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Male Dog Problems and Care
Bleeding from penis - German Shepherd
Enlarged prostate
Penis unable to retract
Difference in size of testicles
Prostate surgery
Prostatitis
Maintaining a healthy stud dog
Male sexual maturity
Retained testicles
Sore after neuter
Testosterone and Perianal Adenoma
also see Aggression
also see Behavior
also see Reproduction
also see Cancer
Bleeding from penis - German Shepherd
Question: Dear Dr. Michael,
I am having a problem with my GSD "K-9". He is 3 years old and for about 4
months ago he was used as a stud. Now for abut 2 1/2 weeks ago he started to
bleed, red fresh blood drops from his penis. I took him to the vet and I got
some antibiotic and she gave him anti-inflammatory injection. He stopped
bleeding after 3 days while taking the antibiotic. 2 days after the 7 days
couse was finished he started again and with more blood droppes than before.
Took him again to the vet same antibiotic and anti-inflammatory tablets. The
vet wanted to check K-9 with some instruments (don;t know the name) but they
don;t have it here. The vet said since it is red blood it must come from the
end not further in, which makes sense. The vet is not able to do any
further tests that's is the reasons for why I contact you. What could it be?
What should I look for? (He dose not have pain when he is urinating and
there is no blood in the urine).
Please note I do like my vet she has helped me in many situations but this
time I'm a little worried since it dose not seam to clear up and she has not
got the facilities needed.
Looking forward to your advise. Thanks, Maggie
Answer: Maggie-
There are two things to think about when bleeding occurs from the penis.
The first is an injury to the penis or some other part of the urinary tract
leading to the hemorrhage. The second is a bleeding disorder that is
affecting the entire dog but showing up as bleeding from the penis. It is
important to note that occasional instances of small amounts of bleeding
from the penis (several drops but enough to be noticeable) are not highly
unusual in intact male dogs and often do not seem to cause any significant
problems. This is especially true when they are aware of a female in heat
but not able to breed with her. It sounds like you are seeing more bleeding
than this, though.
The most common problem leading to bleeding in intact male dogs is almost
certainly prostate disease. The prostate can be palpated in dogs by rectal
palpation and if the prostate is greatly enlarged it would increase the
likelihood of prostatic problems as the cause of the observed bleeding. The
antibiotics are a good choice in this case. Prostate infections are often
poorly responsive to antibiotics and they must be used for long periods of
time in some dogs to get control of the infections --- it is not unusual to
have to use antibiotics for 6 to 8 weeks. Prostate hypertrophy in the
absence of infection also occurs and can lead to bleeding from the penis. I
think that this is probably the major reason that we see occasional
bleeding episodes in some male dogs who never really seem to be ill from
the problem. This is especially true of young male dogs who are sexually
frustrated by the presence of a female in heat.
Injuries to the penis are not too unusual in dogs that have learned to
masturbate in response to sexual frustration. It is a good idea to examine
the penis for signs of injury whenever bleeding is seen. We have also seen
injuries to the prepuce that were difficult to locate, including one dog
who had managed to fun over a stick in just the right path to push it
several inches into his sheath, where it caused a great deal of hemorrhage
but was not visible.
Bleeding disorders are not especially common in dogs but German shepherds
are one of the breeds that is prone to these problems, since there is a
higher than usual rate of hemophilia in GSDs. Checking for a bleeding
disorder with a coagulation profile or bleeding time tests would be
reasonable.
It does help to have access to an ultrasound machine when the prostate is
suspected to be the problem but it is reasonable to just treat for the
problems that can be treated for and hope for the best when access to this
type of testing is limited.
Good luck with this.
Mike Richards, DVM
3/10/2001
Enlarged Prostate - abscess or cancer
Question: Dear Dr. Mike,
I have a 14 year old male Border Collie with an enlarged prostate
(approximately 4 times its normal size). He was neutered at 9 years of
age and is in remarkable health for his age.Last Thursday he started having problems with urinating and defecating.
