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When, why and the best modern practices for castration are the topics for the last segment in this week’s episode of Doc Talk with host Dan Thomson, MS, PhD, DVM. He explains the benefits of castrating calves in the first week of life compared to waiting until weaning, since the bull’s testicles don’t produce testosterone until they hit seven to 10 months of age.
Thompson covers different castration methods and potential complications at various ages, reinforcing the benefits of early castration. Pain management and stress reduction are growing concerns publicly, in the profession and are important considerations today when castrating.
Thompson highlights the relatively new Lidoband™ lidocaine-infused bands developed by Solvet™, which offers the only castration band approved for calves under 250 pounds. The company just added three additional formulations of Lidoband for use in calves up to 400+ pounds.
Source: DocTalk, YouTube, September 2, 2025. Link. 20:00 to end
We would love to see calves castrated in the first week and we would definitely love to see them castrated and managed well before they get to the feed lot.”
INSIGHTS: The Lidoband™ family was featured in this August 12th AHD post: Analgesic relief during castration. The right thing and it pays <Link> noting the benefits of lidoband™ in beef on dairy calves.