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Veterinary Medicine vocabulary · Surgery and Anaesthesia

Castration

Meaning in veterinary medicine, with examples

/kæˈstreɪʃən/nounCore term

In veterinary medicine, castration means: Removing a male animal's testicles, or destroying their function, so that it cannot breed and produces less male hormone.

In Turkish: kastrasyon, hadım etme, burma

How it is used

The verb is castrate; with dogs and cats, owners usually say neuter or snip. Farm animals may be castrated with a rubber ring, a Burdizzo clamp or by surgery, and rules on pain relief apply. A castrated male horse is a gelding.

Example sentences

  1. On this farm, castration of the bull calves is done before two months of age.

  2. After castration, the colt will need a few days of rest.

Common collocations

  • surgical castration
  • castration with a rubber ring
  • routine castration
  • castration wound
  • neuterTo remove an animal's reproductive organs by surgery so that it cannot breed: the testicles in males and usually the ovaries and uterus in females.
  • spayTo remove a female animal's ovaries, and usually her uterus too, by surgery so that she cannot become pregnant or come into heat.
  • anaesthesiaA controlled state, produced with drugs, in which an animal feels no pain and is usually unconscious, so that surgery or other procedures can be done safely.
  • analgesiaRelief of pain with drugs or other methods, or the absence of pain in a conscious animal. A drug that does this is an analgesic.

More terms: Surgery and Anaesthesia

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.