Sheath problems...

Michen

Michen

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Gelding has stopped properly dropping to pee, only dropping the top dark sort of bit (so scientific!) rather than actual willy.

Wish I had a mare! It looks a little swollen as well. So as I have never had to do this what's the best remedy, clean out with warm water? Cold hose? Vet? Wonder if it could be the flies but not sure why that would make him not drop.


Edited to say he usually drops to pee so this isn't normal for him!
 
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My big fella has never dropped his junk so to speak in the whole time I have had him. He wouldn't let me near it to clean it either! Back in April I got a bit concerned for him, I thought he seemed like he was having difficulty so and got the vet in to have a look and clean it out for me.

He was sedated and vet gave him a big clean and examination- said he had a like a ring of skin around it which meant that he wasn't able to unfurl himself but it wasn't a problem or anything to worry about.

Maybe your horse has something similar? I'd call the vet I think if you're concerned, better safe than sorry
 
You need to get your hand In there and see wants going on .
Start off with warm water a piece of old towel .
It might be fly strike which is gross .
If a good clean does not resolve it you will need to get the vet out
When I bought Fatty he had a sheath infection it was awful .
 
Sigh. I was hoping the answer would be to just spray some cold water up there but that was wishful thinking. I shall be donning the gloves then and hoping he doesn't take offence!!!!

Goldenstar said:
You need to get your hand In there and see wants going on .
Start off with warm water a piece of old towel .
It might be fly strike which is gross .
If a good clean does not resolve it you will need to get the vet out
When I bought Fatty he had a sheath infection it was awful .
Click to expand...
 
I would NOT be using a hose the there and remember that if horse has an issue it is probably pretty sore.

There is an infamous post on cleaning if you google. Relatively detailed instructions (although in this instance whilst you might want dome kind of lubricant I'd be cautious of putting any new substance up there if you don't do it regularly (no reason you should)

Have fun!

Edited to add; here it is
http://www.equusite.com/articles/health/healthSheathCleaning.shtml
 
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Goldenstar said:
You need to get your hand In there and see wants going on .
Start off with warm water a piece of old towel .
It might be fly strike which is gross .
If a good clean does not resolve it you will need to get the vet out
When I bought Fatty he had a sheath infection it was awful .
Click to expand...

This.

If he won't let you get in there get the vet out to sedate him.
One of mine got fly strike, it was horried. The only time he would allow us up there to clean.

Make sure you get all the way up too.
 
ThursdayNext said:
I would NOT be using a hose the there and remember that if horse has an issue it is probably pretty sore.
Click to expand...

Why on EARTH not. It is the quickest, easiest AND kindest way to get a horse used to having his sheath handled. And I have done it with literally dozens of colts and geldings. Obviously you don't just blast away - modest pressure, start on front legs, go to back legs - and work up. It works!
 
Because the OP was talking about 'spraying up there ' and I was always taught to have the courtesy to use warm water... So I was thinking of a cold hose applied by sticking it inside!
 
My boy has never dropped to pee, and is generally very shy about his penis in general.

In summer this causes issues as his sheath swells a lot due to fly bites (despite every product under the sun being slathered on his nethers every day), and he tends to start smelling "meaty" after a couple of weeks.

Fortunately he is a very happy pony, and he likes to have his sheath cleaned :rolleyes: While I have my arm buried up to my elbow in his nethers, he has a proper squiffy lip going on :o

however, due to the general lack of dropping, I haven't been able to go searching for a bean. When he has his teeth done last I asked the vet to make sure he was all OK down there, and apart from being shocked at how brutal the vet was grabbing his penis he said everything was fine.

Last time I cleaned his sheath was last Sunday, and I even resorted to giving him acp in the hope that he would drop - nope. I could just about see the glans, but everytime I went anywhere near it, he sucked it really far back.

Normally I try to reserve sheath washing for Sunday afternoons when the yard is *really* quiet as I got a whole load of funny looks from the various visitors and owners when they caught me out once!
 
In 2013, my gelding presented with a very swollen sheath and white discharge. It was found that he had squamous cell carcinoma. He had a partial phallectomy to remove 99% of the lesions and then we treated the remaining 10% topically. I chose not to put him through a full en bloc resection. He had a fabulous 3 years following this, with only a few small infections (mainly summertime with hot weather and flies) and coped perfectly fine with him small manhood.

Unfortunately this spring things started to deteriorate and in June he was put to sleep at the age of 18. He did also have foot problems so my decision was based on a few different factors.

If you are concerned, it is worth getting a vet out to sedate and fully check him over, just incase.
 
Um, sorry if interrupting.......... but my boy keeps his equipment tucked up and out of sight when I've tried to clean it and/or look for any "Bean" there; um (blushes gracefully) - how on earth do you get geldings to let their undercarriage's down??? When he has been standing half asleep in the stable or field, its come down, but I'm danged if I can figure how to get the damn thing down to clean it!
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Um, sorry if interrupting.......... but my boy keeps his equipment tucked up and out of sight when I've tried to clean it and/or look for any "Bean" there; um (blushes gracefully) - how on earth do you get geldings to let their undercarriage's down??? When he has been standing half asleep in the stable or field, its come down, but I'm danged if I can figure how to get the damn thing down to clean it!
Click to expand...

