bull vasectomy

Re: bull vasectomy

Hannah Wynne Richards — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:46:20 GMT

Sarah It already is serious. Farm gate prices need to be multiplied by 2 or 3 x to get back the real value of 50 years ago - and the standards of animalwelfare we took for granted then. Some of these 400+ cow, zero grazing "cattle concentration camps" absolutely appall me.

Wynne

Re: bull vasectomy

Alan Tevendale — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:25:17 GMT

We've done a few of these and if your used to doing sheep you should find them quite easy. The best method of restraint I've found is to use (or borrow) a tipping crush in combination with a light sedation. Most bulls seem to tolerate it really well.

Re: bull vasectomy

Sarah Wheeler — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 21:54:44 GMT

Yeah well, if the milk price drops much lower then it will get serious.

Re: bull vasectomy

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 10:08:31 GMT

I'm just appalled at the current low value of farm animals.

Wynne

Re: bull vasectomy

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 21:49:01 GMT

There was a trend in this country of using a product called Effydral (a dispersible tablet designed for calf scour) for IV fluid therapy. It claims to make an isotonic solution with a good hit of bicarbonate. I have never used the product this way.

There is a really nice review in Vet Clinics of North America from July this year giving an excellent over-view of fluid therapy in cattle (with a specific article on calves). Worth a read.

Re: bull vasectomy

macflea — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 20:35:10 GMT

thanks for the link to uk vet.i must look it up . thanks i have a recipe for a home saline drip in same boat as you bu tits pain in arse carrying the stuff around in van, and cleaning drip sets , most sicks calves i need to drip need at least 4 litres of drip . waste of time giving one litre which most vets around here do , the bag of 4 litres of drip bag is very expensive here and even more expensive when farmers slow paying , other vet use replenolyte dilute 1 in 50 and uses this drip cows iv , i do occassionally , works fine , i prefer the aggers set, a lot quicker. replenolytre doesnt work in calves probaly too acetic or something in calves whereas i would need some alakline solution . it would great if there was a packet that you could just dissolve in water to make a drip for calves , when i saw practice they use use one of the calve scour powders to make a drip but cant find out which one they used . thanks again.

cheers

Re: bull vasectomy

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:41:26 GMT

There is a really nice technique described in UK Vet with pictures etc:

An alternative surgical procedure for the preparation of teaser bulls, Volume 16, Issue 6, pages 26–28, October 2011

Not something I have done (do lots of sheep), but I have practised the above technique on testicles removed by open castration and it looks loads easier (as you can't sit a bull on its bum like a sheep).

I have the recipe for IV fluids, but I gave up. For under ten pounds (cost price) it wasn't worth the hassle measuring up, cleaning and maintaining containers etc. The biggest cost is time, not the bag of Isolec (in our practice, anyway). I can dig out the recipe if you are still keen, but you will not save money.