Comparative Evaluation of Three In Situ Castration Techniques for Sterilizing Donkeys: Incision–Ligation (a Novel Technique), Section–Ligation–Release, and Pinhole

Castration is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in equines and is associated with various complications, such as severe hemorrhage and evisceration. Using clinical, hormonal, and histopathological findings, this study aimed to evaluate a novel in situ castration technique and compare it with two other in situ techniques, namely, “section–ligation–release” (SLR) and “pinhole” (PH), to choose the most compatible and safe technique for sterilizing donkeys. Fifteen adult male donkeys were divided into three groups (five animals each). The vascular and the nonvascular parts of the spermatic cord were double ligated separately after opening the skin and the tunica vaginalis at the scrotal neck in the first group (incision–ligation [IL] technique, IL group). In the second group, donkeys were subjected to in situ castration using SLR technique, where both parts of the spermatic cord were triple clamped, ligated, and transected (SLR group). In the third group, percutaneous ligation of the spermatic vessels was performed without opening the skin (PH technique, PH group). The PH technique was less effective and failed to induce necrosis in the testes in situ. Also, Testosterone hormone levels remained elevated 60 days after this procedure. Although the IL and SLR techniques result in convincing reductions in resting and human chorionic gonadotropin–stimulated testosterone levels in treated donkeys, IL and SLR techniques were conducted under narcosis and strict asepsis. We concluded that the PH technique should not be recommended for sterilizing donkeys. Meanwhile, the IL and SLR techniques can be considered as an alternative to other conventional methods used for sterilizing donkeys.