Dog's penis is stuck out of sheath.
Species: Dog
Breed: Yorkie
Age: 6-12 months
Hi, Ive noticed my 7 month male yorkie has started to lick himself a lot "down below" and when he does his penis tip comes out of the sheath. His sheath rolls in on itself and his penis can't retract, so i am constantly having to bath him or to help the sheath un roll. he is neutered...is there any way of preventing this ie surgery or will this cease as he gets older. ( i am worried as some people have said it is dangerous if the penis tip is out too long and can lead to amputation)
I would be really grateful if you could take the time to answer
thanks
Dr. Marie replied:
What you are describing may be a medical condition called
paraphimosis. This happens when the penis won't retract back into the sheath. It can be very serious. If the penis stays out of the sheath it will dry up and get crusty and can be seriously damaged.
When it happens, you can put some KY jelly on it and try to get it back into the sheath.
Now, with this being said, it's possible that he is simply having an erection and the problem could correct itself within 10-20 minutes once the erection goes down. If this is due to erections then the cure would be to have Louie neutered.
If this is truly paraphimosis though, there are some dogs that need surgery. Sometimes it is simple (i.e. if there is a band of skin that is keeping the penis from retracting). But other times it can be a complicated surgery. Some dogs actually need their penis amputated because of this condition.
I hope he is ok!
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