So we had the big DAY scheduled for Otto for next Tuesday. I was never so happy!
Castration day....
Things were melting nicely because we have been in the 40's with plenty of sun. It looked promising that the footing would be suitable enough to be able to exercise him which is key for the first week. But the weather changed in the last couple of days . It got much colder and the melting has all but ceased. We had to cancel the appt and wait a little while longer..
Castration can be done three ways. Open, Closed or Semi Closed. Otto will be having an Open castration procedure which means there are no stitches. Just like the name says.. the incision is left open. Most horses that are older and have been a stallion longer, or have other complications, are better candidates for closed or semi closed procedures. JB had to be a closed procedure because he had well, uh, ...big ones.. and the vet felt it was best to stitch things up..
I won't get into the gory details of the actual Open Procedure but the post operative care requires keeping the wound open and draining, which is crucial for proper healing. All in all, for the first week of so, it's a mess. Usually there is a fair amount of drainage and along with that, comes the scalding on the inside of the legs. Keeping things sponged and cleaned is part of the post operative care. It also helps to keep the inside of his legs lathered in Petroleum Jelly to help increase comfort and minimize scalding.
It's been in the 30's and low 40's. I don't think any horse would appreciate being sponged twice a day down there, even if it is with warm water..I have not had a chance to introduce Otto to sponging or water but I am going to guess he won't like it. Waiting until temps are a bit warmer might be to my benefit.
Keeping the wound open...
The key thing here is EXERCISE.. not just walking around the pasture exercise because that isn't sufficient. It will require forced exercise like trotting for 20 minutes twice a day or more. Otto will be sore and reluctant to move. Normally, the recommendation is to lunge or pony in order to get enough exercise to keep the wound open.
Otto hasn't exactly learned to do either.. and trying to teach him to do those two things while he is miserable probably isn't a good plan.
This is where the decision to post pone came in. In order to exercise him, I am basically going to have to chase him around the arena or pasture . Too much ice for that. Had we stayed on the melting path, we might have been able to get by but now that everything is frozen hard again, I can't risk him falling and injuring himself.
So we wait.. and wait ...
I am going to bake a celebratory cake for the day when it actually happens!!!
Castration day....
Things were melting nicely because we have been in the 40's with plenty of sun. It looked promising that the footing would be suitable enough to be able to exercise him which is key for the first week. But the weather changed in the last couple of days . It got much colder and the melting has all but ceased. We had to cancel the appt and wait a little while longer..
Castration can be done three ways. Open, Closed or Semi Closed. Otto will be having an Open castration procedure which means there are no stitches. Just like the name says.. the incision is left open. Most horses that are older and have been a stallion longer, or have other complications, are better candidates for closed or semi closed procedures. JB had to be a closed procedure because he had well, uh, ...big ones.. and the vet felt it was best to stitch things up..
I won't get into the gory details of the actual Open Procedure but the post operative care requires keeping the wound open and draining, which is crucial for proper healing. All in all, for the first week of so, it's a mess. Usually there is a fair amount of drainage and along with that, comes the scalding on the inside of the legs. Keeping things sponged and cleaned is part of the post operative care. It also helps to keep the inside of his legs lathered in Petroleum Jelly to help increase comfort and minimize scalding.
It's been in the 30's and low 40's. I don't think any horse would appreciate being sponged twice a day down there, even if it is with warm water..I have not had a chance to introduce Otto to sponging or water but I am going to guess he won't like it. Waiting until temps are a bit warmer might be to my benefit.
Keeping the wound open...
The key thing here is EXERCISE.. not just walking around the pasture exercise because that isn't sufficient. It will require forced exercise like trotting for 20 minutes twice a day or more. Otto will be sore and reluctant to move. Normally, the recommendation is to lunge or pony in order to get enough exercise to keep the wound open.
Otto hasn't exactly learned to do either.. and trying to teach him to do those two things while he is miserable probably isn't a good plan.
This is where the decision to post pone came in. In order to exercise him, I am basically going to have to chase him around the arena or pasture . Too much ice for that. Had we stayed on the melting path, we might have been able to get by but now that everything is frozen hard again, I can't risk him falling and injuring himself.
So we wait.. and wait ...
I am going to bake a celebratory cake for the day when it actually happens!!!
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