Saturday morning I took him to my vet who immediately sent me on to the
emergency clinic. My dog spent Saturday and Sunday at the e-clinic with
a catheter in and with tests being run, x-rays were taken and antibiotic
were administered. Monday morning he went back to my vet, still on the
catheter. Urethra and bladder blockage, due to stones) have both been
eliminated and the efforts are now is focused on the enlarged prostate.
All tests (blood, urine, urethra scraping, etc.) have come back without
a conclusive conclusion as to the reason for the swelling. It might be
an abscess, it might be cancer, it might be an infection (although after
several days of antibiotics a 2nd x-ray showed no change in the size of
the prostate). At this point I am at a total loss. The two options I
seem to be left with are euthanasia or an ultra sound and biopsy of the
prostate to determine if it is indeed cancerous (approx. $400).
Obviously if it is cancer the honorable thing to do (based on my dogs
age) seems to be euthanasia. I have complete confidence in my Vet, but
at the same time I recognize the limits of a general practice Doctor
when it comes to oncology issues. I guess my questions would be: 1) Is
prostate cancer common in older male dogs and if so is treatment even
advisable at 14 years old? 2) Should I accept my doctor's current belief
that it is cancer (none of the tests have been positive) and move
forward with euthanasia without the biopsy? 3) Is it advisable or even
humane to treat prostate cancer in a 14 year old dog 4) What is the most
common form of doing a biopsy on the prostate. 5) If it is an abscess or
infection that is resistant to antibiotics is surgery our only other
option and is this even advisable on an otherwise healthy 14 year old
dog?All of my good intentions will only give him a few months or a year or
two at most, but I don't want to look back and wonder if give up before
it is time to do so. My dog is bright eyed and energetic for his age,
but I get the impression that my vet feels that at this time euthanasia
is the right thing to do, although to come right out and tell a loving
pet owner that the time has come to put his friend and companion to rest
has got to be the hardest part of his job.Thank you for your time and your response.
Sincerely,
Chuck
Answer: Chuck-
I think that if you just go on statistical probability, cancer is the most
likely cause of a prostate enlargement of this size in a dog in your border
collie's age range. Especially if there is no other sign of infection, like
elevations in temperature or white blood cell count and no sign of
bacteria, pus or blood in the urine. It is very hard to completely rule
out the possibility of an abscess without a biopsy but cancer seems more
likely with the medical history you have provided.Treating for prostate cancer this severe usually requires some sort of
radical surgery. The favored one, at the present time, seems to be removal
of the prostate and anastamosis (joining) of the bladder and colon, so that
urine is deposited into the colon and excreted from there with the
stool. This is not likely to be curative for the cancer, as it is likely
to have spread beyond the prostate but it does provide some additional time
with reasonable quality of life. How much time varies depending on where
else the tumor is.There are a several things to think about as you try to decide what to do next.
If you accept the possibility that this is a cancer, X-rays of the chest
would be a good idea. Tumors often spread to the chest and they are
relatively easy to see on X-rays of the chest. If this is a prostate cancer
and it has already spread, the prognosis would be poor with any treatment
option. Carefully palpating the regional lymph nodes might also give some
indication of whether a tumor has spread.A biopsy is necessary, not just to decide if this is cancer or something
else, but also to decide what type of cancer. This could be a prostatic
adenocarcinoma or a transitional cell carcinoma or possibly another type of
cancer. Knowing which one it is will enable your vets to make the best
possible plan.I think that surgeons would advise you that the quickest way to an answer
and treatment is to do surgery and get biopsy samples along the way. I
think that internal medicine specialists would lean towards an ultrasound
guided biopsy. I think that the real difference is whether or not you are
prepared, right at the moment of surgery, to move on to the next step. If
you really would consider a major surgical procedure at this time, then
just going for it might be the best option. Abscesses do sometimes require
surgical drainage and tumors are probably best treated surgically, although
chemotherapy to try to gain comfort is also a possibility.You have to evaluate the whole patient. No matter what you do, you won't
have a new or younger dog. You have a fourteen year old dog with all the
same problems that were present before this one particular problem
occurred. If he is in good enough shape, otherwise, to make it reasonable
to expect a year or two more of life, then it is easier to contemplate a
surgery that is quite extensive. If you know that there are other problems
