CASTRATION OF PIGS AND CALVES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XL, Issue 6, 20 June 1930, Page 415

CASTRATION OF PIGS AND CALVES.

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST SCROTAL ABSCESSES.

J. E. McIlwaine,

M.R.C.V.S., Animal Husbandry Section, Live-stock Division.

A somewhat prevalent defect in . dressed pig carcasses, as noticed at the various works, is the presence of abscesses in the scrotal region at the seat of castration, apparently the result of infection gaining entrance at the time of the operation. If the general grading of pork is introduced, as called for by the recent conference at Palmerston North, such abscesses may debar carcasses from export. The extra dissection required to remove the abscesses is liable to injure the hind quarters, especially involving the valuable cuts.

It is usual to carry out the operation of castration when the young pigs are about three or four weeks old. Occasionally it may be necessary to castrate an older animal, but farmers would be well advised to make it a practice of castrating at an early age. The actual requirements for the operation need not necessarily comprise any elaborate outfit, but emphasis must be laid on the necessity for cleanliness. Thorough cleanliness of the hands, the operating-knives, and the quarters occupied by the pigs both before and after the operation is essential to prevent sepsis and abscess formation. Cleanliness as applied to the operating-knife means sterilizing by boiling for a few minutes. The blade may be wrapped in cotton-wool during boiling. Cleanliness in the quarters means a clean bed of fresh straw, or if the pigs are in the open a fresh green paddock with a good sole of grass. The hands should be scrubbed and attention paid to the finger-nails, as the nails often come in actual contact with the wound during the removal of the testicle.

' The following is a procedure which should give good results,, provided the foregoing precautions are taken. The knife is already prepared, and it is also desirable to have a bucket containing a weak solution of a reliable antiseptic at hand. . When not in use the knife should be returned to the. bucket of antiseptic and left there till again required. An assistant seizes the pig by one of the hind legs and carries it to the operator. It is usual to fix the pig with the nose under one arm (squealing may be thus controlled), and the assistant, holding a hind leg in each hand and seated, exposes the site of operation. The operator paints the site with tincture of iodine, or, if much dirt-is present, swabs the site with an antiseptic solution contained in a separate vessel from that holding the knife. One testicle is isolated between the fingers and thumb of the left hand, the skin is firmly held over the testicle, and an incision made from one end to the other, when the testicle is exposed. With such young animals it is usual to scrape the cord for detaching the testicle. The risk of haemorrhage is very slight. The same procedure is adopted with the other testicle, and before the animal is released in its clean surroundings the wounds are flushed by pouring some antiseptic into them. This is. obtained from the vessel used to contain the knife. . The knife may be returned to this vessel until another pig is procured for the operation. Probably a common cause of abscess-formation is the fact that the incision in many cases is too small, and does not allow proper drainage at the lowest point afterwards. Thorough cleanliness should be observed by the operator throughout. ■ ; The Burdizzo instrument is not suitable for the castration of pigs, the scrotum being too closely attached to the body. In the case of calves castration is usually carried out at the age'of from two to three months. An assistant' is required to control the calf,, whether the animal is cast or whether the operation is carried out with the calf in the standing position. It is not necessary to use any special means of control, provided the calf is firmly held against a fence or something equivalent. The procedure is similar to that described for pigs, and scraping the cord is the usual method of detaching the testicle. ■ The cord may be severed by an emasculator, but this instrument is not necessary for such young' animals. It is advisable, however, to use it when older calves or pigs are being operated upon. The method in which two incisions are made, instead of removing the end of the scrotal sac, . aims at leaving a better cod,” as expressed in butchers’ terms. In conclusion, it is advisable for a beginner contemplating the performance - of this operation to obtain a demonstration from an experienced operator. The time required to operate with care and cleanliness does not exceed that required by careless work, and the results are much more satisfactory. . The correct method is worth acquiring from the first, and details "must be attended to if an all-round improvement on the lines indicated is to be attained.

■ . Ante-natal Deformity of Lambs” : Correction.— to the paragraph on iodine deficiency in this article as published in last month’s Journal (page 296),. the analyses of thyroids were inadvertently stated as both made from foetuses. Analysis No. 2 was from the thyroid of a ewe which produced a deformed foetus..