Dried blood on my horses sheath?!!?

Question

I have a 15 yr old Appaloosa gelding.When I was tacking him up yesterday he let his junk out and it had crusted red stuff on it which appeared to be blood? Is this normal? I've neer had a gelding before so as much information as possible

Answer 1

No, it isn't normal.  You should clean the area gently and feel for lesions, and look for blood.  If you don't know how to do that, leave it to a vet who can also determine the source of the blood.

Answer 2

Okay well it good just be normal but I have seen one case where the knats(same ones that cause sweet itch) have got inside the sheath and cause blood. This is very common and can easily happen. I would most likely have a vet comeout because there are many posible things that could be wrong.

Answer 3

Hello,

My input:

Sounds like smegma, which is NORMAL, and it can have a weird color to it, and look flakey and yucky!  He just needs to have his sheath cleaned!

If you don't know how, many people have the vet do it when they come out for floating of the teeth, etc...

It isn't hard to do, but some horses don't like it done.  I recommend Excalibur cleaning formula for the job>

http://www.smartpakequine.com/productcla...

EDIT***  I agree with Buffy, if you haven't ever cleaned a sheath you may want the vet to do it the first time.  You can watch and see how he or she does it and how the horse acts.  AND yes, some geldings they sedate first, that is where having it done while the teeth are floated, pays off, you only pay to sedate the horse once!

Answer 4

I don't think I need to add to the other two answers you already got (which are excellent) but I will mention that blood, when dried, will become easily recognizable as blood if mixed with water.  Meaning, if you touch the dried stuff with a wet finger, you'll be able to tell if it's blood or not just by its color and consistency.  I think what you're seeing is probably smegma.

Answer 5

I would call the vet.  Some horses will not allow you to touch around their p***s area and you may get kicked.  I have a Morgan gelding that must be tranquilized before he'll let me clean his sheath.

If he will allow you to touch it without any fuss, it needs to be washed with mild soap - start with warm water and see if you can determine where the blood maybe coming from.

You may not be seeing blood.  I'm not sure what you know, but horses get what they call "smegma" on their sheaths, penises and mares get it between their teats on their udders - it's a combination of body oils and dirt (watch the horse when it rolls - it throws dirt under it's body with its tail).

There's a good product for this called Excalibur sheath cleaner - it's an all natural gel that has stuff like tea tree oil in it to release the adhesiveness of the oils.  

If you look again and can tell for sure that it's NOT blood - it's not dried and crusty - maybe it's more black, oily and sticky - and he'll let you touch or clean it, the Excalibur might be all that it needed to clean it up.

I know it sounds really gross and maybe a little like something you shouldn't do - but it really is - the horse's genital area is still an area we must keep clean to keep it healthy and from being a place where bacteria gather.  Likewise, the horse Under-tail area should be washed with gentle shampoo or soap regularly toon.

But - if he won't let you handle it (oh, don't forget the lates gloves - you don't want bacteria from barn-dirty hands getting in there) do call someone for help.  He may have even been bitten by a horse fly or something and it's gotten infected or the blood is just from that (if it is blood).

When my foals are babies, I touch them all over - the area under their big hips they can't itch or get to.  All the ones I've raised will let me touch them all over so I can clean this gunk (that's what it makes you think of - gunk) off and keep them comfortable.

Good luck!

Answer 6

It could be smegma and he should have his sheath cleaned every 6 months, but, if you saw blood it could be due to flies or gnats striking his sheath.  The fact that there was blood tells me this horse should be seen by a veterinarian.