that are making your border collie's life less than pleasant, then
contemplating a major surgery or prolonged chemotherapy isn't as easy. It
sounds like you think he is in pretty good shape, which is helpful if you
do go for treatment.Quality of life is very hard to evaluate before attempting surgery or
chemotherapy, because not all patients respond in the same way. Surgery
would definitely fit in the "major" surgery category and at least a few
weeks of recovery would have to be anticipated. Chemotherapy would be life
long at this point, probably. Some dogs do really well with chemotherapy
and others don't. I know of no good way to know who is going to have
problems in advance. However, chemotherapy can be stopped at any time.Lastly, cost has to be factored in. Surgery and chemotherapy are both
expensive. If you can't afford at least two thousand dollars then it might
not be a good idea to start down those paths. Either choice could cost more
than that, as well. It is not easy to let money be a deciding factor but it
has to be at times.Most vets don't think that they should make a decision to euthanize a pet
for a pet owner and often only discuss euthanasia as one of several
options, even if they think it is the best option. It is just such a
difficult topic since differences of opinion about when and even if to
consider euthanasia vary widely among clients. I will tell people what I
think only if they ask me point blank or if I really think a dog is
suffering with little to no chance of recovery.If this just makes you more confused, please feel free to write me again to
ask for clarification.Mike Richards, DVM
2/4/2000
Question: Hi dr Richards
I just notice that My dog the silky terrier, 12+ years, m, (who has kidney problems) - his penis is
stuck out and hard for the past 2 days.He has no other symptoms. Is there anything wrong with it. He sometimes licks his penis.
Thanks a lot. Lily
Answer: Lily-
You do have to take this problem seriously. Usually this happens because the bulbous glands of the
penis have managed to engorge outside of the prepuce, which makes it difficult, or impossible, for the
penis to retract. This can lead to problems if the situation isn't corrected. Often, we have to
anesthetize the dog, lubricate the penis and sheath well and then use traction sutures to move the
prepuce back up and over the penis. Sometimes it is even necessary to surgically widen the preputial
opening. We try to avoid doing this, if at all possible, though. If the opening is too wide, the tip of the
penis may stay extended and this appears to be pretty irritating to it.This is important enough to try to find an emergency veterinary care facility if you can not contact your
usual veterinarian over the weekend.Mike Richards, DVM
4/2/2000
Difference in the size of testicles
Question: Dear Dr. Mike,
I wrote to you a couple week ago about our Lab Champ. He had a lump on
his nipple. With your advise of antibiotic and I did soak it in warm
warm it had almost disappeared. Its down to the size of a dime and you
can feel all around it.I do have a new concern with him that I have just noticed. His testicles
one seems to be smaller than the other with the larger hanging lower.
The vet did feel them and said there are no lumps and they are smooth
and not to worry unless they suddenly change.I would like your opion, is this something to worry about. He's going to
be 12 in June and in good health. except for a few lumps ,and a happy
dog.Thank You, Linda
Answer: Linda-
I would worry if my dog had enough difference in the size of his testicles
that I could detect it. When one testicle has a tumor that is producing
excessive amount of hormones it will often cause the other testicle to
decrease in size. This should be carefully monitored and if you become
certain that the size difference is certain, I honestly think it would be
best to consider castration to be sure that there is not testicular
cancer. You do have to factor in his age, but this is a relatively minor
surgery so unless cost is a major concern I think it is best to err by
removing a normal but small testicle instead of waiting and making the
error of leaving a testicle with a malignant tumor long enough for it to
spread somewhere else.Your vet may have good reason to believe it is best not to consider surgery
so be sure to consider his or her advice carefully, since my advice can't
include an evaluation of Champ's overall health status.Mike Richards, DVM
3/28/2000
Q: dr. mike:
a friend of mine has a dog with a large "mass" developing in the
prostrate area. after monitoring its growth for some months, her vet
has finally indicated that it should be removed. he also indicated that
the prostrate area is a difficult area for surgery.
how can my friend locate a veterinary surgeon who may specialize in this
area? we live in the chicagoland area, but she would be willing to
travel with the dog to get the best surgeon possible.
in general, how does one locate veterinary specialists? and how does one
judge their expertise? is there any type of national referral service?
does any association compile statistics on treatments and success rates
by doctor?
i'd appreciate your response as soon as possible, as the "mass" is still
growing. thanks.
