Swollen sheath in older horse

P

planete

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 May 2010
Messages
3,565
Location
New Forest
Visit site
My 21 year old gelding who was retired with arthritis a few years ago has developed a very swollen sheath. The vet came, examined, cleaned and took bloods. The blood test has come back normal, not even a hint of any deviation from normal, including ACTH test (21). The options I have been given are to increase the one Danilon a day to two, or using steroids, or trying to walk him and see if it helps. He lives out 24/7 with a friend.

I would prefer the walking option but I doubt it will make much of a difference unless he is walked for a long time and it is not very practical. The only available space to do it right now is the short track between the paddocks. He is not good in traffic and I am not willing to risk us on the road to the property after four years not ridden out. The reason he is at full livery is because I can only indulge in limited physical activity these days and I normally only visit once a week, I am just not up to doing a lot more walking than I already do anyway. There are no facilities for lungeing and the fields are too wet. Does anybody have any experience of a swollen sheath without apparent cause in older horses and how did you deal with it? I would be particularly interested in experiences with steroids as I am very weary of using them. He seems oblivious and quite happy in himself.
 
planete said:
I mentioned the TRH test to the vet but she said it was unnecessary as all markers in the tests she had done were normal?
Click to expand...

my horse was ACTH tested and the results were 17. I was unhappy and he was ACTH tested a couple of weeks later at 11. Quite a difference i 2 weeks with no change in management. From the look of him he had full blown cushings and was very seriously ill with it. I insisted on a prascend trial. A year later he was a different horse. He also had had a swollen sheath. Depends how much you trust the ACTH test. After my experience I don"t. Others have ACTH tested and been unhappy and the TRH test has confirmed their suspicions. You have two PPID markers swollen sheath and age. Maybe you have more if you study your horse very closely.

At the end of the day it is your money. It you want a TRH test you are paying for it. It may answer your question and prascend rather than steroids may be a better choice of medicine. I would insist but I have 2 with cushings and one that I didn't realise and that I lost so I learnt the hard way.
 
My old boy showed no signs except lethargy and he came back with a test result of nearly 400. No coat changes etc nothing that I wouldn’t expect in and elderly horse.

I would have a test done. You can get a free voucher
 
  • Like
Reactions: DD
Cheeky Chestnut said:
My old boy showed no signs except lethargy and he came back with a test result of nearly 400. No coat changes etc nothing that I wouldn’t expect in and elderly horse.

I would have a test done. You can get a free voucher
Click to expand...
the voucher covers the ACTH test she has already done.
I think I would try a Prascend trial. My oldie had Cushings and a tendency to a swollen sheath.
 
Swollen sheath can also be caused by biting insects. Its been a mild month and ive seen a few anomalois insects flying about the horses...they particularly like my geldings back legs and sheath, when i notice him stamping irritatingly there’s always a fly annoying him.
My younger gelding in the spring can get this when the small black biting flies emerge in spring. Within a couple of weeks the swelling dies down and sheath back to normal.
An older horse’s immune system might not be up to power, so the bites could cause weeks/perpetual swelling.
 
He is getting a rather large belly while losing condition on haylage, fibre beet, alfalfa, micronised linseed and some naked oats. His teeth are done every six months and he has no problems eating. I was convinced he would test positive for Cushings. I think I am going to insist on a TRH test. The last thing I want would be for him to develop laminitis in the Spring which he has never had.
 
My 20 yr old developed a swollen sheath in September. Had vet out & sheath cleaned, no beans, muck or infection no idea what caused it. On Danilon for a week but no change. Had a Cushings test although none of the usual symptoms, & started on Prascend . I then discovered that swelling in the sheath is a symptom of Cushings. Do a Prascend trial.
 
A Prascend trial would be another option, thanks Mari. Are there any know drawbacks to doing one if the horse does not suffer from Cushings? I am going to have to convince my vet to get her to do any of our alternatives!

Just looked this up :Prascend trial. The length of time to determine whether Prascend is going to bring about significant improvement is putting me off doing a trial. I want this sorted without too much delay so will probably go for the test.
 
Mine had a hugely swollen sheath a few weeks ago, he’d had a serious colic/possible colitis issue. The vet mentioned Cushings. She advised taking him off his daily danilon. Swelling disappeared in 3 days. He’s now back on Danilon, no further issues.
 
My horse has had an oral glucose test followed straight away by the TRH test. Both came back negative though the TRH one was on the high side of normal. i have now read doing them this way can give the wrong readings for the TRH test. Does anybody know whether it would be enough to give a false negative result ?

My horse went lame a few weeks ago in spite of being on a very laminitis friendly diet and management and the vet is saying low grade laminitis for unknown reasons. I have now asked for x-rays while quietly seething about a possibly bungled TRH test.
 
My oldie has had classic Cushings symptoms for the last couple of years except no long coat. 2 Cushings tests later, both within the normal results, he had a few foot abscesses and skin complaints along with infections failing to heal. He also had a very swollen sheath along with oedema on his belly and a hugely swollen face. The swellings all went away within a few weeks but he had a small wound on his knee that got infected and wouldn’t heal despite a course of strong antibiotics.
This was just before lockdown.....the knee appeared to be getting better but then abscessed and made him very lame.
Emergency visit to vets at the beginning of April and he had to stay in hospital for a week to have it flushed twice a day and another course of antibiotics. I spoke with vet about a Prascend trial to see if that made any difference and he agreed that would be ok and not have any adverse affects if he didn’t have Cushings.
He has now been on Prascend for nearly 2 months and the change is amazing. His coat has finally started to fall out. Sores he has had for years are healing. His coat is shiny again and he has finally started to put weight on. He is a 24 yr old TB who has evented to Advanced and was still in regular work till the latest abscess started up.
Doing the Prascend trial despite negative blood tests was the best thing I have done for him and would recommend to anyone whose horse is showing possible symptoms but testing negative.
 
My oldie had Cushings and was on Prascend & got a swollen sheath - vet came out & did all the bloods & checks, was on bute for a few days & it made no difference. He was retired at the time and lived out fully. Vet said to leave it alone - we did and it went down! Over his last few years, it went up and down by itself with no cause or reason - never seemed to bother him!
 
Thank you janitee. Rather than redo the test I am going to ask for a Prascend trial unless the x-rays give us a different diagnosis for the lameness. I agree LegOn, the swollen sheath could be a red herring.
 
My oldie who has Cushings and is on Prascend gets this from time to time, before I had him he also had a penectomy. He also gets oedema on his belly. For him, gentle movement seems to help, so I walk him in hand and take him for a pick of grass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top