Looking at adopting another dog- but there's an issue- penile prolapse.[edited title]

In My Humble Opinion
1

OK, so my wife and I (40s, DINKS) have after months of reflection have decided to add a third dog to our little pack. We have 2 dogs already, Maguire 12yo Yellow Lab Male, and Maggie, a 5yo Chiweenie female–both rescued of course–and we are looking to add another lap-dog.

And last Wednesday my wife showed me on Petfinder a tiny 2 yo male Chihuahua named “Jingle Bell” a dark brown w/white paws, a white chest and some white on his face. 5# (he was a seizure in a cruelty case, and is a little underweight, s/b about a pound heavier). So we emailed the shelter about him and they responded that he is in their “Special Needs Adoptions” program. They warned us he was shy around strangers (NOT TRUE!!! he warmed up to us immediately, was playing with us, let us pick him up and hold him, and played with us both.)

So, JB has a GREAT personality, is the right age, size, and temperment we were looking for.

The Problem is that he has a penile prolapse. Their vets have assessed him and have determined that there is no real reason to do any medical intervention at this point. His lil’ rocket sticks out about 1/2 an inch. They’ve had him for 8 weeks at this point and haven’t had to do anything special for him (According to various websites in some cases it is necessary to treat the exposed penis with petroleum or KY jelly to prevent it from drying out and getting infected- but the shelter assures us that is not the case for JB). Now, if it gets worse, we could be looking at **<<<MALE READERS WARNING: THIS COULD BE UNCOMFORTABLE TO READ>>> **a partial penectomy, i.e., cutting off part of his penis. **<<<HEY, I WARNED YOU, IF YOU READ IT, THAT’S YOUR FAULT>>> ** But that, of course is the worst-case scenario, and the shelter has been absolutely upfront about the “worse-case scenario” with JB, but they don’t see any medical reason to do anything right now.

Problem, I’m all in, but my wife is a bit hesitant. She is worried about how this issue might need treatment (I’m gonna call our Vet today), and how other people might react to seeing his issue. I’d say she is 75% of the way there, and she has already said that she would take him home with us unhesitatingly next week (he has to meet our dogs first, we went alone to check him out), but she is worried about the penile prolapse. So, Dopers, anyone know anything about this condition (I’ve found lots of Veterinary Journal Articles- but I’m a Historian not an MD)? Is there any treatment? I’m suspicious that if we fatten him up a little to his recommended weight the problem will retract all on its own… We both really liked JB… Any info is appreciated!

2

Well, imagine it was you needing a home.

Some people take pride in having a special needs dog, and they accept that there are downsides and possible expenses. Bless those who adopt rescue dogs, and special bless those who adopt special needs dogs! We just lost a 17 year old dog who has been blind most of his life, and for the last couple years, deaf as well. I have been very heavily into dogs for a very long time, and with all modesty consider myself a dog expert. But I learned more from that dog than all the others combined. Maybe there is something you are supposed to learn from having a special needs dog. We get the dogs we need, not the dogs we want!

3

Yeah, Shiloh, like I said I’m all in with a special needs dog, I just have no experience with the issue and am looking for advice / information about the condition. In the end, we owe our current furry kids our full attention, and if he would be a serious distraction then that’s not fair to them.

I can deal with most problems in a new dog, I know nothing about the issue, and the internet was (surprise-surprise) full of either highly technical jargon-filled information (largely case studies of spectacularly bad prolapses), or the usual uninformed, but well-meaning blogs whose posts frequently contradicted themselves.

I’ve already left a call at the vet’s to call me back to discuss the condition, but the dope seems to be a fairly good source, and has lots of dog people who may know some more practical advice.

4

I understand your desire to research. But I’m suggesting that you just go with it, it will work out.

What does the osu in your screen name mean?

5

Ohio State University, my soon-to-be Alma Mater

6

I’m suggesting that if you want to see what happens when people decide to just go with it, it will all work out, you go to a shelter and look around. No, sometimes it does *not *all work out. A responsible pet-owner-to-be does exactly what the OP is doing: finds out what he’s getting into before assuming responsibility for another creature, so he doesn’t have to be the one returning him to the shelter when it doesn’t all work out.

Jimbabweosu, sorry I don’t have the veterinary information you seek, but I do know we have a vet or two on the board, so keep checking back. And kudos for being an awesome pet person. Thank you.

7

Bullshit! This guy knows enough about dogs and shows enough compassion that I have no doubt he can make it work. He just has cold feet and all the research in the world isn’t the answer.

Jimbabweosu - If not you, then who? Go Bucks!

8

Look, I just wanted some information on penile prolapse in order to make an informed decision. He is in a no-kill shelter so there isn’t a great deal of pressure one way or the other. I would take every animal on Earth, but that wouldn’t be good for anyone. This will be our last addition to our family for at least a dozen years. We need to make sure it is the best thing for us and our dogs. We’ve already fallen in love with him, but if it is something that we cannot handle, financially, emotionally, socially, or personally, it is unfair to the dog for us to take him and be miserable with that decision and have to give him up after he’s bonded with us–a devastating result for all concerned. That’s not cold feet, Shiloh (although I appreciate your enthusiasm!). I’d call it being responsible.

