Testicles?

[Southern by choice]

As for when, and your vet says they have to be big enough to get hold of, it's probably because it's easier for him to hold them and maneuver the head/horns while removing them. Much harder to deal with if you can't get a'hold of them I imagine.

That isn't how the procedure works.

Few have had this procedure done. When we did this our vet sedated but WE assisted. Having gone through this personally I would NOT hesitate to do this again if necessary. Having said that I have a buck whose scurs are massive- it was in the article. We use gigli wire on him and they are blunted horns basically. The breeder disbudded and that is how he came, with scurs.

Disbudding by any breeder no matter how long they have been doing it is difficult with bucklings. More end up with scurs than don't. I will not dehorn this buck of mine but keep the strange growth in check.

Banding has been done and updates given by @BlessedWithGoats and @OneFineAcre . Their experiences really helped me to have a better understanding. I thought it to be a horrible blah blah blah... because that is what I'd "heard". Their experiences have been contrary to what I had heard.

I tagged them in this post so maybe they will share the link or you can do a search and read aboit it. It may be a better option.

BTW- I am not a fan of declawing... but I agree... rather see a cat declawed then it ending up in a shelter because of the destruction they can bring in a house. What's better 15 years of a cushy life with no claws or dumped because it destroys the place. I think the cushy life is better!

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Your kid is still really young. If you do have to sedate for the testicle issue, I would simply do both procedures at the same time, while he is still young. He will be sedated and need pain medication and antibiotics for either procedure anyways.

I have had horns and scurs removed from 7 goats I believe. 2 goats came with the horns and were 8 months to a year. Andy was getting his head stuck in the 4x6 cattle panel holes and was starting to struggle while it took 3 people to get his big head out. One to lift his body to reduce the force he was creating against us, one to maneuver his head and one to push him back. The others were kids and youngsters that I didn't burn well. I am still trying but sometimes it just doesn't work very well. On baby boer sisters, done the same night, same way, on one it worked great, the bigger one, however, grew scurs really quickly. One buck with scurs that were basically just horns, was tearing up my fences so he had to get done too. I forgot to take the camera when I had 3 of them done a few weeks ago. I don't care to do it, but I would rather have it done than have other goats get hurt or fences torn open, heads stuck in a fence on a day that gets over 100 degrees for hours on end.

 

[babsbag]

I would do it again if the goat is staying with me. My buck that I did was actually poorly disbudded and he had a scur that was like a unicorn horn. It left a nasty hole for quite a few months and it also got infected. I will tell you though that I discovered a great way to bandage him by myself, (he was a full grown buck). I took a sanitary pad with a sticky strip on it and stuck it to a long piece of gauze. I used the pad for horn bandages and pulled the long strips of gauze down and tied it under his jaw...it worked really well. The smaller he is the easier it will be to do, but you need to find the right vet.

 

[norseofcourse]

Thanks! Like I told babsbag we were actually talking about horns. We went from testicles to horns! Lol!!

LOL - yep, I totally missed that! When you started talking about cutting and banding, and said your vet only charged $50 to remove 'them', my mind was still on the title of the thread I hope all goes well with him, at both ends...

 

[Rescuechick76]

LOL - yep, I totally missed that! When you started talking about cutting and banding, and said your vet only charged $50 to remove 'them', my mind was still on the title of the thread I hope all goes well with him, at both ends...

Lol!! Don't feel bad, sounds just like me! And thanks!

 

[sadieml]

I'm with @ragdollcatlady on this one. I would definitely "shop around" a bit for a vet, and get both procedures done at the same time. You'll have to be really careful with his head, to keep it clean, and may want to wait just until the worst of the summer heat is past, but I see no reason to risk 2 surgeries when both ends could be taken care of in one sedation. I would think the vet would understand that, too--especially since goats are known for problems with sedation, as @Southern by choice pointed out.

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

I have pictures of the dehorning process that I used, via the banding technique, if you'd like to look at them. So far everyone seems to be doing well with having the horns taken off. The only one that didn't work was on a doe that was younger than 1 year old, her bands just eventually came off, and her horns have grown more. I may end up doing hers again this Winter. (If you do it in the Winter, there are less flies, and I think the cold helps stop the bleeding faster.)
http://www.backyardherds.com/thread...haya-a-gift-from-god.31042/page-7#post-417087

 

[babsbag]

Did your boy see the vet yet?

 

[Rescuechick76]

Did your boy see the vet yet?

Not till Monday. Both him and my lil girl go for exams. I'm assuming I'll have to make another appointment to have things taken care of. But it'll be nice to find out what's gotta be done.

 

[Rescuechick76]

Well it's been confirmed...he still has two testicles
I guess I'm feeling kinda angry at the lady I bought him from.