Surgical castration after crimping need advice!!

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tkeefe

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Dec 3, 2012
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We recently had our 8 month old 4-H bull calf castrated by the crimping method.  Our local vet came out and performed the procedure.  We were unaware that this method is not accepted by our local 4-H organization as a reliable means of castration.  We are looking in to having another vet come out and surgically castrate him to make him eligible for the program.  We would have to transport him roughly 45 minutes away to be branded and weighed 5 days after the procedure.  Does anyone have any comments or thoughts about this being done and if transporting him 5 days after this procedure would cause too much stress?
 

CAB

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Have you considered just banding the calf by using a calcrate bander or similar equipment? Would be almost stressless for the calf IMO.
 

tkeefe

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Dec 3, 2012
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Thanks for the comments. Some sort of a power bander was suggested, but I cant find anyone around my location that has one. I'm in western New York. The vet said it wouldn't be just a conventional surgical castration. She would need to get in above the possible scar tissue from the crimping and tie the vessels off then sew the scrotum closed.
 

diamonddls

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Delburne Alberta
In this instance I would recommend calastrate bander. As cutting calves with prior scar tissue can be a pain in the but. That being said conventional knife castratrion will work fine. Its relatively unstressful and in experienced hands is quicker and safer than bands. As a feedlot worker and producer I have done thousands of calves using both methods. I prefer the knife in most cases. Regardless of method my biggest recommendation is to be sure the calf is utd on his vaccines including tetnus. As for transporting 12-24hours is sufficient.
 

Lucky_P

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Hmm.  Not sure that I agree with your 4-H board.
In the wrong hands, crimping with Burdizzos may not be reliable - but some folks can't count to 'two' and screw up banding, too.  I've castrated calves of all sizes with the Burdizzo emasculatome, almost exclusively, for nearly 40 years; done correctly it is very effective.  Can think of TWO animals that I 'missed' one nut one - one of my own, one belonging to a client(when I was still in practice); much easier to 'miss' one on little calves than on the bigger ones - you KNOW when you've got that great big spermatic cord in the right place to effectively .

Did have one batch of my own calves that I crimped, nearly 30 years ago, and for some reason - probably because I looked at them too soon - I got the feeling that I'd done it wrong, and attempted to cut them, several weeks later.  What a mess!  Scar tissue/adhesions galore - and the testicles were atrophying; I mucked around with 2, maybe 3 of them, and decided that it had indeed worked as it should, and left the remainder of them alone.

If you've got to comply with your 4-H group's misguided requirements, I'd probably opt for banding, provided you have enough time for the scrotum to fall off before show time - but, as recommended, make sure he's up to date on tetanus vaccination. Do NOT just give a dose of tetanus toxoid at the time of banding and hope that he'll respond faster than the C.tetani can begin making toxin.
Any chance the veterinarian who performed the initial procedure would have any influence on the 4-H board?  Seems a shame to put this calf through an additional stressfull and painful procedure just because someone mistakenly 'thinks' that it's an unreliable method.
 

CAB

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  When I band my own bigger calves if I have kept one a bull then decide he's not good enough later, I give both the antitoxin and the toxoid. This is as important IMO, I take a knife and slit the sac. That allows gases to escape outward instead of having to go through the calf's system. Healing is much quicker that way also. If this was my calf, it is what I would do if the board makes it a must. I also agree with Lucky-P's comments and think that the rule needs to be reevaluated.
 

cowpoke

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Aug 31, 2008
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100% agree with banding calf ,small amount of stress,and although we use a knife in this case it will work .As stated a shot of penicillin is a good idea.
 

xxcc

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Apr 21, 2007
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Sun River, MT
I agree with the handed related comments. Pre-vac with a something that carries a tetnus toxoid, like a week to ten days ahead of time. Then again another dose when you band him. Then cut the sack off 3-4 days later, administering penicillin either at banding time, sack removal time, or both. Really, it should all be DIY.
 

tkeefe

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Dec 3, 2012
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Thank you for the comments and happy Thanksgiving to all.  We received word today and unfortunately we dont have much time. We have to have him castrated "properly" by our weigh in date of Dec. 6th.  So it looks like I'm calling the vet tomorrow morning to set up surgical castration for Monday. Some type of power banding seems to be a viable option, but no one locally does this nor do I have the proper equipment to do so. The sad part is, I feel the crimp method we had done previously worked just fine. His scrotum is about the size of a baseball and he is roughly 600lbs.  I understand the 4H committees concern for safety in they had one at fair a few years back, crimped by the same vet, that was a stag. On the other hand, I'm very disappointed with (and will never use again) this vet. He knew it was against the rules. I am just hopeful the new vet will preform the procedure properly and give the medications required. Thank you to all.
 

Lucky_P

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Jan 27, 2012
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tkeefe,
Playing devil's advocate here...

1.  DID veterinarian #1 know that 'crimping' was not allowed? 
Just because your 4-H board has disallowed it, did the word actually get to the vet?  If no one ever told him...just complained behind his back...how would he know?
2. Did YOU tell veterinarian #1 what you needed - or just present a bull calf for castration?  Unless a client specified to me how they preferred to have it done, or reasons why it had to be done a specific way, I would perform the procedure using MY preferred method (which would be with the Burdizzo).

I'm just sayin'...
 

coulee grove

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Nov 29, 2014
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I would be very careful in cutting a calf that has been burdizzerd.It is nearly impossible to stop the bleeding,a friend of mine who is a vet  told me he has never saved one that he has cut.Be sure your vet understands what has happened.I would strongly recommend banding .The tool to buy is not that much really and you could resell it later
 

tkeefe

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Dec 3, 2012
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Lucky_P  Yes the first vet was contacted after the problem with the last one. I had no idea that our 4H beef committee did not recognize crimping as a viable means of castration. Actually, I know its bad on my part but didn't even know the crimping method was an option.  I just asked for him to be castrated.  I have an appointment with Vet #2 tomorrow morning at 11AM. Just hoping all goes well.
 
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