My Dusty Hates Me

[RhineStone]

Wow. Find a cow vet. Last I knew (it's been quite a few years, probably about 15), they charged $10 for castrating a calf! There is no way your average dairy or beef farmer is going to pay rates like that. It's not a complicated procedure. They don't even sew them up!

 

[disneyhorse]

Vets here average $250+ for gelding procedures.

Andrea

 

[Mominis]

Mine was gelded in January and it was just under $100.

 

[RhineStone]

Have you found a place to get Dusty moving forward? Is he still trying to smell the ground?

 

[hobbyhorse23]

This thread inspired me to go call my vet and see what I could expect to pay for my colt to get gelded next year. We thought it was pricey having Kody done for $250 six years ago and I wasn't expecting much more than that.

Well, it turns out if I get it done before he's 2, it will only cost me $450 + the $75 farm call + $80 in blood work + any aftercare meds!!!

If I have him done after 2 years old, it will be an additional $100.

Wow.

I feel so...special.

This is not rocket science. How on earth can anyone justify charging that much for a few-minute procedure done in my own backyard?? As usual, I think I will be shopping for another vet because of dollar issues. I want to use the vets I know and trust, but I could buy a new harness for the cost of getting my horse gelded by that clinic. I can't justify the money when I could get the same results for half. My sudden sympathies to you, Katiean.

Leia

 

[susanne]

Definitely call around, but also be sure to get several references. Around here, the cost of gelding varies drastically from one clinic to another. Be sure to check whether or not their quote includes everything -- as Leia noted, the related expenses can make a huge difference, and what seems like a reasonable rate goes through the roof.

Leia, if you can arrange the time to travel, you might check with Liz McMaster about her vet. She highly recommends him, and even with the cost of gas you'd be way ahead in cost.

 

[Katiean]

Yes, Dusty has found his forward gear. He will take much longer to train than the girls did. He really isn't stupid. He is really smart and has figured ways around me. I just have to adjust and stay one step ahead of him. For some reason he does get irritated when he is asked to "Whoa". He does stop and will stand very still and calm. It is when he is stopping that the head tossing and obvious irritation happens. Maybe it is because he figures I am just gonna ask him to go again and he sees no reason for all of the stopping and starting. Ever been on a road trip with a guy? I can just hear him saying "Why do you want to stop again? We just got going."

 

[RhineStone]

This is not rocket science. How on earth can anyone justify charging that much for a few-minute procedure done in my own backyard??

I asked my student what he was charged recently from his vet, and it was around that $350 mark! Unbelievable! I really do think that the difference comes with the word "equine"! A vet who works primarily on equines for some reason can justify charging more. We have a "diversified" vet. He is much more realistic in his pricing.

Myrna

 

[RhineStone]

For some reason he does get irritated when he is asked to "Whoa". He does stop and will stand very still and calm. It is when he is stopping that the head tossing and obvious irritation happens. Maybe it is because he figures I am just gonna ask him to go again and he sees no reason for all of the stopping and starting. Ever been on a road trip with a guy? I can just hear him saying "Why do you want to stop again? We just got going."

Make sure that when he stops, you let him know that was the right choice, like some "happy" words ("Good Boy", etc.) and possibly some pets around the neck. Make the right thing easy and desirable. Eventually, he will enjoy the opportunity to "please" you.

If he is starting to act bored, change it up a little by asking for more or less speed. Keep him thinking. Minis HATE to be bored!

Myrna

 

[Mominis]

Could his irritation with stopping be that he dislikes the bit bressure involved? If so, can you halt him strictly off of voice command and then slowly creep up a little bit bressure on him as he gets more happy about being stopped? Just a thought.

 

[MiLo Minis]

I find when you are working with horses in training that it is quite often easiest to ask for whoa when they are ready to stop

A horse that is fit and full of himself seldom wants to give you a good solid whoa. If you wait, work them well and then ask for the whoa they are ready to give it. Then you give them the BIG reward by quitting. Next time you go out they will likely give you that hard, steady whoa without question. There really shouldn't be a great deal of bit pressure involved. Close your hands and let them "run into" a wall. If they don't like bit pressure they will stop.

 

[Dream]

It may not be rocket science but it IS surgery and a potentially life threatening procedure if not done properly. There is no comparison between castrating a calf and a horse (Trust me, I've done both). Prices will vary tremendously but if you ask me less than $150 is too cheap and greater than $500 for a routine field castration is too much. If you want cheap a mennonite/amish can do it but many will die in their hands. Cost goes down if you eliminate pain meds, antibiotics, tetanus vaccine and anesthesia (ropes can be used to tie them down).

Call me biased but I had to put my 0.02 in on this one.

 

[RhineStone]

My reasoning for "comparing" calf and colt castration was not so much in the procedure, as it was in the cost of the vet. The vets around here that do strickly horses charge way more than the ones that work on all animals. Our vet used anesthesia and pain meds (the stud already had tetanus included in his annual shots), but it still didn't come to over $100. (I don't remember if we used antibiotics, it was a couple of years ago.)

I don't say this to irritate anyone, it is just reality around here. We have $500 vets here, too, but I don't think they are worth any more than our vet who has GREAT "bedside" (our horses LOVE him), is practical, reasonable, and will readily admit when he is stumped and wants a second opinion. (We have vets here that think they know everything, then when stuff goes wrong for a particular client, the client calls our vet who fixes the problem for half the price.) What our vet doesn't have is a "brand name". There are owners around here that pride themselves on using X vet and clinic. I think it gives them some sense of "worth". We also have some vets who will only work on X client's horses, regardless of someone's ability to pay. Our vet doesn't play those political games. I also realize that pricing can also be "market-driven", so what is reality for us may not be available for others. I wouldn't give up our vet for all the tea in China!

(Although I don't drink tea....

)

 

[DarkhHorseFarms]

Kathy,

The vet here in Fallon charged me $185 last year for a NORMAL castration; I brought him into the vet.

I have used them for years and am very happy with how (certian DR's there) take care of my Minis.

A couple of them have gone out of their way to become educated on certian issues Minis can have.

PM or Email me if you need the NAME and NUMBER.

Lisa