Penile cancer in Older Geldings

Cases can come in all manner of forms, but there are some that you don’t hear about every day, so we are sharing this case with the kind permission of the owner to highlight the importance of regular checking of your horse and highlighting anything out of the ordinary – no matter now minor it is.

Please note: The following video contains graphic images and footage of a medical nature that some may find upsetting. Please proceed with caution. Footage for educational purposes.

The name of the gelding has been changed to protect client privacy.

Meet Jerry, who recently visited us for a life changing surgery. He is a 24-year-old section B, who was initially seen by one of our experienced vets for a routine dental treatment.

After sedation, he revealed a much bigger concern: a large pink ulcerated mass on the end of his penis, identified as skin cancer. His owner had been worried that he wasn't as active or sprightly as he had been, not being first in from the field any more, but had put this down to his age.

Jerry was referred to the hospital where further investigation under general anaesthesia revealed the cancer had already spread inside his sheath. This left our surgeon Richard with only one option: an enbloc resection- a complex procedure involving removal of the whole cancerous area and necessary redirection of the penile stump and urethra through a new opening, a bit below his bum. 

Penile cancer happens slowly, rarely spreading more than locally, and horses tend to hide it well. It pays to keep an eye on that area in older animals, especially in those with pink skin, or if the sheath area gets dirty or tender. Putting older geldings through what can seem like a radical surgery is daunting. Based on Jerry’s and many other geldings that have had this surgery, as well as the less extensive versions when caught earlier, relief from the painful cancer is near instant. The procedure can be expected to give Jerry many more happy years with his field mates and owner.

Happily, we can report that Jerry never really looked back and went home just three days later, where his owner reports him to be back to his old ways, full of beans, first in from the field and very much back to his normal life.