Monitor temperature, keep doing good what you’re doing with exercise and hosing and then I would trust your vet if he has seen him multiple times…I just had one done in Oklahoma about a month ago…he was a crypt and stuck hakf way down the tube, the vet had to scratch around a little to get it out so he swelled quite a bit and had trouble staying in lead when he free lunged. Hosing and exercising multiple times a day helped and he was completely back to normal in about 2 and a half weeks.
As long as he’s not off his feed, moving around fairly comfortably and the incisions are draining, I wouldn’t be too worried.
He is behaving normally as far as I can tell. He is eating well and drinking a normal amount of water. He is comfortable walk, trotting and cantering. So basically nothing other than the swelling is concerning me.
I can not remember the technical term, but the complication was that a piece of fat from the abdominal wall started to come out of the opening. To prevent more fat or the intestines from coming out of the opening was why he was stitched up and packed.
He has been given antibiotics. I did try to take his temperature, however was unable to do it. I don’t know whether it was done standing or not. Drainage was present for about a week or so after the castration. The openings are not completely closed.
I would not classify the seller as a dealer. I get the impression he sells a few horses a year, but somehow knows the breeder in Mexico hence the agreement to sell the horse. My instructor know the seller and said they had a good reputation.
I was talking directly to the vet who did the castration and follow up visits, however since I am not familiar with him, I don’t know how proactive vs. reactive he is. I did talk to my normal vet today. He is also not concerned at this time.
Hopefully I answered all the questions. Thanks for all the good information!
That could have been some kind of herniation, maybe the inguinal canal was way large, or had a defect.
If there was an opening into the abdominal cavity, they would have to cut the borders out and sew it together so it heals shut, hopefully.
If it was a tear, then sewing it was all that was needed.
Hopefully whatever they stitched will hold and not a herniation the cause of the swelling.
Whatever happened, the operation would have taken longer, more anesthesia, maybe more trauma to the site, that would have meant more swelling than normal, without anything being wrong.
Why couldn’t you take his temperature? That’s kinda important.
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My safety was the reason I could not take his temperature. Overall he is very easy to work with, but giving injections, touching the seath, and now taking his tempature are not easy. It is something I am working on, but it is not something that is going to happen overnight.
The swelling has not increased since a vet has seen him, it just hasn’t gone down like the other side.
