Swollen Sheath......

[Fiorano]

About a week ago my boy developed a swollen sheath. I hosed his 'bits' and tried to clean - he's not keen on that bit - but decided to call the vet. Vet gave me a week's worth of anitbiotics and bute. Well it started to improve; swelling went down and it went a bit more wrinkly however, finished the antibiotics yesterday and today he looks like a stallion again!!

He won't let me near him even with a dose of sedalin to help ease the stress. Feeling at a loss as to what to do next. Any ideas?????

 

[ajn1610]

I suppose you need to get the vet again. It sounds as if it is painful. Is he passing water OK, is it hot?
My pony had an awful swollen sheath a few years ago. Came in from the field and it was the size of a football! I think it was a sting or bite because it went down after a day or two. A week is quite a long time and I think if it was going to resolve by itself it would have done so by now. Might be that he needs more antibiotics.

 

[katylee]

had the same with mine vet said keep giving the bute till it goes down and lots of exercise to help the swelling go down. have also been putting on fuciderm.

 

[Fiorano]

Thanks for the replies. He is passing water ok have seen him have a pee in the field and in his stable but his bits are hot to touch when I can get near them!! He came in with the swelling from the field, so it's possibly a sting or bite. I suppose the best thing is to get the vet out again - poor boy!

 

[WhiteHorseWendy]

One of my neighbours horses had a large, mysterious fluid-filled swelling on his chest recently, turned out to be an Adder bite, very painful.

 

[rocketdog69]

Hi there

If I were you I would get the vet back again. I had experience of something similar a few years ago. The vet said the problem was not necessarily the sheath itself, the infection could be anywhere in the horses body but because of the "makeup" of the sheath area (its softer and more flexible/stretchy), an infection anywhere in the horses body can "come out" in the sheath area because its easier.

Good luck, I hope it sorts itself out soon.

 

[Eaglestone]

Excess fluid always drops to the lowest point and is classed at oedema, I believe

... and in a Gelding, we know where that is

When my TB had a swollen sheath, more the hangy down bits

, the Vet suggested applying Natural Yoghurt inside .... so off I went to the shop and goodness me what a mess ... all over the floor and his legs, but more importantly up 'inside' .... well after that everything was fine

I hope your Vet finds the cause and give you the remedy

 

[Fiorano]

Oh thats interesting about where an infection on the body will show Cecildog, I'd not heard of that before. The natural yoghurt appeals to me Eaglestone, if thats doesn't sound too odd...lol. I have heard of people using it to solve their little problems...but not on horses, I may well give that a go - will speak to the vet first. Thanks all for your replies.

 

[PennyJ]

We had this a couple of years ago with our gelding. I called the vet after a couple of days and 2 really good cleanouts (or so I thought). She extracted the biggest smegma bean ever (getting on for golfball size), I nearly threw up actually (I think there was his whole lifetimes up there) and prescribed bute and exercise to make the swelling go. Swelling went almost immediately we exercised him, certainly after an hour he was in the "normal" range.

I now make a point of getting the bean out every time he's sedated for dental work or the vet's on the yard dealing with my other one. I didn't know about beans before, but I certainly do now.

 

[Eaglestone]

[ QUOTE ]
We had this a couple of years ago with our gelding. I called the vet after a couple of days and 2 really good cleanouts (or so I thought). She extracted the biggest smegma bean ever (getting on for golfball size), I nearly threw up actually (I think there was his whole lifetimes up there) and prescribed bute and exercise to make the swelling go. Swelling went almost immediately we exercised him, certainly after an hour he was in the "normal" range.

I now make a point of getting the bean out every time he's sedated for dental work or the vet's on the yard dealing with my other one. I didn't know about beans before, but I certainly do now.

[/ QUOTE ]

My old boy had his 'bean' removed under sedation about 18 months ago .... that was about 25 or so years of build up ..... this year I spotted it building up again, and whipped it out

 

[Fiorano]

Had the vet out today and under very heavy sedation she managed to give him a really good clean out. He has ulcers on the inside of his sheath from fly bites ,we think. No wonder he is so swollen. Not much smegma up there just infection from the bites. Poor boy....I did feel sorry for him.