[vkarnad]

My dog labrador retriever who is 1 year 6 months old has been dropping blood from penis for 2/3 months. He also suffers from muscle stiffness from past 9/10 months for which the vet had prescribed prednisolone 5 mg daily which we are giving in two doses of 2.5 mg. We have tried to reduce this dose as advised by our vet considering the side effects of steroid but the symptoms come back after some time. So we have not been able to reduce the dose. We suspect that bleeding may be due to prolonged intake of prednisolone. Please advise and prescribe any medicine as early as possible.

[RubyPitbull]

The fact that your dog is bleeding from his penis and your vet hasn't resolved this issue is very disturbing to me. Muscle stiffness can be the result of many things. So can bleeding. I do question what the diagnosis was that would require a long term treatment plan of steroids. You are right to be concerned about prolonged steroidal use. vkarnad, no one here can prescribe medications for your dog. Without anyone able to examine your dog and look at his medical history, whatever anyone tells you here will be a shot in the dark.

I think your best course of action is to seek out the advice of another vet in your area if you feel that your vet can't give you any solid answers and you feel he isn't doing everything he can do for your dog.

[labman]

A second vote for a second vet.

[vkarnad]

My dog labrador retriever who is 1 year 6 months old has been dropping blood from penis for 2/3 months. He also suffers from muscle stiffness from past 9/10 months for which the vet had prescribed prednisolone 5 mg daily which we are giving in two doses of 2.5 mg. We have tried to reduce this dose as advised by our vet considering the side effects of steroid but the symptoms come back after some time. So we have not been able to reduce the dose. We suspect that bleeding may be due to prolonged intake of prednisolone.
When our dog was about 6 months old he started having problem in getting up after sitting. After taking an X-ray our vet diagnosed it as hip dysplasia and prescribed a combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate which we are continuing since then. He has shown considerable improvement .we don't know whether muscle stiffness and dropping of blood from penis is in any way related to this problem.We live in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) India and we have shown our dog to the best available vets in the city but none of them have been able to diagnose and prescribe the appropriate medicine.So we request you to please suggest a remedy.

[labman]

We would like to help, but unfortunately none of us here know as much as the worst vet anywhere. I can only suggest doing a net search. Start at American Veterinary Medical Association

[RubyPitbull]

I am so sorry that we can't help you here. I understand how upset you must be but we do not have any veterinarians that regularly respond to questions.

Just as added information for you, glucosamine & chondroitin are regularly prescribed for joint pain and stiffness and the general feeling among the vet community is that they do help slow down arthritis and hip problems. A 6 month old puppy exhibiting hip dysplasia is not common. This condition usually occurs in certain breeds when they are much older. I personally, have rarely seen a dog under the age of 4 with this condition. Stiffness of the muscles are also not common in young dogs.

Did your vet test him to see if he is suffering from a Urinary Tract Infection? If not, you should ask him to do that. A UTI can result in bleeding when urinating and can easily be cleared up with an antibiotic such as clavamox or amoxicillin.

I am concerned that your dog may be a product of poor breeding. What breed of dog is he? He might be exhibiting symptoms of a genetic defect and if it is something that I am not completely familiar with, I can do some research for you and see what turns up.

If you are at a dead end and don't have access to any other vets near you and you don't mind taking a chance with another website that has a veterinarian as an advisor, you might want to try these links:
Veterinary Forum; veterinarians, technicians, veterinary students, pet owners - Discussions online, Information exchange
Ask the Vet Online Veterinarian - Dr. Larry Pet Vet - veterinary medicine advice
http://pet.justanswer.com/
Ask a veterinarian online questions about pet health care.

I cannot verify their accuracy. I have not used these websites myself and I don't know if they will be of any help, but it sounds as if you are running out of options, so it might be worth a try. Just post a question to the forums and a vet should respond at some point.