ABSTRACT
After a male horse is anesthetized, its penis is packed into the prepuce with a handful of 4 x 4 gauze sponges, and the external ring of the prepuce is sutured securely with size 2-0 or 0 monofilament suture in a simple continuous pattern (Figure 25-2). If the surgery may involve an inguinal approach or an approach to the bladder, packing the sheath in this way can force the penis to lie over and interfere with access to the inguinal canal and caudal abdomen. An alternative in such cases is to exteriorize and clean the penis, catheterize the bladder, and draw the penis to one side of the abdomen or caudad where it can be secured to the table or the horse’s tail. The shoes are removed so that they cannot damage the recovery stall floor or injure the horse during recovery, although this step can be omitted if it will delay surgery. Instead, the foot should be picked clean; the foot and shoe can be wrapped with an adhesive tape with sufficient layers to provide adequate protection (Figure 27-2). A rectal sleeve is then placed over each limb to restrict contamination from that source and to act as an additional layer between the foot and the surgical drape (Figure 27-2). These steps and the following preliminary scrub are completed outside the surgery room.
