Sheath Cleaning

[SS123TT]

Not a pleasant subject! My gelding suffers from a high accummulation of smegma in his sheath. Periodically I remove as much as I can, softening it first with warm olive oil. I did this a couple of days ago and now I find his sheath has swollen and also an area of his belly about 6ins in front of his sheath. I believe this is either due to abrasion of the skin within the sheath which has allowed some bacteria to enter or an allergic reaction to the oil. It has happened once before and the swellings went down in a few days. Does anyone else have this problem. I really need something to soften and remove the smegma, a friend has recommended baby oil but I'm concerned that it contains perfume.

 

[V1NN]

i'v never used oil i always tend to use ky jelly as its kind of for these purposes

lol with no problems i also seem to have to do my young gelding fairly often. also use the actual sheath cleaning products succesfully. good luck x

 

[brucea]

You know the rule about sheath cleaning - you get someone to hold the tail up and watch the plug-hole, and if they shout "fingers" you know you've gone too far

If it does not settle it may be worth getting vet to have a look - especially if it feels warm. May be a scratch that has become infected.

I use the gel sheath cleaners - have for years - and it does a good job. Just make sure that you wash it all out though.

 

[Cloud9]

Vet came out today to horse on our yard that has the same problem - he said you should only ever clean with Simple Soap and never oils, the try and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

 

[Oldred]

Same prob with my gelding atm. Google 'sheath cleaning' to get lots of advice. Seems that not destroying the good bacteria is very important....so warm water and paper towels might be where to start. KY jelly can also be used. Anything else needs thorough rising as it could cause irritation and make the problem worse. Removing the 'bean' which lodges in the penis is also necessary but I haven't been there yet! Sounds like a vet job if the above doesn't work.