A Guide to Mature Donkey Castration

Donkey castration is different from horse castration. When thinking about castration and mature equids, we all—vets included—should give pause for thought. Will the surgery achieve what I, the human, wish for him, the horse. (For example, a reduction in ‘unwanted’ behaviours?) Will the procedure be safe for him as well as me? Do I need to travel to a specialist clinic or can the procedure be performed (literally) ‘in-the-field’? Is a general anaesthetic necessary or could it be performed standing?

Donkey Castration

When it comes to donkeys, there are additional complications. They are not small horses with big ears!

Donkeys have shorter legs and more scrotal fat. They behave differently. They also metabolise drugs more efficiently and are more prone to bleeding.

This makes any surgery a tricky prospect. But, we have the answers!

These answers aren’t necessarily simple or straightforward. I am going to concentrate on the procedure I have used rather than try and pre-empt your conversation with your own vet. I know and respect that vets, just like doctors, differ in their opinions and their practices.

Surgery and Pain

A really important issue is analgesia (pain relief). In some parts of the world—and not only where you might think these are—there is a cultural blind-spot when it comes to preventing and relieving pain and distress in animals.

I know also that access to a wide range of safe, quality, and effective drugs is not universally enjoyed.

However, forced recumbency (‘casting’ surgery) without anaesthesia and/or poor pain relief are real welfare issues. Our equids deserve better.

I’ve castrated many well-handled, tall horse-colts using a ‘standing-sedated’ procedure. I would caution against it in mature stallions.

Why? I was taught when operating in less-than-sterile conditions to ‘touch no tissue you intend to leave behind’. For me that means no suture material in a standing castration and thus no ligature.

This equals an increased risk of both bleeding and herniation. Each is of considerable concern in the mature equid.

Donkey Castration Tips

An equine companion that the donkey already knows is a helpful, calming influence at the beginning and again at the end of the surgery. Anything that reduces their stress is good for us, too.

In mature donkeys, I advise general anaesthesia and a closed surgical technique. This should be performed either in an operating theatre or a clean, grassy field with no flies. ‘Closed’ in this instance does not mean bloodless or without incisions, it has a particular surgical meaning.

I find that injectable anaesthetic agents give me 15–20 minutes of surgical anaesthesia without the need for gas and oxygen. Vets can access a huge variety of technical resources to check the details, including dosage regimes, in the reference below.

After an initial surgical scrub, I inject lignocaine/lidocaine solution under the skin and into each testicle. It provides local pain relief and improves the efficacy of the other drugs I’ve used.

I lie the donkey in lateral recumbency, cover the upper eye and eliminate unnecessary noise. I have the upper hind leg pulled up and forward using a rope around the pastern. I clip excess hair from the scrotum and inner thighs while still dry and double-check that both testicles are palpable. It’s vital not to create a ‘rig’ (or ridgling, a male with one or both testicles not descended into the scrotum) by removing only one!

I prep the area using a disinfectant/detergent solution and alcohol working from the centre to the periphery of the surgical site. I open my sterile instruments, don sterile gloves, and drape the area.

Ready to Begin …

For donkey castration, I grasp both testicles in one hand and make two parallel incisions, one each side of the midline through the skin (avoiding obvious blood vessels). I try to avoid extending into the tissue layer immediately covering each testicle.

I squeeze each testicle (covered by this tissue layer) through each incision. Then I work to get a clear view and good access to the cord for the next part of the operation.

I perform a closed castration of each testicle. This is done using an emasculator placed below a clamp where I lay a ligature of absorbable suture material. I swab and check that the stump is not bleeding before letting it go.

Note that donkeys tend to lay down more fat than horses on an equivalent diet. I have learnt to spend a few minutes carefully trimming away fat from within the scrotum. If not removed, this pokes out the wound when the donkey stands. Complications ensue!

I leave the incisions open to drain (unless in a sterile theatre when suturing is an option). I don’t apply any wound dressing, however, I do wash blood from the inner thigh region.

Final Words

As said previously, stress in donkeys is best minimised. Keep the now donkey-gelding in a manner as like as possible after as before the procedure. Ideally he would be monitored and be with equine companions in a grassy field.

I prescribe pain relief at an appropriate donkey dose—again remembering that ‘donkeys differ’! Pain relief encourages exercise and is good welfare practice.

A useful tip for dosing donkeys is to incorporate the drug into a white-bread or ginger-nut sandwich.

The bottom line is to ‘work with your vet,’ but ask him/her to check for information from good sources so that everyone does their best by your donkey.