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  Discussion on Ulcerated Sheath
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Posted on Wednesday, Aug 1, 2001 - 5:18 pm:

Our gelding has had bad infections in his sheath for many years. Close to 6 years. Getting close to him was impossible. On several occasions the vet came round and his solution was to sedate him and leave him to us to clean and a dose of antibiotic injections. Even with sedation we couldn't get close enough. Earlier this year we called in another vet who gave him a stronger sedation and cleaned him himself, including antibiotic injections. Since, the horse seems to have realized we're only trying to help him and over the weeks/months he stands quite still and lets us clean him well although he will not actually DrOp. On a regular basis, almost daily, we clean him with Excalibur or Betadine, leave it on for about 5 minutes then rinse it off well and once dry we rub in some ointment/cream. At the moment we are using Dermisol but have used many different brands. Nothing seems to heal it. It gets better for a few days and then bad again. At time it gets so bad the skin is actually broken. Last week he actually bled as we saw DrOps of blood on his back legs. He possible scratched himself. He also loves rolling in his paddock which is very dry and dusty. He doesn't seem to be uncomfortable or in pain at the moment. He was last September. Can anyone give me some suggestions - Please?

Posted on Thursday, Aug 2, 2001 - 5:21 am:

Without examing the horse Anthonie, it is difficult to understand the problem. Chronic infections of the sheath are rare and indicate a underlying problem, that I do not understand. If you have chronic sores they have not responded to proper treatment it should be biopsied for possible cancer.

The problem you are having now with the cracking and bleeding may be due to all the excessive washing. These tissue were obviously meant to stay a little oily/flaky/greasy as just about every healthy horse I have ever know is. So your constant washing has removed this potective barrier and research shows if you constantly wash with antibacterial soaps all you do is drive away the normal flora and gram negative pathogens tend to take over.

But there is the dilemma: are you having problems with some unusual infection that needs further attention (very unlikely in my expereince) or are you over washing and medicating and there fore drying out and irritating the skin and causing it to crack? I cannot tell from here.
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Aug 2, 2001 - 9:12 am:

For many years all we could tell was that the penis was full of 'crust'. As already explained we could never get close. In May 2000 we introduced a mare into the same paddock and he mounted her. After that the crust all came off and very sore skin was visible. This is when it became worrying. In Septemebr/October 2001, after about 2 bad attempts to cleasning him out after a little sedation and antibiotic injections it was obvious he was uncomfortable and in pain. By this time I was getting very worried about it and decided to look after it myself (the horse belongs to my daughter) As already explained, earlier this year, possibly March we called another vet. At this point we had a blood test done and it was all clear. After heavier sedation the horse seams to have realised I'm not going to hurt him and gradually he's came round to letting me clean him thoroughly. This was when I realised he also had several ulcerations in the sheath walls. At the moment the ulcerated areas are not dry. It was the one closer to the opening that bled, this is what made me think he had scratched himself. Shall I stop the regualar cleaning and just put on the cream/ointment? I'm not very keen on giving him more antibiotics. Or do you think I should get a biopsy done? Besides all this the horse is well. The problem doesn't seem to be worrying him. He's got a good coat and a good apetite. He has quite a large paddock to himself, and is exercised regularly.

Posted on Friday, Aug 3, 2001 - 7:51 am:

Hello Anthony,
many horses develop a very crusty penis, that are a little drier than most, but still fall within normal. I cannot evaluate the sores without examining them. If you have chronic sores that have not responded to proper treatment, yes biopsy would be a good next step. Squamous Cell Carcinoma is a common cancer of the penis, particualy if the skin is unpigmented.

You need to have a good examination before anyone can recommend the next step. I suggest you get a professional to help you with this.
DrO
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