My male dog's penis is out and purple/red. Is this an emergency?

Question

My 8 year old male Chihuahua was sleeping when I noticed him lightly shaking his leg, thinking he was just a little cold I went to check when I seen his penis with purple red discoloring. Is this normal? Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 7 years and 11 months old | 14 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

No, this isn't normal and Chico may be suffering from paraphimosis. This is an inability to retract the penis back into the sheath. This can quickly turn into an emergency situation, as constricting of the blood flow will lead to a larger engorgement of the penis, necrosis (dead tissue), and potential damage to the urethra. If his penis hasn't been out too long (less than an hour), you can try to put it back yourself. First, thoroughly clean the penis, making sure there is no foreign material (such as fur) that is wrapped around the penis. Take a bag of frozen veggies wrapped in a towel, and apply it to the penis for five minutes at a time to try to reduce the swelling. Packaged peas work very well because they are mobile around the penis. Then apply a lubricant such as KY Jelly onto the penis, and very gently try to move the penis back into the sheath. Very gently try to push the penis back into the sheath, or try to gently pull the sheath over the penis. If this does not work, or if the penis has been outside the sheath for more than 30 minutes to an hour, you will need to take him into your vet. Best of luck.

My male dog's penis is out and purple/red. Is this an emergency?

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