Older gelding in need of sheath cleaning...

I brought home an older gelding...late 20s...and he is in desperate need of a sheath cleaning. With my other geldings I can just either catch him hanging out and he will let me clean him or shove my hand up in there and grab him and he will let me slowly pull him out to clean him.

This guy wont let me clean his sheath at all. He will let me shove my hand up in there but he sucks himself so far up inside that I can't get to him. He is in such bad need of cleaning its ridiculous. I caught him hanging out one day and STUPIDLY grabbed a dry cloth, wrapped it around him and tried to wipe some of the gunk off. Doing it dry made him bleed and I had to give him plenty of time for that to heal up.

Is there anything I can get at the farm store to relax him enough to drop out? I have asked my vet and he said I have to "take care of it on my own". Uhg.

Wondering if Show Calm or Quietex might relax him enough to drop?

Get a new vet then
Posted via Mobile Device

I don't really have that option around here. Unless I want to have one drive in from over an hour away. My vet wont make a farm call unless its an "emergency". Am I happy about this? Heck, no. But I don't have much choice in the matter at the moment. If I can just get him to drop I can clean him on my own

I'll just share my experience. When I bought my gelding, it appeared that his sheath had never been cleaned and he had developed urinary problems because of the bean that had already formed. He was obviously in pain down there, very dirty, had trouble peeing, his thing would drip and he wouldn't let anyone even touch his sheath, not even speaking about extracting the bean - even a careful approach/retreat technique didn't work over a longer period of time. So the only option left was really just giving him some calmers. At last he hanged himself out and with just a little resistance we managed to clean his sheath and to extract the bean.

Since then he is a totally different horse when it comes to sheath cleaning - as he isn't in any pain no more, he is easy to clean and even hangs himself all out when he knows he's going to be cleaned.

But you still should get help from a vet to know what sedatives/calmers exactly, and how much, should be used.

Yeah I agree you need a sedative or to get "lucky" and catch him when he is hanging out again. I have never seen sedatives at a feed store but then again I've never looked. I would think a vet is needed to give sedatives?

My horse has problems with this also and my vet will not give sedatives to owners. I'm sort of glad because if there's a problem, I want him to be around. Does your horse get sedated when his teeth are floated???? That's when I can really, really, clean my horse's sheath. In between times, he sees the vet for this and the vet sedates him. (For us, it's essential because he has other problems with his sheath.) You need a different vet. If you have a trailer, I'd haul him the hour to the other vet. Meanwhile, if he's a new horse to you, he might need his teeth checked? Just an idea.

It's not surprising that he's reluctant to drop if he was hurt when you attempted this the first time, but at least you know not to do that again. If he is really crusty and grungy, you might need to shoot some sheath cleaner up there and let it sit for a few minutes to lubricate it before you try to clean again. Use warm water. Be very careful. As he gets to know you, he might relax more.

Honestly, if it's a huge problem and he's new to you, I would haul him to the vet so he could be sedated. It needs to be cleaned. Otherwise, if you can wait till his teeth are floated, there's a great opportunity for you to clean his sheath. You can look at this as a plus: Your horse has standards! He's not going to let just anyone mess around with his equipment! <grin>

Does he let it drop when you groom him? All I have to do with my guy is break out the curry comb and down it falls. I think the key is to be very gentle and patient. Even if you only get a little at a time, at least you are making progress.

I think you should insist more with your vet. As far as I know you can't just go out and buy sedatives at a "farm store". At least not where I live =/.

Posted via Mobile Device

I can get some ...not really sedatives...at our local farm store. I wouldn't really consider them sedatives...they aren't veterinary strength. I wasn't sure if they would even be strong enough to relax him well enough to drop. The only time he drops for me when we are done with a ride and he gets groomed. Any other time grooming, he wont drop. After a ride was the last time I got a hold of him, as soon as he knows what we are messin with down there he sucks it back up and we don't get to see it again lol. So its never out long enough to get the job done. He does not get sedated for teeth floating...sigh. He doesn't seem to care what you do in his mouth....just the other end that's the problem.

I am going to call my vet again tomorrow morning and get angry if I must.
Posted via Mobile Device