EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION / AE / AUGUST 2019


431


For example, it has been reported that the blood vessels of the spermatic cord of donkeys are larger than in horses and a ligature around the spermatic cord could prevent haemorrhage (Sprayson and Thielmann 2007). Similar to previous reports, the frequency of post-operative haemorrhage was reported as 3.3% in this study. In our study, three out of 90 horses experienced haemorrhage. None of the horses in the primary closure castration group haemorrhaged, while one horse in the transfixed group and two in the closed group experienced this complication. Unsurprisingly, horses with haemorrhage had 13 times the odds of developing scrotal swelling than those without. Higher infection rates are reported when ligatures around


the spermatic cord were used (Moll et al. 1995). Therefore, monofilament suture material has been recommended for use under field conditions due to the decreased risk of infection and reduced tissue drag (Carmalt et al. 2008; K€


ummerle 2012;


Rijkhenuizen et al. 2013), but the disadvantage of monofilament suture is multifilament suture is easier to handle and less likely to break, particularly polyglactin 910 has a greater breaking strength (Carpenter et al. 2006; K€


ummerle


2012). Considering this, we chose No. 2 polyglactin 910 for transfixation of the spermatic cord in our methods. In conclusion, the use of a transfixation suture with No. 2


polyglactin 910 is a viable option for field castrations under general anaesthesia to minimise risk of evisceration without evidence of a higher infection rate after castration. While infection rates were low in our study and did not differ significantly between groups, examination of additional cases would help confirm the finding that use of a transfixation ligature does not significantly increase the risk.


Authors’ declaration of interests No conflicts of interest have been declared.


Ethical animal research


The procedures (anaesthesia and castration) of horses used in Group 1 followed the standards and were approved by the Animal Care Committee of the University of Guelph.


Source of funding None.


Authorship


J. Koenig and M. Sinclair contributed to study design, study execution, data analysis and interpretation, and preparation and final approval of the manuscript. U. Sorge contributed to data analysis and interpretation, and preparation and final approval of the manuscript.


Manufacturers' addresses


1Ethicon, Somerville, New Jersey, USA. 2Jorgenson Laboratories, Loveland, Colorado, USA. 3BD Vialon, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. 4Bimeda Canada, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. 5Vetoquinol N.A. Inc., Georges Lavaltrie, Quebec, Canada. 6Sandoz Canada Inc. (Novartis Company), Boucherville, Quebec,


Canada. 7Fresenius Kabi Canada Ltd., Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.


8SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina, USA. 9Rafter 8 Products Inc, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 10Pfizer, Kirkland, Quebec, Canada. 11Merck Intervet Canada Corp, Kirkland, Quebec, Canada. 12Covidien Canada 8455 Trans-Canada Highway Saint-Laurent, Qu


ebec, Canada.


13Johnson & Johnson Medical Company (Ethicon), Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.


References


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Carpenter, E.M., Hendrickson, D.A., James, S., Franke, C., Frisbie, D., Trostle, S. and Wilson, D. (2006) A mechanical study of ligature security of commercially available pre-tied ligatures versus hand tied ligatures for use in equine laparoscopy. Vet. Surg. 35, 55-59.


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