horse incontinence

Question
I have a 20-something, Quarter Horse gelding with incontinence. We live in Vermont. He is on pasture 24/7 during the warm months. His problem first started at the beginning of May. He is in good health otherwise. I have noticed that he doesn't always drop down to pee. Also, he is slightly enlarged on one side of his sheath. When we first got him, 2 years ago,the vet said that is probably due to scar tissue. I have to clean his sheath regularly, but he was never incontinent until about a month ago. We have been washing his legs and keeping a salve on them to heal the beginnings of scald and prevent it from getting worse. We'd like to find a solution that will not involve expensive diagnosis and treatment. We will do whatever we can to help this guy, but simply don't have the money to put into protracted vet care. Thank you for any advice you can give.

Answer
Heidi -

So sorry that you are dealing with this issue.  It's a really tough situation because without dropping out of the sheath, urine will collect inside the sheath and cause problems.  I would recommend calling your vet or local vet university and begin by getting a good phone consult which they will provide for you ... never heard of this costing any money but be honest with them about your financial situation.  You never know what sort of research they might be working on where they could take your horse pro bono to help with their studies.  

You're doing the right thing by keeping his legs clean ... use this hose time to flush out the sheath really well too.

Wish I could be of more help Heidi ... please let me know if you're able to get a consult okay?

Thank you!
Judi