Great Dane has a delicate problem

Dear Dr. John,

Our six-year-old Great Dane gets to run outdoors all that he wants. He returned home about two hours ago with a problem. His penis is out of the sheath and cannot seem to retract. We have tried to put it back in unsuccessfully. Today is Sunday and our vet is closed. The nearest other vet is a few hours away. We don’t really have many options so were planning on waiting until tomorrow to take him in to be seen. Is there any risk in waiting? Is this a common occurrence and what caused it to happen? I tried to look it up online and it listed a few conditions. It said to keep things moist and to not let his penis dry out. Any other advice? N.H.

Dear N.H.,

It sounds as if your dog has a condition known as paraphimosis which is an inability to retract the penis into the sheath that covers and protects it, also known as the prepuce. This can lead to a painful emergency as the skin of the penis can become dried out, infection can develop, and permanent damage can result due to a of constriction of blood vessels. I cannot help but wonder if your dog is not neutered and an intact male because this is much more common in these dogs. Neutered dogs almost never have this. It is important to reduce the penis back into the prepuce and it can be done so with soap and warm water or any sterile lubricant.

Hopefully, your dog will be OK by tomorrow when he can be seen and whatever you have read online will at least have you keep the area moist. One can also give any anti-inflammatory that is safe for dogs. For a large dog the size of yours, one adult aspirin every 12 hours can be helpful with analgesia and swelling. Since your dog was outdoors when this happened, the causes may have been due to trauma, or even things such as a mass, neurological disorder, or something else. Your veterinarian should be able to reduce the swelling. I would also suggest that the dog be neutered if he isn’t already to prevent possible recurrence.

Dr. John de Jong is President of the World Veterinary Association. He owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and can be reached at 781-899-9994.