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| Discussion on Sheath swelling and obvious discomfort | |
| Author | Message |
| Member: moesmom |
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| New Member: kathyfd |
Posted on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 10:07 am: Lisa,I am sorry to hear about Geronimo. I am sure Dr. O will have some good advice. I will throw my two cents in really quickly. I have a 25 year old gelding that started to have sheath 'issues' approximately two years ago. Sheath swelling, extra smegma (and at times the smegma, if you 'really' smelled it-and I know how that may sound  , had a little bit of a 'sourness' compared to other horses), sheath irritation, sheath biting (lifting his hind leg and biting his sheath-at times even biting the end of his penis), tail swishing, tail rubbing, extra DrOpping, obvious discomfort, etc. At times it seems to be swollen more on one side. All of these symptoms can occur together, individually, or in a random mixture. There have been times when he would not DrOp fully and would not urinate completely as well. Eventually, warts were observed in his sheath. It was determined the warts are from the constant irritation (one was biopsied and was found to be a benign papilloma). After many physical examinations (no visual abnormalities and no beans), ultrasound, urinalysis, and cultures, I still do not have an exact answer. Your case may be completely different than my horse's case; however, while you are searching for an answer, these 'short term' remedies helped my horse. I don't know if they may be helpful for you. 1) Cold water therapy on the outside of the sheath with a hose-a life saver (would stop the biting and alleviate discomfort) 2) Banamine (not more than a three day course) was SO much better than Bute 3) Rhus Tox as a homeopathic treatment for three days (would repeat another three days as symptoms reoccurred) *I can provide the dosage info I was given by my vet if you are interested) **I know the water therapy and the Banamine should help, I am not sure about the Rhus Tox With culturing, we found heavy growths of Corynebacterium and Pseudomonas Aeroginosa. The vet at the time was not concerned because they were considered 'normal' bacteria to be in the sheath. However, months later with no improvement for with my horse, another vet agreed to treat the heavy growth bacteria stating that anything 'heavy' could be problematic. In addition to the bacteria, with my horse I believe the sheath swelling, biting, irritation can also be linked to the kidneys and/or liver as well for many reasons. With that being said, Lepto can affect the kidneys and/or liver without eye involvement. Iron overload can also affect the liver as well. And many other possibilities. I hope that helps some. This has been ongoing battle for a long time, but I think I may be in the homestretch. Go with your gut-I was told by many that he was just 'extra itchy' or that I had 'washed' his sheath too much upsetting the natural flora, etc. in the beginning. When he became symptomatic, I had only had him for 6 months and had not 'washed' his sheath. It was a battle because I 'knew' something was wrong-he was suffering (would actually fall over hitting the stall wall with his biting frenzies/sustained back injuries/looked miserable) and it was hard to get someone to take his condition seriously when the basic tests were not showing that anything was wrong. I hope you find out what is wrong with Geronimo quickly. Best, Kathy
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| Member: moesmom |
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| New Member: kathyfd |
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| Moderator: DrO |
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