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| Sheath Cleaning 30th January 2011, all finished, nice and clean, now retracted |
I have been sheath cleaning today and thought I would share ........................
My easy friendly Sheath Cleaning style. Quite simply, I use an old sock! I place my hand in the sock in warm water. (Always take the sock home to clean for next use). I use no lotion or potions as these may cause irritant or an allergic reaction, (of course this choice is up to you, but as a rule, I dont) I just use clean warm water ONLY. The photo shows one of our youngsters (19months (2yr) old). This shows you it is a nice friendly respectful way to clean him without any fuss, all finished and done, nice and clean. Feeling around this area as a young foal/yearling prepares the young horse for this job and de-sensitises him to the touch to that area , but dont forget, it is his delicate parts. Be nice and patient and talk your horse through it like Informed Consent (talking him through the job step-by-step) lol. Be nice and slow and slowly encourage extraction of the penis which may require you to reach in. A warm sock is nice and encouraging for them.
Why Sheath Clean?
Like any cleaning method, in general it is to keep clean as to prevent infection and disease. Not only this, but it gives chance for the horse owner / groom to check the genital area for any potential lumps or bumps, lesions, tumours, sarcoids etc etc. In many cases it is hard for the groom to receive the full penis due to the natural retraction. A warm sock can help stimulate the movement for easy cleaning and keeping a watchful eye. More so on a breeding stallion and keeping him clean so to help prevent the harbouring of the micro - organisms in Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) venereal disease and others. Stallions can 'carry' the organism on their external genital area and can do for years. If cleaning is done on occasions it can prevent this bacterium building up in smegma. (In general, the stallions show no symptoms but the owner / breeder can have swabs taken). You can also check for any lumpy build ups of smegma, if these build up into little mini marble shaped balls of muck, they can prevent the horse from urinating properly and can become painful for your horse. Dont forget to reward your boy, after all, it is a pretty sensitive private part!
Smegma: Dirt build ups and fatty excretions, normally looks like flaky pale yellowy stuff on your horses penis.
How often?
You dont want to remove the natural oils / protection provided for the foreskin movement so on average, clean your horses's sheath approx twice a year (unless it is a breeding stallion).
CLICK HERE:Codes of Practice on Equine Diseases HBLB
