TMI question but does his sheath look normal to you?

[Onyx_pwf]

warning: detailed pictures of my boys sheath below lol

So today I brought my gelding out to soak his foot (abscess) and I took a quick peak at his sheath and noticed he had some scabbing on the pink area of his skin. I wasn’t too concerned but then looked inside and noticed a lot of scabbing and buildup in there. He’d been cleaned a few months ago, but even when it was dirty it never looked quite like this. Does it look infected or anything to you? He didn’t relax enough for me to be able to see his full sheath but I noticed a bit of blistering on the tip of his sheath (not pictured but it’s also pink). The black things I saw I assumed were beans but there were probably 10+ in there and they had blood on them when I pulled them off. I also pulled a few chunks out that were solid red and a bit bloody (they came off easy I wasn’t ripping them off). It was super gross and I have no idea if I should call the vet or not (don’t want to be laughed at if its just dirty)

i read somewhere that horses with pink skin on their sheaths we’re prone to cancer down there which is why I’m taking such notice to the change. I am a pretty paranoid horse mom however.

TLDR: checked geldings sheath, scabby on the inside and outside, infection? cancer? simply dirty? does it warrant a vet call?

feel free to laugh if this is a stupid question lol

 

[HelenBack]

I'm on my phone and it won't let me zoom in on the photos but I'm wondering if he's been bitten by midges or something.

Would your vet be happy to take a look at the photos if you emailed them over? They wouldn't laugh at you either way and better to ask and be reassured than the other way round.

My gelding's sheath is really crusty at the moment though and usually it stays pretty clean. I think I will actually have to do something about it whereas I usually don't bother.

 

[Equi]

My first reaction is it’s just midge bites and a bit dirty. Def not a vet call job. I tend to get the naf fly cream and wipe it on the hair beside the sheath and I found that helped.

 

[Sossigpoker]

The pink /red stuff is just the colour of his grease , pink skinned boys tend to look like this. My vet had a quick look at my boy when I first had him (he's pink ) and told me this.
The black blobs are probably smegma/grease too.
I'd probably take your vet's advice on this and I'd urge against using sheath cleaners and "hygienists " since a horse local to me nearly dies thanks to an infection caused by such a person. I also wouldn't pick any of the crust off the skin as this in turn can break the skin and cause an infection.

 

[Nicnac]

It's just normal sheath gunk. If he has an abcess is he on box rest? If so smegma build up tends to be worse if they're not moving around. Also don't get it cleaned - there seems to be a propensity for people to make money being the local willy washer which is an unnecessary fad.

 

[Starzaan]

That just looks like normal smegma and sheath gunk to me. I would get some warm water and cotton wool and gently wipe it off, making sure you check for a bean at the head of his penis while doing so (this is the only place you will find a bean, and it can be helpful to use a gentle, water based lubricant such as KY Jelly to help get it out without causing too much discomfort), just be careful as if this hasn't been done before or he's a bit sore he might get a bit quick with his back legs.

 

[Onyx_pwf]

The pink /red stuff is just the colour of his grease , pink skinned boys tend to look like this. My vet had a quick look at my boy when I first had him (he's pink ) and told me this.
The black blobs are probably smegma/grease too.
I'd probably take your vet's advice on this and I'd urge against using sheath cleaners and "hygienists " since a horse local to me nearly dies thanks to an infection caused by such a person. I also wouldn't pick any of the crust off the skin as this in turn can break the skin and cause an infection.

Thank you! I never knew that about pink skinned boys, which is why I was panicked at first. I had a hunch that it was normal though!

It's just normal sheath gunk. If he has an abcess is he on box rest? If so smegma build up tends to be worse if they're not moving around. Also don't get it cleaned - there seems to be a propensity for people to make money being the local willy washer which is an unnecessary fad.

he was on box test for a few days so that probably contributed to it. Thanks for the input!

I feel a lot better now, thanks everyone!

 

[doodle]

I agree it’s normal gunk. I have to clean my gelding every week as it is so disgusting. He definitely needs done more when in overnight than when he is out full time.

 

[dottylottie]

nothing more to add except what a good boy he is letting you get those photos i’m just imagining him thinking “i can’t believe you’ve put those on the internet mum”

 

[ester]

nothing more to add except what a good boy he is letting you get those photos i’m just imagining him thinking “i can’t believe you’ve put those on the internet mum”

me sending photos of the suspect skin on the tip of F’s willy

vet ‘you look like you’ve got a good grip’

 

[dottylottie]

me sending photos of the suspect skin on the tip of F’s willy

vet ‘you look like you’ve got a good grip’

i’d be mortified by that