Bulls are still castrated to prevent reproduction and simplify management, but, most importantly, cattle are castrated to improve marbling and tenderness of the finished beef, which improves calf marketability.
Castration methods are generally divided into two categories: surgical or bloodless. Surgical castration involves excision of the testes by splitting or removing the lower third of the scrotum and removing the testes by severing the spermatic cord in a manner that minimizes bleeding, usually with an emasculator Figure 1 , Henderson castrating tool, or knife. Bloodless castration is generally accomplished by using an emasculatome i.
When using an emasculatome, the scrotum remains intact while the spermatic cord of each testicle within the scrotum is placed in the jaws of the tool and crushed. The resulting damage causes a loss of blood flow to the testes and eventual testicular atrophy within the scrotum. Banding involves using an elastrator Figure 3 to place a heavy elastic band around the neck of the scrotum with both testes inside.
The band cuts off blood flow to the testes and scrotum, which atrophy over a short period of time and slough off. This guide summarizes research comparisons of methods of castration and age at which castration is performed so that managers can make informed decisions about castration method and timing. Figure 1. Emasculator used for severing the spermatic cord during surgical castration.
Note the rough surface behind the blade that crimps the spermatic cord to minimize bleeding when the blade cuts. Figure 2. Emasculatome used to crush the spermatic cord of the testes while still inside the scrotum. Figure 3. Elastrator used to stretch the rubber band while the band is positioned around the neck of the scrotum above the testes.
Pain is inherently a part of castration and cannot be avoided. The pain of castration occurs first as acute, short-term pain associated with the actual castration procedure. Chronic pain is the longer-lasting pain that occurs in the days following castration until the injury is healed. Minimizing castration-induced pain is important for animal welfare, growth performance, and immune suppression that may be associated with castration.
While consideration of acute pain is important, chronic pain should be given more weight when making management decisions due to the length of time chronic pain is experienced. Pain is difficult to quantify in animals; however, blood concentration of the adrenal hormone cortisol is often used as an indicator of stress that is related to pain.
According to researchers at the University of Nebraska, using blood cortisol as an indicator, calves experience acute stress immediately after castration. However, this stress generally lasts only 3 to 8 hours. The sensation and effects of chronic pain may be best measured by evaluating weight change following castration. Two studies in Ireland showed that calves lost weight during the first 7 days after castration, but by 35 days after castration there was generally no difference in calf weight between castrated and uncastrated calves.
These results indicate that the chronic pain associated with castration lasts around 1 week. In several European countries, regulations require that castration be accompanied by anesthetics and longer-term analgesics, while other countries require the use of anesthetics when castrating animals over a certain age e. The use of local anesthetics alone has yielded mixed results in reducing castration stress, and the results seem to depend on castration method.
However, researchers in New Zealand showed that the combination of local anesthetic lidocaine and a systemic anti-inflammatory agent ketoprofen eliminates the cortisol increase stress during the first 8 hours after castration. Using similar methods, scientists in Ireland reported similar weight gain in both castrated and uncastrated calves for the first 7 days after castration when local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agents were used.
This is so that breeding can be controlled. Semen collection is interesting. It requires two or three stockmen working together. The semen is diluted and frozen and stored till it is needed. A single semen collection can be used on multiple cows. A single bull can, in its breeding life, father around 10, calves! The time when a cow is ready to receive semen is called oestrus. You know this is happening when the cow gets frisky and starts exhibiting lesbian behavior by mounting other cows yes folks, homosexuality is a naturally occurring phenomenon.
The semen is inserted into the cow with an instrument known as a gun. If the cow abandons its friskiness and lesbian behavior, you know you have been successful. Otherwise, you try again. The process is called artificial insemination. I doubt there is any enjoyment in the process for both bull and cow. A bull is considered useful for about five years, after which it is usually led off to the slaughterhouse.
Bullocks on dairy farms are not so lucky; these are slaughtered early to be sold as veal. Work bullocks live to the end of their productive lives, after which a similar fate awaits them. Feline viruses such as leukaemia virus FeLV can be spread by fighting so are more common in entire males.
Currently there are many stray cats in the UK, and rescue centres are full. Although some cats are kept indoors only, they can escape - neutering your cat prevents unplanned litters, which helps to stop population growth.
No surgery is without risk, though neutering is a common and routine procedure. Anaesthetic deaths and excess bleeding during surgery can happen, but thankfully are very rare. Swelling or infection of the wound is seen more commonly, but is easily treated. Following any post-op instructions given will reduce this risk. This is easily managed by diet, especially if weight gain is detected early.
Some dog breeds may experience a change in hair coat after neutering. This is purely cosmetic, but your vet can advise on whether neutering is the right decision for you and your pet. Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This enables us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.
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