Minimizing Post-Castration Swelling in Stallions
- By
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- Nancy S. Loving DVM
- November 13, 2019
- Reading Time: < 1 minutes
Castration of stallions is a common procedure for equine veterinarians. No matter whether done as a closed or open surgery, manipulation of the soft tissues usually results in considerable edema and swelling around the surgical site.
One study evaluated the use of Kinesio Equine Tape (KT) in the scrotal area following castration of 10 horses under general anesthesia and without primary closure of the incisions.
The objective was to see whether this method reduces edema and promotes healing (Cagatay, S.; Pekyavas, N.O.; Akpinar, E.; Baltaci, G. Effects of Equıne EDF Taping on Wound Healing and Edema Control After Surgical Castration in Stallions. International Journal of Advances in Medical Sciences Feb. 2018,Vol.3, Issue 2; pp. 1-8).
The authors noted that the tape was difficult to keep in place due to movement and friction in the scrotal area.
However, KT taping did significantly decrease localized swelling, edema and skin temperature in the scrotal area in the first three days following surgery compared to control horses without the tape.
Pain was not modified by the taping method, but surrounding scrotal tissues returned to a more normal state within a week in those horses with tape application.
