Honey, How Was Your Day At The Office?

One of the interesting things about this line of work is the sheer variety of what we do -- and we just never know what opportunities we'll get to enjoy on any given day.  This morning I was on a conference call working on donor database migration issues and this afternoon, I was ... well, I was cleaning a horse's sheath.  (Um, that's a veterinary euphemism for "horse pee-pee.")  I had noticed our old, blind Appaloosa Shasta out in pasture swishing his tail and stamping his hind feet, acting downright uncomfortable.  I knew it wasn't flies because our horses are fly-sprayed, and based on prior experience, I knew this suggested a sheath problem of some sort.  I asked our employee Cindy to bring Shasta in from pasture so I could take a look at him.

Now, before you can grab a horse by his (irritated) penis and start poking around up in there, it's always wise to have the animal thoroughly sedated.  Even a gentle old soul like Shasta might finally end up kicking you into the fence if what you're doing to him is uncomfortable enough.  And sedation is also very important to get these geldings to "drop it" so you've got something to work with.  Thus this morning I had called our equine vet and surgeon, Dr. Erin Taylor, to get the correct dosing for a horse of Shasta's considerable size.

After giving Shasta his IV injections, I went to work with warm soapy water and a wash cloth.  Cindy was helping me and took these photos.  Erin had explained that these old male horses can get big and pendulous "down there," and their prepuce becomes heavier and fattier.  This means more folds in the skin to trap sweat and the urine that can back-splash if they don't extend all the way before they pee.  Add summer heat, and it can become a bacteria hothouse.  The fact that Shasta is light-skinned with a lot of pink also predisposes him to skin problems in the first place. 

I started cleaning on his right side and found plenty of red, raw tissue.  On his left side I was scrubbing away when ... a wriggling maggot fell out of a fold of skin.  Ick.  I moved my (gloved) fingers around deep inside his prepuce and more maggots came out.  Eeeeeeew.  We had one other horse, blind Domino -- also a light-skinned Appy with pink pigmentation -- develop a similar problem a couple of years ago.  This was what I feared was happening when I saw Shasta out on pasture swishing his tail and stamping his hind feet.

Knowing I was in over my head at this point, I called Erin for on-the-spot advice, which is what I'm doing in this photo:

Erin sees my number on her caller ID and answers.

Erin:  "Hey."

Me:  "Maggots."

Erin:  "Really?"

Me:  "Lots of 'em."

Erin:  "Okay, here's what you do..."

Then she walked me through it:  A repeat dose of the sedatives to keep him under for a while longer.  Rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle to kill the maggots.  (I didn't have her preferred maggot-killing solution.)  Continue to thoroughly wash and clean.  Rinse.  Apply Morusone ointment, a steroid cream in a jar helpfully still labeled "For Domino's P.P." (our earlier maggot case).  Give 2 grams of bute, an anti-inflammatory, and continue with the bute tomorrow.  Monitor.

The whole process out there in the corral took over an hour.

Meanwhile, I am emailing Erin this afternoon the graphic close-up photos so she can decide if we need to do more.  (Alayne won't let me post those photos on the blog.)

And that was just another day at the office here at the Rolling Dog Ranch.

Comments

[Sandy Grimes]

Hi Steve,

Boy can I relate to your situation. I have been dealing with a similiar issue for over a month. In which I have had to put anti biotics directly on the urethia to try and clear the problem up not to mention taking pictures to send to the vet to see if he notice a change. We are now back to oral anti-biotics and I am crossing my fingers it works. Have you ever experience a horse with a swollen urethia? The sheath itself looks fine no swelling however he was doing the samething tail swishing and kicking at his stomach. My vet has put the word out but has yet to find anyone else who has experienced this. We have done urine test and a swab and the results state the anti biotics I am using should cure it but so far has not. Any recommendations you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Sandy

[Boundforglory]

You have quite a way with words Steve!!! ; )

Life at RDR is certainly an education; very interesting.

I'm sure Shasta is feeling complete relief after his "treatment".

I'm glad you noticed his discomfort quickly; you're always on top of things though. You're awesome!

[Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin - San Antonio TX]

Poor Shasta! Poor Steve! God bless you for your devotion & for your observation of them too! Glad the yuckiest part is over & hope Shasta will be feeling better soon. You can even write a gross story & make me laugh.

[patty]

Steve,

Truly, you are an angel! It is so heartening to read about your love and dedication to these animals! What a kind and gentle soul your are!!!

Thanks for taking such good care of Shasta!

Patty

[Karen]

Would have to agree with the comment from Moon Rani.....Steve, you're so diligent to have noticed Shasta stomping and uncomfortable in the field. The animals.....so fortunate to have you looking after them.

[Wendy]

Poor Shasta, I bet he's relieved to not have to deal with those things anymore!

[Kelly Luchtman]

Note to Self: "Never read RDR blog while on lunch break"

[Angela]

Great work!! - and what a relief for Shasta!! If you ever had to apply for a job you could put one qualification -- CAN HANDLE ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ANYTIME. Keep us posted on how Shasta does.

[Moon Rani]

And in the "You think *your* day at the office was rough?" category, the winner is...Steve! Bless you and Alayne for all you do.

[ginger & Tobias (the greythound)]

Thanks to your observation of Shasta's behavior, he's going to soon be feeling much better. What's a poor horse to do? What I really hate to think of is the unfortunate creatures that don't have a Steve & Alayne to take care of them. Thanks so much to both of you for ALL that you do on a 24/7/365 basis!
With special hugs,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit

[Kristi Gross]

Alayne, thank you for monitoring Steve and NOT letting him post the close-up photos! Steve, what can I say, you're a good man to do what you do.
Hugs to all, Kristi

[Debbie]

Ok. some places still use maggots on humans to eat away dead flesh... nasty, the things we must do to keep our critters in good shape.. like expressing anal glands...(real fun) Poor Shasta, I know he'll feel better since he's had a good cleaning.

[Jane Tunnicliff]

Hey Steve,

I say 'ick' too during my work day, but I am in an office and staring at a computer screen. In spite of the task at hand, your day sounds much more rewarding! Most of your days sound like hard work, some are heartbreaking and some sound like down right fun.
Your work is good work, again thank you and bless you for caring for your flock.

regards,

Jane

[Karen]

True love is... taking care of all manner of personal business for the critters - no matter how ucky the job.

Thanks for the story / glad that's not an issue I have to deal with for my cats. :- )

Hope Shasta is feeling better soon.

[Kristen D.]

Um, thank you for not posting the graphic photos :)

[Sue H]

Words escape me...I am truly impressed by your dedication to these animals. I have dealt with really bad anal sac issues with a 100lb dog, and I thought that was bad (never smelled anything so gross in my life)...the maggots on the horse penis win...hands down. Kudos to you for your tender care with all these animals! Hope Shasta is feeling better soon - can't imagine how irritating that would be - yikes!

[Debbie Burke]

I never know what interesting bits of veterinary trivia I'm going to learn on your blog. Gross, but interesting :) Who should I feel sorrier for? Poor Shasta or poor Steve?

[Laura]

I'm sure that wasn't a fun job but Steve, you sound like a girl!! Ick, Eeeeeew. I would have added the word gross though. Hope he is doing better by tomorrow.

[Lisa]

God bless your heart - nothing says I LOVE YOU more than cleaning a horse pee pee. (Hope Shasta is feeling better and his ears have gone back up where they belong!)

[Shirley * James * Portland, OR]

Eeeeew is right! GROSS but glad you are taking care of Shasta and the situation....yuk!

[Karen]

Oh you are a good soul! Today is one day when I think I'll pass on saying, "I wish I was visiting RDR!" :-) Hope everyone's better soon! But I'd love to play with all those fuzzy RDR dears some day!

[Jerry Stemnock]

I resolve not to complain about MY job until at least Noon tomorrow.

[Leila - Washington]

Well, Steve, your work is never mundane, is it?? I crack up reading your descriptions of things. Never lose that creativity you've been blessed with! Hope Shasta is feeling much better very soon! And thank Alayne for me for no close-ups!

[maggie]

oh wow. i am repulsed, but very impressed...
and poor shasta. he must have been SO uncomfortable!