This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Diseases of Horses » Urinary System » Penile Prolapse in Horses »
  Discussion on Enlarged testicles of a six month old foal
Author Message
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 1:59 pm:

We have a six month old foal and his testicles have DrOpped and are engorged. Of course, it's the weekend and we can't get a hold of the vet. A friend is coming over to look and see if there is a bean. What else could be the cause? We have only had horses for a year and a half, so I'm not very experienced with them. I don't think it is penile prolapse but I'm going out to have another look at him after I type this to compare with the picture in this section. Thanks
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 2:14 pm:

Correction. The foal is eight months old, and it does look like penile prolapse. The sheath is swollen and his penis is up inside the swollen sheath. Our friend gave him penicillan and vitamins A and D. He said to not drain it and it will drain on its own. He said to give him another injection in two to three days. Should we do anything else. What do we need to watch for, and will he be okay until Monday if we can't get in touch with the vet?
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 3:35 pm:

I am pretty concerned. I cannot see his penis at all. The sheath is completely closed around it. I am currently trying to get in touch with a vet as I am fairly certain that he needs to be cathetorized. I am looking around for gauze to construct a sling with. Help!
Member:
scooter

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 3:41 pm:

Shawna it is kinda hard to tell what you are saying.
1st you said his testicles were swollen, did you mean his penis? I don't know anything about penile prolapse, but from the article it sounds like the penis gets stuck out and you stated his was up inside his sheath? Is just his sheath swollen or his penis involved too? Is he able to urinate? penicillan in 3 more days doesn't make sense and make sure you know how to inject it before you even try...if you hit a vein you could kill your foal.

If you could give a more precise description of what parts are involved you will get much better ans. A picture would probably help also. Good Luck I hope it isn't anything serious.
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 4:42 pm:

It is his penis, I believe. Everything is so swollen it's kind of hard to tell, but it looks very much like the picture. At first I thought it was his testicles because it is larger on the sides. When I looked closer, it seems to bulge out on the sides, and the middle, his urethra is all tucked in. I'm fairly sure he can't pee. No disrespect to the man who came over to help, but I don't feel confident in his advice. He is a kind, old cowboy who is used to treating his animals himself, but what he said to do doesn't resemble the treatment suggested here, and this site has helped me many times before, so I trust the advice here. We were finally able to get a hold of a vet. I personally don't trust this particular vet as he had given us very bad advice about our miniature horses in the past. He has had a couple of strokes and I think there are some memory issues, but he is the only one we can find at the moment. I'm praying that he is having a mentally good day and can place a catheter in the foal.
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 4:49 pm:

Sorry about all my misexplanations. I'm so frustrated over trying to find a vet, and the poor little foal's parts are so messed up looking that I'm just explaining everything all wrong. Upon close inspection though, and taking a deep breath to calm myself, I think it is his penis, and I think it is penile prolapse. I just didn't realize a horse's penis could swell like that. Poor fellow!
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 5:46 pm:

He's back from the vet, and the vet says it isn't penile prolapse. The vet says he is protein deficient. The foal is an orphan. The vet says that he is leaking urine into the sheath, and that is what we are seeing. It did drip when squeezed. We have him on a special feed, and a course of antibiotics and steroids.
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 6:38 pm:

The vet says that he is pulling protein from the muscles and that the muscle that extends and retracks the penis is weak, so the foal is leaking urine into his sheath. We had noticed weight loss a week ago and added supplements. We are adding calf manna, I think that's what it is called, to it now also. His swelling is down since the vet squeezed out fluid. The foal was dripping urine also. The vet seemed to be on his game today, but since he severely messed up in treating our miniature horses, I would like to know if his diagnosis sounds reasonable to others. I think perhaps this vet is far better with horses than he is with minis. The foal seems to feel fine.
Member:
scooter

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 8:02 pm:

Interesting.... I'm curious about Dr.O.'s thoughts on this. What kind of "fluid" did he squeeze out? Was it urine of pussy type stuff?

Just out of curiosity what is in his total diet including supplements?
Member:
juliem

Posted on Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 - 10:54 pm:

Shawna, I can't offer any helpful advice, but you have my sympathies! These young horses sure keep us on our toes don't they! I have three weanlings and it seems every week presents something new to worry about. So far, this site has provided me enough info to avoid a vet visit, but I'm sure my time is coming! I've had horses for many years, but nothing younger than a year for about 30 years. So much has changed and I'm so much more aware of potential problems than I was then. I have to say though, I love the learning process. Sounds as if you're doing the best you can for this orphan, so pat yourself on the back and get some rest. Tomorrow is another day--and hopefully a better one. Julie
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Dec 9, 2007 - 8:07 am:

It is a confusing picture even with Shawna's input from the veterinarian and am not sure she understood the veterinarian correctly. The muscle that pulls the penis up and down is not involved with holding the urine in and letting it down. Hmmm...reading it again I still am nor sure what is swollen and what the veterinarian found?
DrO
Member:
comet

Posted on Sunday, Dec 9, 2007 - 3:32 pm:

I didn't see the fluid, so I'm unsure. I'm sorry I can't seem to paint a clear picture. I'm not even exactly sure what I'm looking at. The swelling is down today, but he still isn't normal. Here is a pic. Perhaps it will clarify.