A: J.
Sorry, but Hurricane Floyd interrupted our ability to respond to messages.
We just got power back this evening.I can not help much with your inquiry, beyond giving you the basic answers
to some of your questions.Most veterinary specialists require that a veterinarian refer cases to
them, meaning that most of them will not take direct appointments from pet
owners. This is good and bad -- good in that it assures that the specialist
is necessary and conserves their time, bad in that some vets don't refer to
specialists unless specifically asked to do so.There are often referral centers with several specialists in major cities,
so I suspect that Chicago probably has one. The other choice would be one
of the veterinary schools in the area. The veterinary schools tend to be
good sites for surgeries that require a lot of aftercare and I am under the
impression that prostate surgery does require this.There are several things to think about before considering prostate
surgery, though. The first thing is to be sure that there are not
metastases to the bone in the region or to other areas, if possible. Then
consider that prostate surgery is not usually totally successful and that
it almost always produces incontinence (which can sometimes be controlled
with medications). There is some research on using laser or ultrasonic
surgical techniques that seems promising but is mostly being done at human
research centers (where they have equipment like that). Radiation therapy
can be helpful and may give as good a prognosis as surgery. Piroxicam
(Feldene Rx) is used to make dogs more comfortable and help prolong their
lives in that manner, too. It is sometimes necessary to use medications to
control other problems, such as high blood calcium levels, as well.The best thing to do is to find a veterinary oncology specialist. There are
usually good ones at most of the veterinary schools. Find out how
successful they are in treating protate cancer and make sure you understand
their concept of success --- is it OK if it is just prolonging life a few
months, or do you want more from the definition?I am certain that there is no one keeping track of success rates
independently among veterinarians and there is no referral service I know
of that isn't a "for-profit" venture -- which makes them much less useful
since they are hardly objective.Your friend's vet should have some idea who the good specialists are in the
area. It would probably be best to take his or her referral first and then
look for other means of locating a specialist if that doesn't work out.Mike Richards, DVM
9/18/99
Q: Have a one and a half year old male Yorkie with prostatitis according to a vet. What treatment would you recommend ? Would neutering be needed on a emergency basis?
A: Prostatitis is usually treated with antibiotics. It is generally from a bacterial infection of the prostate gland leading to inflammation. This causes pain when urinating and may cause lameness or stiffness in the rear legs. It can be a serious illness, sometimes leading to septicemia (blood borne infection). It is best to treat with an antibiotic that has been chosen based on a culture of the prostatic fluid but veterinarians often choose an antibiotic based on the likelihood it will work for prostate infection since culture and sensitivity takes a few days to get results from and adds to the expense of treating the condition. If the antibiotic doesn't seem to be working it is best to insist on a culture, though. Neutering probably doesn't help much with acute prostatitis but it may be helpful if chronic prostatitis is present and it definitely helps if there is benign hypertrophy of the prostate. The latter condition is more common as dogs get older and would be unusual in a young dog. In some instances prostate infections abscess. This is much more serious, does respond best to surgical drainage and is at least a pressing problem, if not an outright emergency. Castration is a good idea when treating prostatic abscesses but the abscess must still be treated properly as it will not go away with castration alone.
While I haven't seen much mention of it in the medical texts, I really think that prolonged exposure to females in heat, especially when mating does not occur, can lead to painful enlargement of the prostate that really isn't an infection. Just inflammation. This does seem to respond to castration or to limiting exposure to females in heat.
Good luck with all of this.
Mike Richards, DVM
Maintaining a healthy stud dog
Q: What would I do to keep my four year old male dog healthy enough for him to
continue to successfully breed into his later years?
