Bull Castration Gone Wrong

Farmers and ranchers castrate bulls to prevent reproduction and mating, to decrease aggressiveness, and to decrease injury to other cattle.

Because most cattle owners are not also veterinarians, they are incapable of performing surgical castrations, and instead resort to banding. 

In this technique, an elastrator band is applied above the testicles, cutting off the blood supply; in time, the restriction causes the testicles to atrophy and fall away, leaving the animal infertile. 

Occasionally, banding goes wrong. Animals castrated in this way, for instance, are more susceptible to tetanus (a bacterial infection caused by Clostridium tetani). 

This week I encountered a bull that had been improperly banded and subsequently neglected. Over time, the bull developed a serious scrotal infection which required the owner to bring the animal to the clinic for an emergency surgical intervention (Figure 1). 

During the bull's treatment, I helped administer anesthetics and antibiotics, and I assisted in the deployment of an emasculator to sever the scrotum and testes (Figure 1). 

Once the animal had recovered it was returned to the herd.