain assessment in horses through a convergent validation of existing tools: we investigated whether an effective analgesic treatment influences the horse grimace scale (HGS) and the concentration of specific circulating microRNAs (miRNAs). Eleven stallions underwent routine surgical castration under general anaesthesia. They were divided into two analgesic treatment groups: castration with the administration of preoperative flunixin and castration with ...
Towards an improved pain assessment in castrated horses using facial expressions (HGS) and circulating miRNAs. Pain in horses is an emergent welfare concern, and its assessment represents a challenge for equine clinicians. This study aimed at improving pain assessment in horses through a convergent validation of existing tools: we investigated whether an effective analgesic treatment influences the horse grimace scale (HGS) and the concentration of specific circulating microRNAs (miRNAs). Eleven stallions underwent routine surgical castration under general anaesthesia. They were divided into two analgesic treatment groups: castration with the administration of preoperative flunixin and castration with ...
Vaccination against GnRH as a prelude to surgical castration of horses. Surgical castration is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in horses and is associated with various post-surgical complications ranging in severity. Objective: We investigated the effects of administering an anti-GnRH vaccine to colts for reduction of testis size on the incidence of complications associated with their subsequent surgical castration. Methods: Randomised open controlled trial. Methods: Nineteen colts were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. Treatment Groups V1-57 and V2-100 received two treatments of Improvac (Zoetis, South Africa) before their castration in...
Changes in circulating concentrations of testosterone and estrone sulfate after human chorionic gonadotropin administration and subsequent to castration of 2-year-old stallions. Reproductive steroids testosterone (T) and estrone sulfate (E1S) are used as diagnostic markers for cryptorchidism in horses. The human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) stimulation test is used as a diagnostic aid because administration of this hormone results in greater incremental differences in circulating steroid concentrations. Thoughts regarding optimal sampling times following hCG administration, however, are inconsistent. Additionally, determination of half-life of these steroids is important in postsurgical samples to confirm complete removal of testicular tissue. Objectives of this study...
Effects of Flunixin Meglumine, Firocoxib, and Meloxicam in Equines After Castration. This study is "aimed" to evaluate and compare the efficacy of flunixin meglumine (FM), firocoxib (FX), and meloxicam (MX) after castration of horses. Thirty horses were submitted to open castration and divided into three groups (n = 10) depending on the anti-inflammatory drug administered: group I (GI) (FM, 1.1 mg kg1, IV, once a day [SID], 5 days); group II (GII) (FX, 0.1 mg kg1, IV, SID, 5 days), and group III (GIII) (MX, 0.6 mg kg1, IV, SID, 5 days). Clinical, behavioral, and hematological parameters and the peritoneal fluid (PF) were evaluated before (day [D] 0) and 1, 2, 3, 5, a...
Bidirectional knotless barbed versus conventional smooth suture for closure of surgical wounds in inguinal castration in horses. Castration of the stallion is one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the horse. Recently barbed suture materials for surgical wound closure were introduced to the market with manufacturers claiming that these sutures enhance speed and security as they eliminate the need to tie knots. Recently, it has been suggested that this type of suture may increase postoperative complications. This study aimed at investigating and comparing a bidirectional absorbable knotless barbed suture (KBS) to a conventional smooth suture (SS) for wound closure of inguinal castrations in the horse...
Post-operative pain behaviour associated with surgical castration in donkeys (Equus asinus). Recognising pain in donkeys is challenging because they are stoic. Objective: To identify the responses of donkeys before and after surgical pain. Methods: Prospective, short-term longitudinal pre- and post-intervention observations. Methods: Forty adult donkeys underwent surgical castration after sedation with intravenous (IV) xylazine, induction with guaiphenesin/thiopental IV and maintenance of anaesthesia with isoflurane and local anaesthetic blockade. Four hours after recovery from anaesthesia, flunixin meglumine 1.1 mg/kg, dipyrone 10 mg/kg and morphine 0.2 mg/kg IV were administered....
Wound Retractor Laparoscopic Port System for Standing Laparoscopic Cryptorchidectomy in the Horse: A Case Report. Cryptorchidectomy is the most commonly performed laparoscopic procedure in horses. However, its use for the extraction of an abdominal testis has disadvantages such as loss of a resected testis from grasp and fragmentation of the specimen because of the excessive tension required for extraction through a thick body wall. The ring wound retractor laparoscopic port system was recently used in human and small animal surgery to perform laparoscopic-assisted procedures and retrieve large specimens from the abdomen. In the present case, the wound retractor was placed as the ventral port in the right...
Effects of Hemicastration on Testes and Testosterone Concentration in Stallions. The endocrine system is critical to the maintenance of testicular function. The homeostasis of sex hormone levels is orchestrated by positive and negative feedback systems controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. This study investigated the long-term effects of hemicastration on testicular size and function in stallions. Four Thoroughbred stallions, 4-6 years of age, were included in this study. Several parameters, including testicular weight and volume, plasma testosterone concentrations, VASA-positive germ cell populations and cross-sectional areas of the seminiferous tubules ...
Intratesticular mepivacaine versus lidocaine in anaesthetised horses undergoing Henderson castration. In horses undergoing castration, direct comparison of intratesticular lidocaine vs mepivacaine as analgesic adjuncts has not yet been analysed. Objective: To compare the effects of intratesticular lidocaine and mepivacaine during equine castration using the Henderson drill under total intravenous anesthesia. Methods: Randomised, double-blinded clinical study. Methods: Thirty-four stallions were anaesthetised using xylazine-ketamine and randomly selected to receive 10 mL either lidocaine or mepivacaine injected into each testicle. Both surgeon and anaesthetist were blinded to the selected trea...
Comparison of xylazine and detomidine in combination with midazolam/ketamine for field castration in Quarter Horses. The ideal field anaesthetic protocol for castration will offer an adequate duration and depth of anaesthesia using a single injection without compromising safety or recovery quality. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare intravenous (IV) xylazine and detomidine as sedatives in combination with midazolam and ketamine for induction of anaesthesia in horses undergoing field castration. Methods: Randomised, blinded, clinical study. Methods: Fifty-seven male Quarter Horses were randomly assigned to receive xylazine (group X) (1.1 mg/kg bwt) or detomidine (group D) (0.03 mg/kg bwt)...
Evaluation of three ligatures in simulated equine open castration. To compare three surgical knots for preventing leakage from the vascular bundle during ligation in simulated equine open castrations. Methods: Randomized, case-control, in vitro study. Methods: Testes (N = 60) collected from 30 horses. Methods: Testes were collected from 30 horses and randomly assigned to one of three groups: group G (friction, giant knot), group T (modified transfixing knot), or group S (sliding, strangle knot; n = 20/group). The assigned knot was used to ligate the vascular bundle during open castration. The length of suture material used and the leak pressure of the testicu...
Chitosan-based agent use for hemostasis after cryptorchidectomy in a horse. To document marked hemorrhage as a complication of inguinal cryptorchidectomy and its successful treatment with a novel chitosan-based hemostatic agent. Methods: Case report. Methods: One healthy 5-year old quarter horse cryptorchid. Methods: The horse was presented for routine unilateral cryptorchidectomy after prior hemicastration. An inguinal approach was made to the abdomen, and the right external pudendal artery was lacerated at the level of the internal inguinal ring, requiring multiple anesthetic events over a 2-week period in attempts to control hemorrhage. A chitosan-based hemostatic ...