A: First, you have to assure his general health. There are a lot of variations
from place to place in the potential threats to his health, but there are
some general quidelines and few specific things that probably apply to most
dogs.Try to insure that he is eating a nutritionally balanced diet in amounts
sufficient to meet his needs but do not overfeed him. For a working dog, it
is probably best to think a little bit about what this really means as there
is a lot of conflicting information on things like protein needs, caloric
intake, the benefits and disadvantages of higher fiber diets, etc.One of the most misunderstood areas is the protein requirement. For some
reason, pet owners have come to associate high protein with better quality
in foods. Protein need is a pretty complex subject but there are a couple of
things that might make it easier to think about and understand. First off,
how much protein do adult dogs really need in order to function well? There
is a dog food, u/d (TM), made by Hill's that is 11% protein. We have had
several male dalmatian patients who have lived on this diet for years and
done well. So I think it is safe to assume that dogs can live on 11% protein
if it is high quality protein. Since it is hard to be certain that the
protein quality in a dog food is optimum, it is better to use something like
18% protein as a guideline for the necessary amount. Protein above the
amount necessary for maintenance and repair of the body is used for energy
(calories).Since dog foods that meet the AAFCO standards (it will say this somewhere on
the bag) contain adequate protein and should contain adequate minerals and
vitamins, the major variable in dog foods is the calorie content. Dogs
should receive enough food to be maintain their ideal weight and to perform
physically at the level required of them or that they choose. This caloric
amount varies widely from dog to dog and there is no really good guideline
that will ensure that any particular dog is receiving the proper amount of
food. For an athletic dog it is probably best to keep weight at a level
where the last three to five ribs are visible on short coated dogs and
easily palpated on long haired dogs. For less active dogs it is probably OK
if the ribs can be palpated (felt by lightly touching over the area they
occupy) but are not clearly visible. If it is necessary to push in on the
skin in order to feel ribs, a dog is overweight.Foods also have variations based on fiber content and ingredients designed
to aid in digestion or to produce beneficial medicinal effects, but these
things are less of a concern to the average pet owner or breeder. Except
perhaps that low fiber diets usually result in less bulk to the stool, which
is important to people who have to scoop up behind their dogs. These types
of ingredients may be important in order to control problems in an
individual patient. As your dog ages there may be some point at which you
want to manipulate his diet but for right now, a good quality dog food is
probably all you need.Preventative health measures that help to ensure longevity and good health
are obviously important when trying to preserve breeding potential for as
long as possible and in keeping an companion animal around for a long time.
It is hard to rank the importance of various procedures but there are a few
things that are really important.Control your dog's weight. Keeping a dog at or near its ideal weight is much
better for joint function, for his back and for major organ function. It
ranks very high on the list of things that help to ensure longevity and the
ability to function throughout his lifetime. There are only three ways to
help dogs that are overweight lose weight --- increase their exercise or
decrease their caloric intake -- or do both. It is much easier to carefully
monitor weight and to adjust the amount of calories fed or the amount of
exercise necessary to maintain a good weight than it is to make a dog lose
weight.Use heartworm preventative medications unless you are certain you are in an
area in which heartworms are not a problem. This is not the case anywhere in
Virginia that I am aware of. Use it from May to December AT LEAST. All year
is probably better.Keep your dog's teeth clean. If you can't brush them let him have access to
rawhides or to large bones (beef knuckle bones). There is a compromise in
allowing dogs to chew on bones in that some dogs break their teeth,
especially their fourth premolars on the top, when allowed to chew bones.