It does not have to come down, although that is nice and convenient. You can go up instead! Obviously start nice and gently, but you have to go right up to your elbow on a decent sized horse. Into the inner chamber, if you know what I mean.

There is a brill set of instructions on here somewhere....



ETA - I can't find the instructions I was looking for (funny as well as informative) but have found relatively serious ones on another thread...

*Safety Warning* Most horses are fairly agreeable to having their sheath cleaned, or will at least tolerate it without too much fuss. Only very few will have serious objections. Your safety is more important that success, so be careful and patient, and if you feel the situation is becoming dangerous, please stop! Some horses will require sedation and expert help - there is no shame in admitting this.

You will need:
- a bucket of water (warm if you're nice)
- a soft cloth (Chux or similar)
- surgical-type gloves
- water-based lubricant (Wetstuff, KY Jelly etc)

Be aware that most horses will not drop their willy out for a clean - you're going to need to go up after it. This can be a little disconcerting for the horse, so your calmness and confidence is important for them to relax and allow you to proceed. Fake it if necessary!

To assess a horse's probable reaction, stand at their shoulder facing backwards, and with one hand on the horse's back, calmly and firmly run your other hand along the stomach towards the sheath, and feel all around and over the sheath. Don't lean too far forward, or your head is in range of angry hind legs. If the horse stands relaxedly, continue. If they swish their tail, stamp their feet, or try to kick, desensitisation is advised before continuing with the clean.

Wearing a glove, repeat this procedure, gently running your fingers into the sheath. If the horse remains calm, wet your hand and squirt on some lubricant. Insert your fingers into the sheath (a pouch about the size of a fist) and work your fingers around, removing any chunks, grit or greasy material that you find. Once you've picked out all you can, wet your cloth and wipe out the sheath - this will remove any greasy smegma you missed.

Relube your hand, and get ready to go deeper. At the back of that fist-shaped pouch is an opening to a smaller cavity - this is where the willy is probably lurking. This area also accumulates matter, so you need to clear that out too. At this point, expect to be in up to your wrist. Once the second chamber is clean, it's time for the willy itself. You're fumbling around for something that feels a bit like a squishy tennis ball. Grab it (gently!).

*Please note, even horses that have been calm up to this point may react to this intrusion, so stay alert and safe*

Feel around the surface of the willy. Flakes and chunks of dead skin are often stuck to the skin - carefully remove them, remembering that this skin is very sensitive! Be thorough - work your way from head to root, and all around - there are a few nooks and crannies back here!

Finally, we'll look for beans. Grasp the head of the willy and squeeze gently. You may feel a hard lump. Work a finger (again, gently!) into the opening at the head of the willy, and rotate it around, hooking out any hard lumps or waxy deposits you find. If the bean is very large, you might need to try to squeeze it out, or break it into smaller chunks.

This procedure is the most challenging for the horse - it is very uncomfortable or painful, if the bean is large. You want to be as quick and painless as possible, but it's ok to give the horse a break if he starts to get stressed, and just give him a pat and let him breathe.

Once all beans are removed, check you haven't missed anything in the sheath. You can hose the sheath out, if the horse doesn't object, but this isn't necessary - water-based lubricant is designed to be left on sensitive skin without causing irritation.
Congratulations! You and your horse now deserve a glass of wine!
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...hing-advice-please!/page2#KzkpzKv0gG4dyesy.99
 
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Urgh sheath seems fine but cannot get the damn thing to drop, it's the top of it that's swollen but will just not come out fully! Vet job I think :(
 
Goldenstar said:
Get a friend to hold up one of his forelegs .
Click to expand...

This doesnt work as well as you would think it does - horses can happily use two legs!

OP he needs a check for sure. im usually a "leave them be" type of person, but since getting my little gelding i have become more aware of their problems. Id never touched them before - but this little lad was very touchy being groomed around the belly/bum and owner said he always was that way. One day i was grooming and i just happened to have a feel about and the poor thing had hairs (was mid winter, so very hairy mini)that had become covered in smegma and pulled into the sheath itself. This was basically causing him a lot of pain every time he was groomed, moved or peed. Got it clipped off and he immediately relaxed and was never fidgety again.
 
For ordinary use, not a vet job, buy a litre (or five in my case - dirty gelding !) of veterinary lubricant gel. Put lots in day one, use more to clean out on day two.

I have a gelding who produces a thick hard crust of layered old skin and smegma every few weeks. This is the only way I can get it out. It softens completely overnight. If you try to take it out dry, you can actually snap it, and it's up to half an inch thick!!

I'm another who in forty years has never cleaned a sheath, but this horse just can't be left like it.
 
Hmmm his sheath seemed pretty clean to be honest. No smells etc, I did give it a good clean anyway with warm water. He will sort of half way drop, it's that bit that seems swollen but only very slightly.

Vet tomorrow I think... Bloody horse!



ycbm said:
For ordinary use, not a vet job, buy a litre (or five in my case - dirty gelding !) of veterinary lubricant gel. Put lots in day one, use more to clean out on day two.

I have a gelding who produces a thick hard crust of layered old skin and smegma every few weeks. This is the only way I can get it out. It softens completely overnight. If you try to take it out dry, you can actually snap it, and it's up to half an inch thick!!

I'm another who in forty years has never cleaned a sheath, but this horse just can't be left like it.
Click to expand...
 
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