[URL=https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/menamama/PICT0147.jpg][IMG]https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/menamama/th_PICT0147.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/menamama/PICT0146.jpg][IMG]https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g294/menamama/th_PICT0146.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
Member:
comet

Posted on Sunday, Dec 9, 2007 - 3:41 pm:

He does seem better today. We're watching him closely. I probably am messing up trying to explain what the vet said. I wasn't there at the vet appointment. It was relayed to me, and I'm probably not understanding it correctly. I'm not sure how protein deficiency contributes to this condition. Dr. O, can you tell anything from these pics, and can you explain it to me if it is related to protein deficiency, or whatever the cause might be? The swelling has gone down quite a bit. Thanks.
Member:
scooter

Posted on Sunday, Dec 9, 2007 - 3:49 pm:

That is weird...can't quite make out what is what either. Is he still a stud colt or is he gelded?

Has he been able to urinate on his own? Is that the urine in pic that is dribbling? it almost looks thick or pussy, but pics can be deceiving.

Thanks for posting the pics keep us informed of his progress...Hope he is better soon.
Member:
comet

Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2007 - 2:12 am:

He is a stud colt, though we do plan to have him gelded. I'm not sure what that is. It actually showed up better in the pic than it did when I was looking at him. He is dripping urine though, so that may be what it is. It's kinda gross looking, poor little guy. He's eating well, and today he wasn't cranky when I went to go pet on him. That is his usual disposition, but he had been a little fussy the past couple of days, and I can see why. Being an orphan, he is used to be handled a lot. Today he let me give him lots of lovings and he seemed to enjoy every bit of it. So, at lest he's acting like himself in that way.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2007 - 6:17 am:

Shawana the above photos have been removed from the photobucket site. Can you post them here?
DrO
Member:
comet

Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2007 - 3:48 pm:

I'm having trouble uploading it. It's too many kilobytes. It does look better today.
Member:
comet

Posted on Monday, Dec 10, 2007 - 4:12 pm:

I contacted photobucket to explain that these pics were not obscene and were, in fact, of an injury I was seeking advice for. They have put them back up. Here ya go Dr.O.
Member:
mrose

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007 - 11:19 am:

Has your vet been able to throughly examine him? I would imagine he would have to sedate the little guy so he could poke around some and see just what is what. I've never seen anything that looked like this, so am very interested in learning what is going on. Good luck with this, and keep up posted.
Member:
comet

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007 - 12:53 pm:

The vet did examine him. I am not particularly comfortable with this vet. He yells at people for disturbing him after hours, and I, and many others I know, have had very bad experiences regarding his care of our animals. To be honest, I don't think he likes animals at all. He's fairly brutal, but he was the only vet we could find Saturday. To his credit, our foal does seem to be responding to the treatment. The foal is receiving antibiotics, steroid shots and a high protein diet. The swelling is down considerably I believe that what I am seeing is the sheath, full of urine. Rocky isn't DrOpping his penis to pee and it is leaking out into the sheath. The vet's explanation was that because Rocky is an orphan, he is protein deficient and is loosing muscle mass. The muscle that DrOps the penis, and retracts it is weak and therefore Rocky isn't DrOpping to urinate.
Member:
frances

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007 - 2:11 pm:

Sorry, Shawna, I know it's a serious matter but - I would love to have heard the people at photobucket trying to decide whether Rocky's pics were obscene or not!
Member:
mrose

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 11, 2007 - 2:43 pm:

Shawna, I've raised two orphans, both colts, and know several other people (breeders) who have raised orphans. None of them had a protien deficiency. They all were, however, bottle fed or pan fed, Foal-Lac, a mare's milk substitute, and put on Foal-Lac pellets as soon as they would eat them. If he was just left on his own to eat hay, I could see how it could happen. How long have you had this little guy? Do you know what he's been fed? Was any blood work done? I'm not dusputing your vet's diagnosis, but am just curious about all this.
I'm glad he seems to be responding to treatment. I hope he continues to do so.
Member:
comet

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007 - 12:01 pm:

