Penis Problem/Male Dog

Question: My dog got an erection that would not go down and was unusually large. I heard if you sprinkle sugar on the dog's penis, the dog will lick off the sugar and the erection would go away. It seemed to work and the erection went away but the dog seems like he is lethargic. Was this a good idea and why did this happen to my dog? In other words, is this normal? L.P., Dekaulb, IL.

ANSWER: Male dogs can get an inability to retract the penis back into it's protective skin covering called the "prepuce". This can happen if the skin towards the tip of the penis rolls in and constricts the penis, foreign objects can get lodged in between and constrict the penis, or trauma can produce swelling that also constricts the penis. When the penis becomes constricted, veinous blood flow is constricted and the penis swells even larger and prevents passage into the prepuce even more and this becomes a medical emergency. To replace the penis, generally requires sedation or anesthesia because it is very painful. If left untreated for any length of time, the penis can start to die (or "necrose") and turn gangrene resulting in infection that can go into the dog's system, produce shock and the dog could die. Sometimes, if there is damage to the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body), the dog may not be able to urinate and this is also life-threatening. Depending upon the severity of the problem, the penis may need to be amputated. The reason the sugar (should have used sugar water) works, is that it pulls fluid out of the tissue and allows some shrinkage (although only a small amount) and then it may be possible for the penis to return to the prepuce. Often, this is very unsuccessful and the dog remains in pain and at risk for problems. Early veterinary intervention is necessary. Now that he is lethargic, he may have infection, urethral constriction, etc and he needs to be examined for possible congenital problems (such as problems with the prepuce) that may need surgical correction to prevent this from happening again. Good luck!