Fertility after gelding?

kylendiamond · Member Joined: 16 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

It isn't possible for a horse that was gelded a month (exactly) prior is it? Especially at the end of January, since the mare shouldn't be having fertile cycles yet?

I am slightly concerned because I put the above mentioned gelding in with 3 mares and none of them have been showing any signs of heat. The one typically has silent heats, but she has started being a maniac in her stall towards another mare, and they have been in the same stalls for over a year now. Another mare (actually a filly, just turning 2 this month) I have only had since December, so I don't know her "routine" yet. The third showed heat VERY strongly all last year to 2 different geldings, and would slightly bag up (I could express fluid) whenever she was in heat. Nothing so far this year. Any thoughts?

Oh, and no, I am not going to have my vet come palpate them, I have had her do (or send blood off) every single mare, except the new filly, sometime between when I got them and a year later. If I have to, I will personally send off blood through my small animal vet whom I work for.

I think both think I am paranoid about the possibility, however.

Thanks!

MackinacWhiskey · Member Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 155 Location: MI

Where you there during the castration? Did you see the vet remove two testes? Did the vet said anything to you about not being to do the surgery properly? I find it highly unlikely that the vet would have left one or both testes in when they know you can sue for malpratice.

Have you been taking alot of meds lately? Or have you been off your meds?
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kylendiamond · Member Joined: 16 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

Yes, I was present for the castration, both testicles were removed, no problems. Just wondering if it would be at all possible for him to breed a couple of mares one month afterwards, at the end of January, in FL. At least 2 of them thought they were ready, but I figured there was no way. Didn't give it a single thought, until now, with slightly different behavior.

MackinacWhiskey · Member Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 155 Location: MI

So....

You think maybe he's got a third teste hidden up in there somewhere?

What the hell does one month have to do with anything? Somehow because his testicles would recently removed he can still produce sperm?

You are an idiot or just a liar. Anyone who worked in a vet clinic would know a gelding could not possibly bred a mare.

Please stop now. You're killing me. Evil or Very Mad

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kylendiamond · Member Joined: 16 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

Good grief, it was a simple question! I know that some sperm is stored temporarily outside the testicles, and is viable for a while after gelding, not that any more sperm is being produced. I had been told that it was safe after waiting a month, and was looking for confirmation of this.

You know, like after a guy has a vasectomy (maybe a few more should) he has to wait a bit before having sex if he really doesn't want to produce any offspring!

Sheesh!

surprisewind · Active Member Joined: 25 Jan 2005 Posts: 246

You're harshing my mellow. Can we all play nice now?

dandeeqh · Posted: Sat May 13, 2006 10:28 pm Post subject:

I have asked several vets and they have all said the same thing....they can still produce 4-6 weeks after being gelded.
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dctrainingandlessons · Very Active Member Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 548

Yeppers, I have heard the same thing, 4 to 6 weeks to keep them seperated from mares. I know of one person who had a yearling breed one of her mares a few days after gelding and got that mare pregnant.. Yeah, it is hard to believe, and I would think the chances are pretty much slim to none, but it can happen... Lighten up a little MackinacWhiskey, at first reading it probably sounded like a stupid question, but obviously it was one you needed to learn from as well..

lucky Clover Farm · Posted: Sun May 14, 2006 8:06 am Post subject:

Definately a recently gelded horse CAN and WILL impregnate a receptive mare. It is amazing how many folks end up with a little unexpected bundle of joy in their field by putting them back together too soon.
Sounds like IF you don't see any mares coming in soon you will be expecting some Christmas babies lol...poor things.
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surprisewind · Active Member Joined: 25 Jan 2005 Posts: 246

I don't know where you are, so I don't know what sort of climate you have, but I think that can make a tremendous difference. It's been a really odd weather-pattern year for a lot of people. My mares usually come into heat about April ... however, it's May and I 'm still waiting (didn;t put them under lights or anything like that). We had some unusual late frosts and snow.
Perhaps they're just waiting for a more pleasant time of year? It's definitely unscientific, this theory o' mine...

MackinacWhiskey · Member Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 155 Location: MI

What you people don't seem to understand is that the sperm can not live in the vasdeferens for more that a few days. The vasdeferens is where it would have to be in order to be ejectulated, due to the fact that the testes are now gone. In the testes the sperm get nuritionment and are kept at the right tempature to survive for weeks at a time.

Here is an article written by a vet about equine castration.
http://www.nwhorsesource.com/artman/publish/magazine_archive/article_1660.shtml
"Following surgery, the gelding is essentially sterile within 3 days."

If a vet tells you to keep the gelding away from mares for any mares for a month or more post-op it has to due with his wound healing. Wound healing takes 6 to 8 weeks post-op. The fact that he still has some testosterone in his system that will make him act stupid around the mares. Who will likely then kick the crap out of him and may re-open the surgical site.

Now do you all understand?
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MackinacWhiskey · Member Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 155 Location: MI

By the way, dctrainingandlessons

http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_health_care/gelding_and_aftercare.htm
"at puberty (18 to 24 months)"

So unless your yearling hit puberty 6 months or so early I doubt he bred anything. Did you maybe mean long yearling?
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runnin' roan · Member Joined: 11 Apr 2006 Posts: 99

Okay, Okay! Mackinacwhiskey...We ALL get your point. No need in being rude about it.

surprisewind · Active Member Joined: 25 Jan 2005 Posts: 246

lucky Clover Farm · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 2:40 am Post subject:

Obviously you know everything because you learnt it from a book or an info sight on the internet.
For the rest of us who have had real experiences-those articles mean nothing-an 8 month old colt CAN get a mare pregnant!!! I know it doesn't say that in any of your books or articles-but really...they can. And you obviously have some other explanation why mares come up pregnant a year later when the recently gelded horse is put back in the field a couple of weeks after gelding??? Aliens? Yeah that must be it...
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