Castration and Caslick’s procedures generally come to mind at the mention of reproductive surgeries that can be performed in the field, but Dwayne Rodgerson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, says there are plenty of other reproductive surgeries that he performs in the field on a regular basis.
“I like them (reproductive surgeries),” he said. “They’re relaxed and routine. But the biggest problem is sometimes they fail.”

Rodgerson offered tips for successful reproductive surgeries to veterinarians at the 2006 Hagyard Bluegrass Equine Symposium, which was held Oct. 18-21 in Lexington, Ky.

Rodgerson described approaches for correcting the following problems in the female horse:

• Pneumovagina Vagina aspirates air; can be corrected with Caslick’s procedure;
  
• Urovagina (urine pooling) Can be corrected with urethroplasty;
  
• Rectovaginal lacerations Can heal on their own or be corrected with Caslick’s or a more intensive procedure that repairs the recto-vaginal shelf; and
  
• Cervical lacerations Can be repaired with sutures.

The most important part of preparing a mare for reproductive surgery is having a set of sturdy standing stocks. “When you’re at the back end of a horse, you need a good kickboard, and even with those, be careful,” said Rodgerson