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  Discussion on Sheath Issues
Author Message
New Member:
halfmoon

Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 8:22 pm:

Hi- My 13 year old TWH gelding has been miserable with sheath issues for 3+ years. I have looked at a lot of articles and it is apparent this is a frustrating situation. My excellent DVM has rather given up. I live in a place with long winters and I think the cold and inactivity exacerbates things. He has excessive smegma production, seems itchy all the time, frequent urination but perfectly capable of a strong stream, and swelling. No UTI or evidence of stones. Stands with his tail all "twisty" alot. He is miserable. Right now I am applying pure aloe vera just inside his sheath and then rinsing it with cold water all the way up -he is very happy to let me into the back chamber. The last few weeks I have resorted to Preparation H in the "lower reaches". Seems to be helping!
I also give him homeopathic called "colic calm" and it seems to really calm things down. I have tried everything and it is seems to be a losing battle. My current regime IS minimizing it. I am talking almost daily rinses!! My question is- I have a read alot about altering normal flora when there is too much intervention. I cannot find anything stating the make-up of sheath normal flora. I am in a position to work up the bacterial content of his sheath but what would be considered a pathogen? I did a minimal work-up that had no yeast, at least 4 anaerobes and several aerobic bacteria. Using yogurt seems questionable at best. Thanks. PS- he never DrOps completely to urinate and I wonder about urine residue being retained and irritating?
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 12:13 am:

First thing that I have to wonder about is the possibility of a fungal infection up inside of the sheath.

Have you had any cultures done?
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 12:15 am:

Sorry -- see that you did have some things examined but don't know whether that would rule out all of the fungal possibilities.
New Member:
halfmoon

Posted on Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 11:32 am:

We thought yeast, which is in the fungi family, to be the most likely culprit. That said, there was no yeast, but it certainly does not rule out all fungal possibilities. I will look into that next week. Bacteria that was present included an E. Coli, Group C strep and Bacteroides Fragilus. Other bacteria was present but we did not continue to work it up because no one seems to know what is normal. Thanks Vicki.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 6:18 pm:

Hello halfmoon,
If there is no tissue inflammation I am uncertain that infection is a problem. I don't think frequent urination is likely to be a result of the excessive smegma and am uncertain why he flashes his tail. Can you describe what the smegma looks like or perhaps a picture of the excessive build might help. I do believe frequent cleaning can cause problems, has anyone suggested to you to flush light mineral oil /baby oil up the sheath to help dissolve the smegma without disturbing the flora that much?
DrO
New Member:
halfmoon

Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 8:56 pm:

Hi Dr O.
I have always placed infection at the bottom of the list but someone suggested yeast and that started the bacterial/yeast quest. That made me curious about normal flora. (I was a vet tech and now work in a clinical laboratory) I have not done the mineral oil thing for a long time. I have not used any soaps for months. I do think he has inflammation big time. I have tried B-L to calm it without results. The homeopathic "colic calm" is an anti-inflamm and the only thing I think helps. I try not to mess with it but he "wants" me too. I have had geldings all my life and never messed with any gelding's sheath much. The discharge is gray and paste-like. It is excessive. Appears to be flakes of skin also. Sometimes I swear there is blood. Often has a foul, sour odor. He likes cold water. He wants me to do something and I am out of ideas. We have considered accupuncture etc. but that is un-practical for geographic and financial reasons. Maybe I should stop the aloe after water flush and revisit mineral oil? Ughh. LOVE this particular horse!! Thanks for your thoughts.
New Member:
always

Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 3:15 pm:

Hi, I have had some success with gunky/itchy sheaths by washing with Equyss Micro Tek shampoo (the label states it is also good for genital area) then after rinsing well, applying aloe gel. Does seem best not to over-do, even though my horse also gets grungy again pretty quick. But, it did stop the itching.
Member:
babychop

Posted on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - 8:27 pm:

Dr O, would the mineral/baby oil apply to peanut butter texture super sticky smegma deposits? Don't mean to break in but other than the itchy this sounds like my gelding - nearly impossible to get him clean. Lucky for me all it takes to get him to DrOp is to brush him, he's very cooperative.
New Member:
halfmoon

Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 8:01 pm:

Jane- anything to stop the itching! I will try that.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 8:44 pm:

Have had the bloody irritated sheath situation with one of my horses over his lifetime and it eventually turned out that he has metabolic problems (EMS).

Frequent urination goes along with EMS too. My horse is doing well since he has been on Thyro-L.

So strange how a few of them will have these issues and my boy would get a build up of waxy stuff on the inside of his back legs.

Hope that your horse is more comfortable soon.

I know that some of my friends use KY gel to loosen up the nastiness.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 7:26 am:

Andrea, it might help in some cases. The idea here is to get the sheath cleaned out without using soap or water. If the exudate is primarily excessive body oils the light mineral oil, like is found in baby oil, will thin up the exudate and help with its removal. The hope is that over time normal flora will get reestablished.
DrO
Member:
babychop

Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 10:06 am:

Thanks DrO
New Member:
halfmoon

Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 2:51 pm:

Vicki Z- your experience most closely describes our situation!!!! Especially the waxy buildup on the inside of the back legs-something I have never seen.
I have had a horse with Cushings/EMS and this horse does not have any of the classic symptoms- no cresty neck, no evidence of insulin resistance, etc.
Did you start on the Thyro-L because testing showed decreased thyroid function?
Thanks to all who have posted possible suggestions.
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