Rocky's mother died when he was three months old. She was over twenty, and had not been cared for by her previous owners. She was already bred when we got her. She did fairly well until the last few weeks of pregnancy and then the toll on her body really began to show. Her teeth were horrible when we got her! The vet did what he could to float them, but she didn't have much to work with. She was a great momma though. Initially, after Rocky's birth, Misty seemed to be improving. We had her on a special diet, and she was eating well, and gaining weight. When Rocky was a couple of months old though, she began loosening weight again, despite of our efforts. Our vet wanted us to wean her foal to lessen the demands on her body. Unfortunately, this seemed to deprive her of the will to go on, and she did not improve and was eventually put down. In hindsight, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference, I wish we hadn't weaned Rocky. But, we were trying. Rocky was eating well, and we added Foal-lac to his feed, and he thrived quite well. Another mare of ours took him in, and though she wasn't lactating, she'd let him suckle. About two or three weeks ago, I noticed that Rocky was loosing weight. Around that time we also began putting out hay as the grazing wasn't so good because of the season. We also moved Rocky into a pen where we could add supplements, including Foal-Lac to his feed. He was no longer looking skinny by the time this other ailment arose, so I tend to not think that this is related to protein deficiency. He looks great now. Whatever this is, it is mostly gone now, so I'm feeling quite a bit better. It sure did give me a scare, and it's so frustrating when things happen on the weekend and you can't find anyone.
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007 - 12:25 pm:

Shawna,

I raised an orphan colt too, and he got NO milk at all from my *$@#! mare who didn't want anything to do with him. So I hope you are not second guessing yourself on whether or not his early care was a cause of this. Don't let this vet tell you his being an orphan is the cause of this; sounds like he don't know so he's trying to come up with an answer. I deal with a very, very, defensive vet...she drives me crazy and I always hate to have to call her for anyhing.

Glad he's doing better and hopefully this is the end of it, whatever "it" was!
Member:
morg1

Posted on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007 - 3:20 pm:

I agree with Sarah and Angie. I raised an orphan foal this year too, and he looks great. It sounds like you fed him well enough that he shouldn't be protein deficient. I'm glad that he is doing better. Are you going to have another vet look at him?
Member:
mrose

Posted on Thursday, Dec 13, 2007 - 12:08 am:

Shawna, I totally understand the frustration; every time I have a major problem with any of our animals, it's either a weekend or a holiday.

I take it the little guy is doing better and continues to improve? Good news! I'd love to know what the real problem was, the cause, etc. if you ever find out. The main thing is he's doing better. I tell you, having foals - even adult horses- is every bit as bad as having kids! I'm glad you are trying so hard to take care of yours. It's not always easy.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Dec 13, 2007 - 7:52 am:

I agree with you Shawna: a foal in good condition is unlikely to be chronically protein deficient but if you will put up the foals diet (include analysis of commercial feeds and weights of all) just prior to the problem we can evaluate.

You say he continues to urinate in the sheath, are you twice daily rinsing the sheath out and applying a light coat of mineral oil by syringing it up into the sheath? This will prevent further irritation by the urine.
DrO
Member:
comet

Posted on Thursday, Dec 13, 2007 - 2:26 pm:

When he first began to look a little thin, we brought him up to pen by the barn and began giving him Sweet 12 with Foal-Lac. The vet wanted us to also add Calf Manna to this. So, he is getting all of this, plus hay. He looks great now. The vet drained the sheath. We have not been rinsing, or applying mineral oil. I am glad to read this though as that had not been suggested before and it sounds like a prudent course of action. I am happy to say that the little fellow seems to be almost completely recovered now. I'll take a good look at him though today, because I imagine that a good rinsing wouldn't hurt even if he is healing up. I'll also certainly remember this if we have another occurrence.

I don't know the exact amount of feed that Rocky was getting before the problem. My husband feeds and he isn't available to ask. Our vet recommended a coffee can full of feed mixed with Calf Manna twice a day. I believe we were feeding larger portions than this before hand, but without the Calf Manna. Rocky also has an unlimited amount of hay.

Im pretty sure we are okay. I have been quite skeptical of this vet for his care regarding our miniature horses, but he seems to do better with horses. His manners still stink, but the important thing is that Rocky is getting better. Almost all of the swelling is down today, and his urination is normal now.

Thank you Guys for holding my hand through this. I'm still fairly new with horses.
Member:
erika

Posted on Thursday, Dec 13, 2007 - 9:49 pm:

Oh Shawna, how heartbreaking for you to go through!
Losing the mare must have been such a trauma, and to second guess the impact on this colt must really be tough.
I hope you find the answers for this kid. You obviously care. I look forward to hearing of the resolution of this poor boy's problem.
Erika
Member:
comet

Posted on Saturday, Jan 12, 2008 - 12:45 pm:

I just wanted to let everyone know that Rocky is fully recovered and doing very well. Whatever it was, it has healed up and the little fellow looks fantastic, quite muscular even. We
have been without internet access for almost a month due to driving a T-post through our connection. It takes awhile to get these things fixed out here. I thought I should update everyone and thank you for your hand holding.

Next up is our miniature horses that should began to foal in late March or early April. We finished a new pen for them a month ago and they are as far away from the fescue as we can get them. They are all looking healthy.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Jan 13, 2008 - 6:32 pm:

Thanks for the update shawna.
DrO
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC