What the c**p is wrong with this horses butt??

Question

NO PUN INTENDED,

This TB mare was abused badly. Starved, beaten.etc. Now she lives with me and I'm trying to get her back in shape.

This is gross so here goes, her v****a and r****m are severely sunken in. Neither of them are where they should be. On each side of her r****m are these deep sunken in hole (no wounds) that if not cleaned out will catch her p**p or any dirt that she rolls in. Her v****a is set so upward and far back that when she pees it just runs down between her legs and down her tail instead of pouring out like regular mares. I live over an hour from a vet and the mare freaks and hurts herself when trailered, so I'm trying to eliminate trailering her to a vet.

Also, DO NOT send me messages telling me how awful I am for having this horse this way or anything else, I will report you as abuse and encourage others to do the same. People on here are so NASTY to innocent people and their questions and I"m sick of it.

Answer 1

I don't have much to add other than can you keep some salve or waterproofing agent like a desitin, bag balm or something so it might be easier and less abrasive to clean as frequently as you might have to.

Other than that..thank goodness she has you to take care of her.  Keep your chin up and hers too.

I'm sure all your efforts will start to show real soon!!  You'll feel very rewarded.

Answer 2

It should fill out as she gains weight. We had a horse like that for a while. If  you want to keep her tail clean, put it in a tail bag. It's going to take a long time for the area to fill back in. So if flies aren't bad in your area and she can do without long hair on her tail, cut her tail hairs really short. It's not good to keep the tail wrapped for as long as she's going to be peeing and pooping weird. As for the holes, try stuffing cotton balls in there, although I have no idea how you're going to be able to secure them in there. If you do figure that part out, though, you'd have to change them out every day. You could even get a piece of plastic wrap and tape it to her, and let a flap hang over her v****a, to protect it from any p**p coming that direction and perhaps even redirect her pee. If you're going to tape things to her, I would clip her there first, although there isn't much hair in horses' nether-regions. Use surgical tape.

Answer 3

I've seen many mares like this. Most of the time result in early breeding and immediate and dramatic loss of weight after foaling. There are a few breeders out there that will breed a horse back at 2 just because they "can" and then paired with improper nutrition the filly drops weight before foaling or right after. You will also see this many times in cattle if the heifer has to big a calf. Not to sound gruesome but a lot of cows die each year because they were bred to young and because the calf is so big, they end up expelling their uterus.

Just as being overweight strains the bodies organs, being underweight does the same. Paired with early foaling, I would venture to guess that this mares uterus has not only dropped but also is pushing on her v****a giving it that bulge appearance.

Picking up weight may help to fill in the deep pockets on the side of the r****m, but chances are she will always have at least a little bit of appearance of those left. Just as humans can get hemroids while giving birth, a horses r****m can take the same effect.

You will want to clean daily to prevent UT infections as this horse will most likely always be prone to them in the future. But god bless you for rescuing and taking in this horse and trying to make her life better.

Answer 4

I am with Saddle Sore when I also say I am at a loss for words...however, minus the sunken in areas around her r****m I also know of a mare that has the same problem urinating and defecating on herself.  She actually urinates when she walks, which I find a little disturbing seeing as though I have never encountered that with any other mare.  I clean off her genital area and legs daily and I apply Bag Balm to keep the skin from chaffing, getting too chapped, and to prevent ulcers from the urine.  The hair on her legs is slowly rubbing off though.  I was thinking a urinary tract infection but there could be so many other possible scenarios, we do bute her daily (2 grams daily for the past week) as her condition does look painful and we would like to alleviate some of that pain, she also likes getting scrubbed off and hosed down daily, it has to feel good.   The vet is also coming to look at our mare so I will definitely give you updates as to any advice she might have.  I am sure some weight gain will help but rather play safe then sorry and email the pictures, like others have recommend, to your vet and see what input they give you.  Good luck and let me know if you gather any useful information.

EDIT: Ouch was my answer really that bad...geez.

Answer 5

I'd recommend getting the vet out there if you haven't seen one yet. Please also work with her on the trailering. Just a little work every day, keeping it easy and not stressful, so you will be working toward being able to trailer her.

Answer 6

i do not know what is wrong with her butt.. but thank god there are people like you out there who are willing to give a poor animal like that a second chance at life. however, i would call a vet and ask them to come to you and take a look at your horse. it might be a little bit expensive, but if you're not sure what's wrong with your horse and are worried, it will be worth the money to make sure she's okay.

Answer 7

Good for you on rescuing this mare!  As to the r****m and v***a situation.  This is quite common in older mares.  Call your vet out, have him clean her out and then castlick (sew her v***a up.).  This is an old Thoroughbred trick to keep the f***s from infecting a mare.  It won't hurt her and she'll have a hole to pass urine from, but it will keep her from reinfecting herself, which I'll bet she's already done.

Is it all trailers or just the usual 2 horse she freaks in?  You may see if one of your neighbors has a stock trailer and just haul her loose to the vet, betcha she'll do fine in one of those.

Answer 8

OMG! A vet needs to see this mare. Could her pelvis have been broken at some stage?

