A lot of people ask me why not band, or use a burdizzo or Henderson tool. The answer is very simple….all those are perfectly good ways to castrate an animal when done correctly. The best procedure is the one you are most comfortable with as that will ensure you do it well every time.
With proper sedation, local anesthesia and surgical technique I am very comfortable doing my castrations as seen above. I do them this way in young bulls as well. My experience so far is the animal is awake and walking around comfortably soon after the procedure is finished. With good antibiotic coverage, pain medication, and fly control results are always very good.
Some farmers like to band their goats at a young age which is a perfectly good way of castrating. I usually get called out when they’re a little too big for banding.
All 7 goats we did that morning were up and walking around by the time we left, and all have recovered very well.
Jorge Aranda, DVM
