Swollen sheath

[Ashgrove]

My new horse (2 months) has a swollen sheath.
I had him 2 stage vetted and the previous owner told the vet that it is normal for him to have a swollen sheath.
My vet suggested I clean it out with hibiscrub, which I've done, but the swelling is still there.
It's all lovely and clean there now .
He seems to be itchy there and can be bothered by flies in that area.

But what is it? Next time the vet is here (beef farm, so quite regular ) I'll ask again, but in the mean time any suggestions?

 

[beeswax]

correct me if i am wrong but i would not have a cattle vet seeing my horse, secondly hibiscrub is far to harsh - good old sheath cleaner would have done the job, get him to drop his penis or catch him when he does and have a good look for any ulcers/cuts also try to have a good look inside the sheath to see if there are any, i would put some sheath cleaner on anyway to put back the oils etc that the hibiscrub has removed from the area, but remember to wipe off the sheath cleaner gently afterwards. Get a horse vet to check him out maybe needs some antibiotics and coopers fly spray is the best for keeping beasties away from his manhood. good luck!!

 

[classicalfan]

If he's a good vet then stay with him. 'Horse' vets can be really 'precious' and expensive. We kicked the last horse 'specialist' out for a really basic vet error.

Is your hrose over-weight. Sounds daft, I know, but some horses deposit fat there, in which case the only thing he needs is a diet.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

My guy gets a swollen sheath its to do with the flies. Vet just said it will go down.. it does eventually .

 

[JanetGeorge]

There can be many reasons for a swollen sheath - but it's not 'normal' for any horse! I have a 5 year old stallion we've been battling with this problem on for nearly a year! He appears to have a pocket of infection on one side of the sheath - it flares up - and of course there is then an oedema which confuses the issue.

My boy's sheath has been scanned - several times - to try and locate any foreign bodies, he's had at least 6 courses of different antibiotics (the current one is the most successful so far - thankfully - as it costs £240 for a 2 week course and he's on his second course) He has the sheath cleaned, hosed - and massaged - 3 times a day to try and shift the oedema! We use Hibiscrub - on vet advice - once a week, but rinse VERY thoroughly after each use. The rest of the time it's just clean water!

The sheath gets to up to 3 times normal size, sometimes it's hard and hot, or hard and cold. It's a ruddy nightmare!!

 

[Ashgrove]

correct me if i am wrong but i would not have a cattle vet seeing my horse, secondly hibiscrub is far to harsh - good old sheath cleaner would have done the job, get him to drop his penis or catch him when he does and have a good look for any ulcers/cuts also try to have a good look inside the sheath to see if there are any, i would put some sheath cleaner on anyway to put back the oils etc that the hibiscrub has removed from the area, but remember to wipe off the sheath cleaner gently afterwards. Get a horse vet to check him out maybe needs some antibiotics and coopers fly spray is the best for keeping beasties away from his manhood. good luck!!

My vets are not 'cattle' vets, they are vets that treat all animals, from our dogs, sheep, cattle and horses. They have a couple of vets which specialise in horses. I used hibiscrub on my vets instruction, it was watered down. I maybe didn't explain myself very well.

If he's a good vet then stay with him. 'Horse' vets can be really 'precious' and expensive. We kicked the last horse 'specialist' out for a really basic vet error.

Is your hrose over-weight. Sounds daft, I know, but some horses deposit fat there, in which case the only thing he needs is a diet.

Yes, he is over weight , it's (hopefully) under control.

There can be many reasons for a swollen sheath - but it's not 'normal' for any horse! I have a 5 year old stallion we've been battling with this problem on for nearly a year! He appears to have a pocket of infection on one side of the sheath - it flares up - and of course there is then an oedema which confuses the issue.

My boy's sheath has been scanned - several times - to try and locate any foreign bodies, he's had at least 6 courses of different antibiotics (the current one is the most successful so far - thankfully - as it costs £240 for a 2 week course and he's on his second course) He has the sheath cleaned, hosed - and massaged - 3 times a day to try and shift the oedema! We use Hibiscrub - on vet advice - once a week, but rinse VERY thoroughly after each use. The rest of the time it's just clean water!

The sheath gets to up to 3 times normal size, sometimes it's hard and hot, or hard and cold. It's a ruddy nightmare!!

£240! gulp lol. Hopefully we'll find the cause before we have to dip to far into the coffers.

Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it.

 

[Marydoll]

This happens to my horse occassionally in very hot weather, vet referred to it as sheath oedema

 

[Aces_High]

I always clean sheaths with Hibiscrub and it hasn't caused any problems. This again has been on vets advice. I have a horse who gets itchy in that area and he has his cleaned more frequently. I used to have a horse who suffered with a swollen sheath and his did clear up with regular cleaning. He had to be sedated which was a pain. Sorry not much help really!

 

[Grumpy Herbert]

How spooky! I've just posted about my lad's swollen bits in the vet forum!! It's a worry, isn't it? I cleaned my boys sheath with Hibiscrub too, but I've read somewhere that KY Jelly is good for softening up any hard bits of gunk - you put it in, leave it for 20 mins and then just wipe it out. Haven't tried it myself, but this may be my next course of action! I'm hoping it's just fly bites due to the recent hot weather, but it's always best to cover all possibilities.