The jack shown here is Nathan, or as the breeder calls him, Ass-Pirin Acres Mr. Man. As a stipulation for purchasing our two jacks, we paid a gelding deposit, and once they were gelded, we would get the deposit back. We went back and forth as to whether we should subject our boys to this procedure as we weren't planning to breed them.
Our boys then went from weanlings to yearlings and their testosterone began coursing through their little bodies. Alastair, our grey dun, is a cryptorchid (one testical descended) and remained quite calm. Nathan, on the other hand, became intense, overly wary, overly possessive of Alastair, and mounted Alastair, penis fully extended, in an attempt to mate. The mounting didn't occur once or twice a day; it occurred non-stop from morning till night. Poor Alastair was covered with semen and his personality, which had been cheery and bright, was becoming depressed. Nathan's personality became so intense that we couldn't walk the two of them outside the pasture because once we brought them back into the pasture and turned them loose, Nathan would run to Alastair squealing, bite him, and mount. To say the least, all training excersises stopped -- for Alastair's sake!
We decided to geld Nathan in order to quell his hormones for everyone's best interest. Since it was rather rainy all summer, the flies and mosquitoes were unbearable (we live in New Hampshire). Because we didn't want Nathan to be bothered by the bugs, or have his wound become a place for bugs to lay eggs, we scheduled his gelding for October.
Donkeys have a lot of blood vessels that feed their testicles; hence, unlike horses, donkeys are known as bleeders. It is imperitive that your vet use emasculator clamps and ties off the cord during the procedure or your jack could bleed to death. After a jack is gelded, the wound will drain; this is a GOOD thing because he will also swell. The drainage helps reduce the amount of swelling, and you won't believe how much they swell. What will also help drainage is walking your donkey after the procedure; it helps promote drainage and reduce swelling.
To say that this is a painful procedure would be an understatement. Nathan swelled like a balloon, and remained swollen for a couple weeks. He also drained for at least two weeks. The wound didn't fully close for another 10 weeks. He was in pain. He was uncomfortable. It was horrible. Some vets will geld equines using a local. Our vet knocked Nathan out with anaesthesia and performed the procedure on a bed of hay in our own pasture while Alastair brayed continuously from the barn. Please insist that your vet knock your jack out for this painful procedure. After the vet was finished and Nathan attempted to stand . . . and fell to his knees . . . then got up and walked in a wobbly fashion away from the vet, he began to shake. The shaking is a normal after-anaethesia reaction.
We gelded Nathan because it was necessary, not because we wanted to. Alastair, thus far,hasn't exhibited any of the behaviors Nathan did; consequently, he won't be subjected to this procedure. Of course, Alastair is also cryptorchid -- only one testicle has descended, which also means that to be fully gelded he would probably have to have abdominal surgery. Unless it becomes necessary, Alastair will remain the "one-balled" wonder.
