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  Discussion on Is Sheath Cleaning Necessary
Author Message
Member:
Melis

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 2, 2005 - 1:00 pm:

Hi, I read the Q/A section in Equus the other day and the vet said that, in his opinion, sheath cleaning is unnecessary. Hmmm, I always clean both my boys (beans and all) twice a year. I didn't think it was an option. Is there a new school of thought concerning this subject?
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 2, 2005 - 3:12 pm:

Twice a year sounds reasonable to me. I imagine there are some who OVER-CLEAN and cause irritation, but our horses do not live in natural conditions (at least few do) where they can go soak in a body of water, etc. And geldings have a bigger problem with beans, dirty sheaths, etc. than stallions because of what we have done to them. Not cleaning would certainly cause complications for some horses, even beyond the tail rubbing!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2005 - 7:04 am:

A great question Melissa,
Because the stuff is oil based and resistant to the effects of water alone, as anyone who has cleaned a sheath knows, I am uncertain that the difference in the natural environment that Vicki outlines is that important and as she implies it is true that wild horses never have their sheath cleaned yet I know on no reports of a regular disease of the sheath of these animals.

Other than running the hose up the sheath after a sweaty ride I have never regularly cleaned the sheaths of my geldings, and yet when the penis is distended there does not appear to be a plethora of dirty material. Maybe that is all it takes? But you have to look at your individual situation and goals:
  • Does the normal build up increase the squoinking noise?
  • Does your horse get a moist build up that causes irritation in the summer?
  • Does you horse develop large beans in the uretheral fossa?
  • Does your horse run it out and it is embarrassingly dirty?
I have wondered if regular washing might not increase the production of oils and cellular exfoliation (smegma). Though I see no reason to discourage a yearly cleaning I do think a check for a bean every 2 to 5 years is rational as I rarely find a large bean in the urethral fossa that has stretched to skin to the head of the penis to the degree that it might cause problems. Also the penis of pink skinned horses should be observed occasionally for the presence of a fairly common cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) of these horses.
DrO
Member:
Melis

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2005 - 1:07 pm:

I'm sure Harley and Brody will not object to bean checking every 2-5 years instead of twice yearly. Thanks!
Member:
Green007

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 3, 2005 - 1:08 pm:

Dr. O,

The "squoinking noise," huh? From now on, every time I hear that sound and someone asks me what it is, I am going to tell them the official veterinary term. I love it!
Member:
Aaring

Posted on Friday, Sep 2, 2005 - 11:37 am:

In my experience, some horses build up much more smegma than others. I've seen some that clearly don't need even an annual cleaning, and others that require some "housekeeping" every couple months. All kept in the same barn with same feed and turnout.
Member:
Vickiann

Posted on Friday, Sep 2, 2005 - 2:21 pm:

That is my experience as well, and with my guys, the one that needs cleaning the most often is the one that is a huge challenge to clean. I read in a horse magazine that it is an actual "fact" that the lighter colored horses (Palomino, gray) get greater build up than the dark colored ones. Whether that is actually true, I don't know, but it is true in my barn! My one bay horse will get a very dirty sheath but very little "bean." The lighter colored boys get lots of "bean!"
New Member:
katelyn

Posted on Monday, Feb 5, 2007 - 9:48 pm:

My 28 year old horse has a bit of a swollen sheath. It is a little warm to touch. The sheath was cleaned in November 06. Should I try to clean again or just watch it for a while.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 - 4:57 pm:

Hello K.G.,
Whether this represents a problem or not requires an exam but since he was cleaned in 06, a dirty sheath seems unlikely. For what to look for with swelling see, Diseases of Horses » Skin Diseases, Wounds, and Swellings » Swellings / Localized Infection / Abscesses » Diagnosing and Assessing Swellings in Horses.
DrO
New Member:
katelyn

Posted on Tuesday, Feb 6, 2007 - 11:26 pm:

I reviewed my last exam and sheath cleaning in November and saw that the vet noted there was a melanoma in the sheath. The horse is gray and I understand those are more common in gray horses. He is due for shots late this month so I will keep a watch on it and hopefully, I will just have the vet look at it when I take him in for shots.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 7, 2007 - 6:06 am:

Following the recommendations in the above article K.G. what were your findings?
DrO
Member:
jmarie

Posted on Thursday, Feb 8, 2007 - 10:21 am:

For what it's worth, a friend of mine finally got around to having her aging gelding's sheath cleaned. It had been at least 8 years. She'd been asking me for advice about his increased bucking and his unwillingness to longe to the right. I suggested a vet call. When the vet did the cleaning, the gelding had to be sedated, and she actually had to cut the end of his penis to remove a humongous bean. Within days he had stopped bucking and longed perfectly in both directions. Connection? I'm thinking yes.

DrO, have you heard of performance being affected by pain in this area?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Feb 9, 2007 - 6:11 am:

Pain in this area often causes a type of stiff appearing lameness behind Joanne. Certainly bucking is an avoidance behavior, it would be reasonable to assume that the bean was what this was all about though I am surprised at the lack of other symptoms.
DrO
Member:
tasia

Posted on Friday, Feb 9, 2007 - 7:57 am:

K.G., there is an article in the March issue of Horse Illustrated concerning sheath cleaning. This may give you some additional information.
Member:
jmarie

Posted on Friday, Feb 9, 2007 - 9:57 am:

Thanks, DrO. I'm not sure that there were no other symptoms. The horse owner in question has a lot of years behind her but not a lot of knowledge. I never saw the horse, only heard from the owner what was going on.
New Member:
corey101

Posted on Thursday, Oct 1, 2009 - 10:54 pm:

My gelding's penis gets caked with a yellowish gunky substance which I have to clean off every week or so. This stuff has NO odor. Is this dried smegma and is there something like baby oil or water based lubricant I could put on his penis to keep it from getting gunked up? His sheath has never been cleaned, no sign of a bean.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Oct 2, 2009 - 7:33 am:

Hello Reba,
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