Castration of dromedary camel through prescrotal midline incision

Abstract

A total of 165 camels of different ages were castrated through a small, prescrotal midline incision between January, 2010 and December, 2011. The incision was closed with one interrupted, horizontal mattress suture using USP-2 chromic catgut. In 14/165 animals (8.5%) postoperative infection (sepsis) developed, which healed in two to three weeks after open wound management. The remaining 151 animals had an uneventful recovery, but a slight edematous swelling of the scrotum was observed in 8 of the 151 animals (5.3%), which was self-limiting and of no significance. No primary or secondary postoperative bleeding was noticed in any of the animals. It was concluded that this technique was less time consuming with negligible postoperative care and complications when performed under standard surgical principles.

Open castration in dromedary camel through two scrotal incisions: A case report

“…In most males, castration is recommended at 2 years of age; however, earlier castration (6 months) is also possible. 1 But in the current case report, the camel was aged 7 years. Several types of anesthetic regimes can be used including chloroform, etorphine with acepromazine, chloral hydrate, and xylazine.…”

“…Of these, a prescrotal castration technique is preferred due to its aesthetic and limited surgical scar. 1 However, in the current case, the prescrotal technique was not applied due to the absence of deep sedation. Generally, in the present case report, open castration using two scrotal incision techniques was successfully conducted in the dromedary camel without any complications.…”

“…Most of the time, castration is an elective procedure performed to render the camel docile and manage its behavior because it can make them more manageable and easier to work with. 1 Castrated animals sometimes make a better captive display animal as they do not come into a rut and are less likely to become aggressive toward keepers or the public. Sometimes, castration is also performed to avoid accidental mating from the inferior sire and in rare conditions such as testicular abnormalities including orchitis, irreparable traumatic injuries, and tumors.…”

“… 2 The recently developed prescrotal midline incision method does not require any postoperative care. 1 Primary bleeding may be a potential complication if the vascular portion of the spermatic cord is not properly ligated or emasculated, and in cases where the surgical procedure is not performed according to the standard surgical principles, infection of the surgery site may take place necessitating meticulous postoperative care. In rare instances, the formation of a unilateral or bilateral scirrhous cord as a result of chronic infection may necessitate an elaborate second surgical procedure.…”

“…The routine castration process involves an incision over the scrotum at both sides and removing the testicle after ligation of the vascular portion of the spermatic cord, and wounds are left open for postoperative care like in equines 2 . The recently developed prescrotal midline incision method does not require any postoperative care 1 . Primary bleeding may be a potential complication if the vascular portion of the spermatic cord is not properly ligated or emasculated, and in cases where the surgical procedure is not performed according to the standard surgical principles, infection of the surgery site may take place necessitating meticulous postoperative care.…”