[New_image]

Poor little tyke!
Our Miniature stallion has some sort of an infection.
I've noticed him feeling a little sluggish the past week, he was letting the girls boss him around and usually he is the boss but a very nice/sharing boss. The girls haven't been allowing him to eat with them which is highly un-usual. So I've been watching him.
This morning when grooming his belly my brush came up FULL of puss/goo. I took a peek and everything is swollen and it was literally dripping clumps of puss. The smell is beyond horrid.
I cannot get a vet out for a few days so in the mean time I washed him up good twice today, trimmed the area, started him on some antibiotic tucoprim powder.

Any ideas on what caused this? Seems to be coming from in front of his sheath but really I cannot tell where exactly it is from. Heres a picture after I cleaned him up.

He hasn't bred any mares for three going on four months, his one breeding mare is bred and the other is "a dud" shes just his buddy, never comes into heat. Could it be somehow from breeding that long ago? Ideas?

 

[JumpingTheMoon]

Wow, I wish I knew! Poor guy. I would keep him as clean as possible til you can get the vet out.

 

[StormyBlues]

^That would be my idea. Just keep it clean, and maybe give him some bute if he seems to be in pain?

 

[jcran]

Take his temp. Is this right in front of his sheath? Actually IN it? I have dealt with Pigeon Fever this fall and the abscess was ginormous, though not stinky. I don't know if pigeon fever stinks. But I do know it is epidemic in many places right now. Good luck! If it IS Pigeon Fever, it is super duper contagious!

 

[MissDiva]

No bute! His body won't produce enough white blood cells to fight the infection.

 

[New_image]

Thank-you!

I guess I'm not the only one stumped.

Pigeon Fever crossed my mind, I cannot tell for the life of me if its coming from the sheath or just in front of it... I suppose if it was Pigeon Fever the abscess whole would be obvious to me however. My guess is its from his sheath. I just keep washing him up and he is feeling much, much better on day two of his Tucoprim powder however he is still "pussing" a lot.

No bute, just the antibiotic powder.

I cannot find anything online describing what an infection like this would look like, be caused by or what it could be. I have read anything from breeding takes place with in 14 days so that seems to be out. I am clueless!

 

[smrobs]

Wow, poor guy. If it is coming from his sheath, pretty much anything could have happened. He could have gotten a scratch or a sore up in there somewhere that got infected. Just keep doing what you are doing until the vet can get out there to help the poor guy.

 

[ChingazMyBoy]

Poor guy, that must really hurt, I hope you can get a vet to him soon. Just keep it clean. Take his temp and maybe if the mares are being mean/pushy, could you move him to another paddock, so he can relax a bit more and eat without having to worry about the mares?

 

[lacyloo]

Monostat might help if it is itchy...

 

[iridehorses]

I would not suggest treating it with anything but water until you know what it is. You may do more damage then good by giving the wrong treatment.

 

[Alwaysbehind]

I would for sure get the vet out sooner than later. Poor guy.

 

[FGRanch]

Argh, that looks yucky.

I'm really not sure what to tell you. But until you vet makes it out can you consult them over the phone and ask them what to do?

 

[mls]

No bute! His body won't produce enough white blood cells to fight the infection.

Where did you get this information?



OP - PLEASE do not do anything without the advice of a vet who actually sees the horse.

 

[New_image]

I have not been able to find a good vet within a two hour drive of where I am located.
For this reason I self diagnose most cases or ask on public forums.

With little Arro here this is nothing I've seen before so I did just wash him up and start him on a antibiotic until the vet could get out here.

A lot of help the vet was!

He said "It looks like your doing a good job. I don't know whats going on. If he doesn't react to how you've been treating him so far then drive him to a clinic down state"

I hate, hate, hate getting a vet out here because its a waste of $100 to have him come tell me this - this is exactly what I told everyone he'd tell me and I knew he wouldn't have any more explination than I do. Its a infection. Clean it. Give antibiotics. I guess going to school was well worth if for these guys up here huh?!

So I'll continue to do what I am doing and do a wait-and-see.

It DOES seem to be clearing up. Much less messing this AM but still very swollen/a little more so than when the picture was taken.. His personality is back though, which tells me the antibiotics must be kicking something in the rear.

I'll be giving him a few more days then if something worsens or doesn't seem to get better I'll probably haul him downstate to MSU and get a real...good...opinion on whats going on.

 

[Alwaysbehind]

Confused - yesterday you could not get a vet out for a few days and now you have had a vet out with in a day?

 

[drafts4ever]

I think she means a phone consult was no good so she doesn't want to spend the money to hear the same thing in person.

 

[Ryle]

Unfortunately, unless a vet has SEEN your horse in a reasonable amount of time they are generally legally unable to give you medical advice over the phone. This is one of the reasons why you should have your vet out at least once a year to see your horses---they then have an established doctor-client-patient relationship with you that will allow them to legally give you advice over the phone. So, don't blame a vet if they won't tell you anything to do over the phone. You are doing what most vets would recommend initially and without seeing the horse and probably performing a culture of the debris, the vet really can't tell you more than he has.

If the situation doesn't clear up or you notice open sores or lumps, etc on the penis then you need to have a vet exam performed.

But these guys can get an infection from any number of things besides breeding because they do tend to drop for urinating or just "because".