[becsi]

My dog has accidentally cut his penis. It is red and sore but not swollen. He can't stop licking it and he is getting very angry and frustrated with himself. He is still eating and drinking so he isn't sick but the cut does look very painful. Is there anything I can do to ease his pain before taking him to the vet?

[jesterbravo]

No! Take him to the vet, they will give him pain killers and a collar to him kicking. He could get an infection and die if he doesn't get correct treatment!

[paleophlatus]

Are you certain he has cut it? Normally the penis is not visible. Occasionally, usually after a sexual encounter with a female in season, a male will have an erection that becomes "stuck" so that it can not retract into the sheath. The visible part continues to swell and further aggravates his situation. Waiting a matter of hours (till the vet opens) can be disastrous because of possible damage from compromised circulation in the penis. Frequently, in the male's attempt to 'get himself right', he can become quite agitated, and while often running may drag himself against the ground, or hit something hard enough to actually tear the exposed tissue. It will bleed quite easily. If this is the case, and if you can do something to allow him to retract himself back into the sheath, you can probably fore go a trip and get him out of his misery sooner. Don't say "Never gonna happen" until you read farther, OK?

Assuming such is the case, a concentrated sugar solution on the exposed tissue usually causes a loss of enough of the fluid component of the engorged blood (plasma)such that the swelling subsides and the penis retracts. It is called 'osmosis', and is the physical reaction of fluid being drawn from an area of high concentration to one of low concentration... the sugar draws the water, in this case, from the blood in the engorged penis. As the blood volume goes down, so does the swelling. It is not instantaneous so be patient.

To do this, get a soft towel or cloth large enough to soak in a strong sugar solution that can be wrapped around the exposed part and held there, with occasional re-saturating the cloth to keep it in close contact with the skin. Too warm or too cold will not be well received, so just mildly warm solution is best.

Take a quart of water (warm) and add upwards of a couple cups of sugar,(or more) stirring as you add. Eventually it will not all dissolve. Wet the cloth, sprinkle sugar on it (to 'pre-load' the sugar solution) and fold it at least one time. Soak it in the swarm solution, fold it more so that it covers the exposed area completely and hold it there, gently. It may take 15+ minutes. You can feel the swelling slowly go down. As the cloth cools off, remove it and resoak it. Check for progress. You may be able to pull the sheath back over the penis now. There may be hair helping block the return, so gently pull it out of the opening from around the penis. If it doesn't slide back in, reapply the warm, soaked cloth and go at it again. You should not need any Vaseline or lubricant. If you do, butter, cooking oil, etc will also work fine. And it tastes better to the dog (who will be licking it, and thanking you, for both the relief and the butter)

This may not be exactly what you planned to do, but it is not really all that bad, and the appreciation your dog will have makes it worth while. Your hands will readily wash just fine.