Heard back from the Vet, and she says there isn’t much to worry about medically, except it is less protected and we should keep an eye on it for injury or disease. The need for a surgical intervention is possible but “extremely unlikely.”

9

As with people contemplating marriage, I would say if you have doubts, don’t do it.

10

Please, I am looking for genuine information.

11

Please, I don’t take such life-altering decisions lightly. “Just do it!” and “it’ll work out” is not helpful. In my experience, decisions are best made with the best, most complete information you can get. When I bought a house, I researched the neighborhood, tax rates, the history of housing sales in the neighborhood, crime rates, education levels, quality of schools, walkability, etc… We also had two tours of the home, plus an inspection by a licensed architect. It took us nearly a month to actually purchase the home. We knew that the furnace was old, and when it died 2 months ago, we weren’t surprised and had already made plans to deal with it.

I think dealing with a living creature we owe it and ourselves at least some scrutiny. Decisions of this weight should be made on sober reflection of the facts. We have already deterimined our financial and emotional ability to handle a dog, but these conclusions may not apply to this dog with his needs. If we determine that we cannot handle his issues emotionally, socially, financially, or personally, we are both better off not taking him. Again, this is neither cold feet nor doubt, but a responsible approach.

So- enough of that! Seriously, anyone know / have a dog with a penile prolapse? Any advice, information, experience with the problem? How’d it work out? Was his penis sticking out a little bit all the time a problem, for you, for him, for others. My wife is worried about other people (family) being wigged out by it, and by the possibility of having to put salves on it. Any helpful information you can offer on Penile Prolapse will be appreciated!

12

:Probably better suited to IMHO, where you can get opinions, shared experiences, etc.,

samclem, Moderator in GQ

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Please, no opinions–opinions are not factual information. I need factual information or actual experiences.

14

You’re far more likely to get a vet, assuming any are around, willing to post in this forum on a topic like this than in GQ, because they may only be able to speak as to their opinion when it comes to an animal they haven’t even examined.

15

IMHO is also where you’ll find people posting about actual experiences, as they may be varied and not adhere to a single factual answer. This really is the best place for this thread, and you’ll get the best information here.

Good on you for doing the research on this before making a decision. Adopting a pet isn’t something people should jump into, if they’re being responsible about it. “Just Do It” is a great sneaker slogan but terrible life advice.

16

I think you should maybe post another thread in General Questions with the title “Canine Penile Prolapse - what to expect?” or if not, ask the mods to change the title of this one.

There are some vets and vet techs on this board!

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It will get moved here anyhow, but yes, a more specific title would probably get a better response. Jimbabweosu, if you want to ask a moderator to change your title, you can click on that little red triangle that looks like a warning sign on each post. That will let you easily send a message that the moderators will get quickly.

And Jimbabweosu, please don’t be offended by the forum move. (If I’d noticed it was in GQ, I’d have reported it myself, but I find threads by the New Posts function, so rarely notice which forum things are in.) IMHO is where this board puts medical, legal, car repair and other professional-level questions about actual real life situations. You can still gets lots of factual response, but that way professionals feel more free to share their expertise without being on the hook for it, and the board’s lawyers don’t worry that you may sue them for bad professional advice. It was decided back when the powers that be were considering banning medical and legal questions entirely, and this is (in my humble opinion ;)) a much better compromise.

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Mod note: I’ve edited the thread title to add " penile prolapse."

samclem

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I had a dog that I worked with during guide dog training that had PP… it sounds about as ‘bad’ as JB’s case. We had hoped, when he was a little baby pup, that the issue wouldn’t be a big deal/would be mostly covered by his coat as he grew. We kept him in the program because he was smart as a whip, took to everything we threw his way, but ultimately he was rejected out due to the PP. The organization felt that the visually impaired had enough people staring at them/giving them a hard time about bringing their dog into establishments; it just wouldn’t help matters to have a dog who couldn’t tuck himself in.

He ended up with a fantastic family who absolutely adored him, and who didn’t mind that he was a little ‘out there.’ :wink:

Health wise he was pretty low maintenance. We did have to put salve on/clean it sometimes, usually during the cold months and particularly if he’d been out playing in the mud or snow. And honestly, unless you were really looking, you wouldn’t notice. However, I think it might be more difficult to hide with a smaller dog, particularly one with a short coat. Personally, I wouldn’t consider it a deal-breaker, especially if it’s a non-surgical situation, but just be prepared for the possibility that people won’t want to cuddle with your dog. :slight_smile:

20

Ohio State has one of the best vet schools in the country. I’d be calling there and asking for a consultation and explain the rescue situation. Maybe you’ll get some more advice.