Answer 9

You are a saint for stepping up and caring for her.

First - if she was/is starved, that is one reason she is so sunken in back there.  Don't start piling the feed to her.  Start with free choice good grass hay & slowly introduce senior horse feed.  You need to work up to it so she doesn't colic, ie kill with kindness.

Second - She is also out of shape with no muscle.  Once she starts gaining weight, take her for hand walks.  Short ones & work your way up.

It won't turn around overnight, be patient and you'll have a wonderful friend in a few months!

Answer 10

I might guess that the sunkenness could be caused by lack of muscle/weight.  I would say that probably the loss of muscle tone is a big contributor.  As for her tipped v****a, this is actually  not uncommon.  Many horses have this particular conformation defect.  "[Correction] can be done surgically by Caslick's operation although in some cases increasing the physical condition and fat status of the mare may be sufficient." (which may help in your mare's case.)  This is a quote off the following website that explains v***a abnormalities and the Caslick procedure.  Here is the webiste: http://www.equine-reproduction.com/artic...

Good luck with her!

Answer 11

My guess would be muscle loss due to starvation.  The body started feeding on itself.  That is awful, but God Bless you for taking her in & obviously saving her life.

I won't say this will get better as she regains her lost weight & tones her muscles, but I would hope that you will keep us informed.

Answer 12

I have seen rescues like that be for, not that bad.  But I agree when she gains weight it should fill in. I think just work on fating her up & wash her butt ofter as you said it rolls back to her body. Just hose/wash a few times a day. Then by winter she should be fill in. Maybe just call the vet & see what they have to say about it. But it doesn't seen she needs to go to the vet. She just needs to eat a lot!! Poor thing. Good luck!!!!!

Answer 13

i know exactly the problem. this usually happens when a horse is extremely underweight. the eyes will also become sunken in. this horse is what i would call severely underweight. try different supplements and feeds, find what helps her gain weight the best.  slowly these "areas" will "come back out" and will look normal. she just needs some more weight on her.  it is more common in older horses who have trouble keeping weight on, but it is REALLY common in thoroughbreds. it is nothing 2 b worried about.

Answer 14

What you're seeing is the result of her being so extremely emaciated and loss of muscle tone

.  The weight of her intestines (and gravity) is pulling everything downward.

Without taking her to the vet, about the only thing you can do is to keep her as clean as possible.   Use a mild dish liquid and wash her as many times a day as is practical.  Rinse thoroughly, you don't need irritation from drying soap adding to the problem.

You don't say how long you've had her or how old she is.

Give her hay to keep the flora in her gut active.  Having her teeth floated is almost certainly a must, in view of her neglect.   Fresh, clean water at all times.   Monitor her intake of hay and water.  

Several small feedings of grain throughout the day are better than two regular ones.  Her system isn't used to it and she could easily colic.  In her condition, it might be too much for her and death would result.

The next time you're heading anywhere near the vet. take a fresh fecal sample with you and have it checked for parasites.  Don't be too quick with the wormer just yet.  Worming her now could be dangerous.

Try to get her more stable and comfortable first.

I've had a few rescues like this and understand the situation.  There is no quick fix, this requires patience and commitment.  

You are doing the right thing in trying to help this long suffering mare.  Good luck to both of you.

Answer 15

Thats definately not good. I have never seen a horse look like that before. Is she old. I hat eto say it but your best bet is to have a vet look over her. Can you vet come to you. it might be worth the expenses. Also maybe have a horse savvy person with many years under their belt come it and give their two cents. If shes old id say some of it is due to age. try www.horseforum.com

Answer 16

Poor, poor girl!  How old is she again?  This should improve when she puts on some weight, though it's so severe now that I am quite sure you'll still be able to see some sort of indentation when she is at a good weight.  Wow, I have never seen it that bad.  As others have said, you need to clean her at least once daily, thoroughly.  Monitor her very closely for skin problems relating to her urine scalding her skin, and also be on the lookout for weird urinating.  I am thinking she might be more prone to urinary tract infections, as manure is going where it ought not be, i.e. her urethral area.  Poor thing!

EDIT:  I looked at your other (non-butt) photos of her...what a sweet (but tired) face she has.  She's going to be lovely once she's at a healthy weight again.

Answer 17

holy cow..you weren't kidding when you said to be prepared...wow. Glad you are trying to save her and I know that you don't want to hear/read...take her to the vet...but in this case...I'd wrap her head and legs as well as you can so that she is protected while riding in the trailer she hates...and take her to the vet and get her evaluated...looks like she had some major problems giving birth at one point in time.

Edit...after reading some answers from others...wow...i had no idea that a horse could starve that bad and have this happen and still live.