This can lead to complications necessitating removal of the teeth. On the
other hand, the dogs in our practice with the least tartar and best looking
teeth are dogs that have access to rawhides and/or bones. A dental exam
should be part of the yearly visit each year at the vet's and if your vet
suggests teeth cleaning it should be done in almost all cases. We usually do
have to use anesthesia in dogs to do a good job of teeth cleaning but the
newer anesthetics are safer and not having to obtain a surgical plane of
anesthesia is also an advantage in dentistry.Do have at least yearly physical examinations. Make sure that your vet
checks your dog's testicles to be sure they are about the same size and
consistency on each examination. Testicular cancer does occur in dogs and
uneven testicular size or changes in the testicular consistency are clues to
its presence. While I have never tried this, removal of one affected
testicle would probably be reasonable if cancer was detected early. If your
vet does find evidence of weight loss or signs of disease, pursue a
diagnosis. It is much easier to provide prognosis and treatment advice when
a cause for the problem can be identified.The need for various vaccinations is always hard to figure out for an
individual dog. In general, the "core" vaccinations of distemper,
parvovirus, parainfluenza, adenovirus and rabies should be maintained on a
routine schedule, usually every year for all but the rabies vaccination,
which is given every three years. Leptospirosis vaccination is a good idea
in some situations and field trialing may be one of them. It must be given
twice a year to be really effective, though. I don't see much need to
vaccinate for coronavirus. Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccinations may be
beneficial for dogs that spend a lot of time at competitions with other
dogs, too. They also have to be given twice a year to really provide
reliable protection. Lyme disease vaccination is a tough one for me to
decide on the necessity for, primarily because it is a very low risk where
we practice. I tend to think that it is probably unnecessary in the Southern
states but will give it on request. There are now three Lyme vaccinations
available. The oldest one, manufactured by Fort Dodge may cause reactions
with symptoms similar to Lyme disease but this has not been conclusively
proven in published studies, to the best of my knowledge. Still, it would
probably be better to use one of the newer vaccines if you do decide Lyme
disease is a significant risk.If I had a male dog that was used for breeding I think that I would require
the bitches he was going to breed to have negative brucellosis tests unless
they are known to be virgin bitches. In the entire time I have been in
practice we have had two confirm positive tests for brucellosis but those
were important to find. It is a pain for the bitch owner but if my dog was
good enough that I could demand the testing, I would. I am not as big a fan
of routine cultures for bacterial infection. The risk to the male dog is
very low for most organisms, other than brucellosis, that inhabit the
female's reproductive tract. Plus, it is often hard to separate the normal
flora from infectious bacteria, anyway.Breeding management is an area that I am not overly familiar with.
Consistently in the seminars I have attended on this and in the books that I
have, the recommendation is to breed every other day during the time the
female will accept the male. Some male dogs are really adept at figuring out
when the female is receptive. Others are not. If your dog is not very good
at this, it may be a good idea to make sure that the female is restrained by
a leash or other method of controlling aggressive behavior if she objects
strenuously to attempts to breed. If your male is aggressive about breeding
similar precautions may be necessary to prevent him from injuring the female
or inciting her to injure him. Male dogs produce semen more or less
continuously, so it is OK to continue breeding on a regular basis but it is
also probably best to have at least one day's break between breedings, most
of the time -- all based on what I have available to read, not from personal
experience.Prostatic disease is common in older dogs. Benign prostatic hypertrophy is
the most common problem. It would be a good idea to have prostatic exams
done during the yearly visits as your dog gets older and to think about the
possibility of prostatic disease if your dog is straining when urinating,
seems to be straining excessively when defecating, develops unexplained
lameness in one hind leg or shows any other signs of discomfort while
urinating or is reluctant to breed when he previously was not.It is probably more important to consider testing for hypothyroidism as a
screening test for older dogs that are to be used for breeding, since
hypothyroidism may interfere with fertility. Usually, I'm not a big fan of
routinely testing all older dogs for hypothyroidism but it probably would be
a good idea to be more cautious in a dog used for breeding. The free T4 test
by equilibrium dialysis is the most accurate test for determining whether
hypothyroidism is a problem and it would be worth paying extra to have this
particular test run.I know that I have probably forgotten something because the question is
actually pretty broad in scope. If there is a specific thing you were
wondering about, just let me know.Mike Richards, DVM
5/18/99
Q: I have a dog (a 12 month PitBull) and I was wondering when can
I go with him to a female for having puppies. So when is the right time for
a male to have puppies.
