Foal with scrotal hernia?

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Taz

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I have the vet coming out next week to check Finn, I think he has a scrotal hernia, I hope I'm wrong. She's talking about having me reduce it, which it does very easily, a couple of times a day and keeping a bandage on him to see of it will fix itself before having to have surgery when he's about 6 months unless he has a problem with it before then. Has anyone had to deal with this?
 
No I have not seen this. However I hope to follow this conversation as it is always good to learn something new. Best of luck with this and hope you get some information.
 
Thanks. I'm hoping someone has had this and can give me some advise even if it's just how to keep a bandage on there.
 
Have you thought of using a larger size disposable baby diaper? not sure how large your foal is. Thinking that the waist band would need to fit around the foal where the hernia is and that may or may not keep a bandage on.
 
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I've seen umbilical hernias in foals but not inguinal. If his testes are descended, the hernia can be repaired when he is gelded. The only way I could imagine keeping a bandage there would be with a length of roll gauze. Drape it over his back, cross it as you go under/though his back legs, bring it up on each side of his tail and attach it where the gauze went over his back. But you probably would have to continue with it forward to go around his chest and then also have a gauze belly band/surcingle tied into it. I'm not sure if that would be enough to keep it from shifting, or how well your foal would tolerate it. Personally, I think manually reducing it twice a day would be enough, especially if his testes aren't already descended.
 
Thanks for the ideas! I was actually up checking a mild colic last night and had lots of time to try to figure something out. I thought about those but then when I looked this morning, it won't work. I need to be able to put light pressure between his back legs, not in front. Right now I'm thinking of elastic blanket leg straps around each leg with a folded cotton pad sewn between them under him and then to each other on top. I'll play with it and see what happens. I might end up wrapping him in gauze or even a regular size shipping bandage. He's pretty good about everything and already has the 'should I worry about you' look figured out. Keep the ideas coming, it's all appreciated.

His testes were dropped for the first 3 days then they disappeared. My plan right now is to do this for a few months as per what the vet wants then when he's 6 months take him to the clinic so they can have him right out and geld where it's sterile and do any repair that is needed at that point.
 
Well, the vet just left. Turns out I'm an idiot and he doesn't have a hernia at all. Very good news! :D
He had two pea sized testicles that were dropped when he was born that went away at day 3. The next week he had something dangling that I didn't think should be there. She is convinced it's actually his right testicle that is very large for his age, grew very quickly and has a large cord for his age as well. She did say it was in an odd spot and it took her a while to say that was definitely what she was feeling. Normally when she finds something like that she thinks infection or injury but he's not sore at all and has never had any swelling so she left it with he's built a little odd and he's going to be VERY well endowed.
 

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