Answer 18

have your vet come to you, it will cost a little more but it is worth not having your mare hurt. http://tonyonehorse.weebly.com

Answer 19

omg! so so sad! i have never seen a horse look like that before poor thing! its not awful of you to have her you probably saved her life from whoever abused her! the first thing i would say is that she really needs to see a vet badly, if she freaks out in the trailer have the vet comeout to your place. try really hard and if he absolutly cant come to your place.. work wit her on loading on the trailer, and try to get her not afraid of it so you can take her. plus if she needs to gain weight. free feed her buy a round bale and a round bale feeder, and let her at it ALL the time, my mare needed to gain about 150lbs.. i put her in front of a round bale 24/7 and gave her about 5 pounds of oats twice a day, and she gained lots of weight in like a month and a half or maybe two months.., but she needs to see a vet.  im not sure what is wrong with her butt...

hope i helped   :)

Answer 20

Aw poor thing, i hope you get her back in shape.

Answer 21

she is going to have to have a lot of care and you can do it.she is going to have to be washed regularly with just water for a while to get any residual f***s and urine off.the reason she is this way is because she is extremely emaciated and lacking muscle and fat.she needs to be started on some good grass and no grain right now it would be a good thing to have her teeth looked at so she can get the most out of the grass that she can.it will take about a month to see a change but during this time you need to keep her in close if she is on pasture or a stall so you can keep an eye on her and wash her regularly.her coat looks dry so add some vegetable oil to the grass to get some fat and some moisture to the coat and build up the fat but keep any colic at bay.start light and work up from there.get her hydrated and do a capillary check every day to see if she is retaining moisture(to do this ,lift the upper lip and press with your finger on the gums,time how long it takes for the pink to come back) you should start to see a change in a couple of weeks and just stay on top of it.

Answer 22

WOW you should call the vet and see if he can come out and see her and pray for her to get better

Answer 23

This is quite common in horses who are severely mal-nutritioned and older in age. I beleive that this type of sunkeness is no different than sunken ribs when severely dehydrated and starving. I would have a vet travel out to see her and follow their advice (make sure she isnt really ill with anything that needs antibiotacal treatment, continue free feeding hay (better yet get a round bale and put it out there for her to go to town on), LOTS and LOTS of water and get a beatpulp/oil and high fat/fibre pellet feed routine (3x/day in smaller portions - dont feed it to fast you dont want to over do her system and cause any digestive issues or even collic) and let her be a horse.  I can just about assure you this is going to get better.  

Good luck! :)  So glad you saved herr!!!!!

EDIT**

So she is likley TB?

Answer 24

That definatly doens't look normal but given the horses history it is very difficult for someone who isn't a vet to be able to give an accurate possible diagnostic. I would suggest contacting a vet and talking to them on the phone and email them photos and a history - that way they will be able to give an idea of whats going on with this mare and whether it is imperitive she is looked at. If they decided that she needs to be looked at then you have 2 choices - either pay for the vet to come to you or you could sedate the mare to travel, but that option depends on how severly the mare freaks. It would also be worth considering how she is trailered as my last horse who was also a rescue freaked and put his foot through a sound trailer floor when travelled with the partition in (ie with pads either side and more restricted) but he was absolutly fine when trailered with the partition out and lightly tethered at the front so he didn't turn. Basically he's clostrophobic and didn't deal with narrow spaces but could cope with it if he wasn't as restrained, maybe your mare has a similar reason for not liking trailering. But basically I would call a vet, email photos and discuss where to go from there.

It's also possible that it is simply that she is so underweight that the lack of fat is why she is sunk in and as she gains weight she may become less sunk.

Hope you manage to sort her out.

Answer 25

You could probably get some good help over the phone by describing the situation to your vet.  the fact that no sores have developed in the cavitated areas is the best news.  I would get a good sized irrigation bottle to rinse out the cavity at least daily with a warm saline solution, or whatever the vet suggests, just to remove debris that could cause infection.  It would also benefit from heat lamp treatments to dry it and kill microorganisms, but I don't know how you would achieve that unless you stand there aiming the light at it.  As a people nurse, I've dealt with maintaining skin integrity in those whose urine and f***s were constantly irritating the tissue.  the best you can do is to clean it regularly, try to keep it dry, and maintain the circulation with massage if possible.  Hopefully as she becomes well hydrated and begins to gain weight this will rapidly improve.  I've seen worse things that recovered beautifully with care.  You are a special person to take this on, and not run from it.  I'm sure that anything the vet would advise over the phone will be able to be accomplished...I agree that she is much better off not travelling anywhere.  the best to you, and I hope you'll keep us posted.

Answer 26

I can add nothing that others haven't already said. But I wanted to wish you well. I hope everything works out and good luck! Your awesome! :)

Answer 27

Wow.....  I'm lost for words?

Something is very, very wrong with that mare. Poor thing :(

Could you e-mail those shots to your vet and explain the trailering situation to him?

Answer 28

Wow..... I've never seen anything like that, but I'm pretty sure weight isn't going to help the situation too much.  

Have you considered e-mailing these pictures to your vet and see if he/she has any suggestions?

Would be very interested in what the vet has to say, so if you get this figured out will you share with us?

Good luck....and thank you for helping this abused mare.

Answer 29

i think she will fill up with grains and hay and a lot of grazing time too also when you go to your feed store again ask about any supplements with extra fat and stuff my any chance do you know her registered name i know a website that you can track there history and stuff see if your vet will come out or email the pics to your vet