VET VISIT...DO NOT ATTEMPT TO EAT WHILE READING THIS BLOG

I got Tango to his vet appointment with 5 minutes to go till 1 so I unloaded him out of the trailer to "mow the lawn" while I was inside with the vet getting his castration papers ready. I figured that was the least that I could do for the poor guy since he didn't know what was coming, or should I say leaving. The vet and one of her assistance did the procedure right outside next to the horse trailer where he was eating. The first shot she gave him was a sedative. It only took about three minutes for it to kick in then Tango literally flopped to the ground. Then she gave him a second shot which was a pain killer so that Tango wouldn't feel anything. Then the Dr draped a blanket over his face and tucked it into his halter and got a long thick rope and tied it around the hock of is back leg. The Dr had me stand over Tango's head and pull the rope towards me and kind of up along his side. She had a bucket of warm soapy water that had some antibacterial stuff in it and washed Tango. Then she pulled out this big tool that looked like an over sized nut cracker, no pun intended, but that's exactly what it looked like. you can use your imagination to picture exactly how the thing worked. Then when the Dr squeezed the two ends of the tool together, there was this loud horrific crunching cracking sound like someone taking a big bite out of an apple but magnify the sound. I just stared down at Tango's head and I said "Oh God" I didn't think I said it out loud but I must have because then the Dr said "I know Janelle, but it's really humane and this is the most humane thing you can do for him." as she was stitching up the open end. Then she tossed the loose testicle over her shoulder and it landed right in front of my boot. The Dr explained the testicle, it's parts, what she cut, and everything. I have to admit that it was very informative but I would have absorbed more if I wasn't thinking "Oh my God, I'm looking at a horse testicle!" Then she turned her back and there was a repeat of that great crunching cracking sound again and the second testicle joined the first next to my foot. She sewed him up but also explained that the stitches wouldn't stop the bleeding but he would only bleed for a little while and then it would stop. Then she went back into her office and came back with a third shot to help wake Tango, after the shot she said that it would be about twenty minutes before he actually tried to get up. It was probably a little longer than that and then Tango sat up but you could see he was still very tired. He stayed like that for about another 15 minutes and then stood up. He didn't want to walk, I didn't blame him one bit, but the Dr wanted him walking around the next few days so that he would heal from the inside out. It took a while to get him into the trailer again but there was a nice lady there who pulled up after the Dr was finished with Tango and she helped me get him back in the trailer and then we came home. Suprisingly he did great when we got home, he unloaded fine and walked around and he wasn't even stiff and he didn't appear to be sore at all. The next day he was even running! There is a little swelling but that will go away. I am just happy that it's over with. Josie asked me why I had to do it when I was at her place and I don't think I had a good answer, but the fact is, is that a horse is just like a dog or a cat. If they aren't neutered you can't keep them around mares, they are confined to a little stall or turn-out but you don't dare let them in the pasture if there is a female horse near because the "man" part will take over and he won't use any common sense. He will just do whatever it take to get to the female. Also, this prevents any unwanted inbreeding and it helps with the population control. I am just happy knowing that he can have friends now and I don't have to keep him penned up. He can actually be free. It's a lot better than being all by yourself with absolutely no place to go.