Thank you very much.Regards Cristi
A: Cristi-
Your dog is old enough to produce puppies. It would be a good idea to
consider having his hips X-rayed to make sure he doesn't have signs of hip
dysplasia and to get your vet to check and make sure there is not any other
physical problem that might be passed on to puppies. Also, it is a good
idea to check with a couple of breeders to make sure that the male is a
good specimen of his breed and will improve the breed by producing puppies.Mike Richards, DVM
Q: Hi - my name is Jim and I live in Chatham, Ontario, Canada and train German Shepherds for Schutzhund. I presently have an 11 month old male out of East German lines. The dog had both testicles down until he was approx. 4 months old and then it went back up inside. I have had several opinions on what to do but none really professional. My vet says to just fix him and be done with it . I don't want to do that unless it is absolutely necessary. Is there any way to try and get it down without surgery (as that would not be ethical). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance - Jim
A: Jim- I am not sure that there is a difference in the ethics of making the testicle descend with medication or surgery and I don't know how the prior presence of the testicle affects the ethics of the situation. There have been reports of success using human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and gonadatrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) to cause testicles retained in the inguinal canal or subcutaneous tissue to descend into the scrotum but my impression is that this works best when used at a younger age, like 3 to 4 months of age and that it may not be successful then. It is important to consider removal of retained testicles are they are more likely to develop testicular tumors and to contribute to aggressive behaviors.
Mike Richards, DVM
Q: We have an 8 month old Shih-Tzu/Maltese cross male who was just sterilized. Since the operation (3 days ago), he has not been able to walk properly (he tucks his bum under) and he seems very uncomfortable. He scoots his bum on the ground and also licks at his wound, then runs off crying. He won't eat on his own initiative, because he can't stand without pain. We have taken him back to the vet who thought it may be a burn wound from being shaven before surgery. We've tried an anti-inflammatory cream -- it seems to soothe him a bit, but he is very sensitive to us applying it. Do you think this is the problem or could it be something more serious? Also, and this may sound silly, but I have seen two round hard "balls" near the base of his penis intermittently (especially when he'd just woken up). We thought these were undescended testes, but the vet said his testes had descended into his scrotum before the operation. I have seen them again since the operation. What are they? Thanks for your help. J.
A: Once in a while we have a male dog who gets very sore after neutering. I am not sure why this happens in all cases but am suspicious that some are sensitive to suture material, that sometimes we tie the knots too tight making the skin feel pinched, that infection occasionally occurs in the suture line and that skin can get sore from the shaving process prior to surgery. Once in a while all these things seem not to be the problem and the dog still seems to be in pain a little. We like to use pain relief medications in these cases. Your vet can help with this, if necessary.
The two round objects you are seeing are called the bulb of the penis. It is really just one large area of spongy blood filled tissue but it has two lobes. These fill with blood rather dramatically when a dog gets an erection and do often have appearance of subcutaneous testicles alongside the penis. Many dogs continue to be able to produce an erection shortly after neutering and as many as 20% of dogs may be able to produce an erection long-term after neutering.
If your dog still seems painful now, please call your vet and let him or her know.
Mike Richards, DVM
Testosterone and Perianal Adenoma
Q: Dear Dr Mike; I have an 11 year old male Chow Chow that has not been neutered. Yesterday, I noticed an apparent growth near the anus. It is apporximately 1/2 inch long and about 1/4 in diameter. I immediately took the dog to our local Vet, and was told that it is a common problem in older intact males. The Vet indicated there is a 15% probability of it being malignant. Their recommendation is to have the grow surgically removed AND that the dog be neutered. I seem to recall that several years ago, a similar growth was detected, and the Vet merely aspirated the growth and it disappeared. This particular vet indicated that this would be something we should keep an eye on, but that it was common and not to be overly concerned. Unfortunately, the Vet I visited several years ago has since retired out of the country and cannot be contacted. I would appreciate any comment you could make! Thank you, Curtis
A: Curtis- If your new vet thinks that the growth is a perianal adenoma, which would be the most likely tumor around the anal area then his or her advice is correct. These are generally benign but growth is stimulated by testosterone and castration will reduce the risk of recurrence and the risk of a malignancy developing. If you are concerned that the diagnosis is not correct you can always opt for a biopsy first and castration if the results come back perianal adenoma -- but that would mean that there would be two surgeries and two anesthetic procedures which is less than ideal, unless the tumor can be biopsied with a local anesthetic.
Mike Richards, DVM
Last edited 08/08/05