Prolapse Urethra in Bulldogs and French Bulldog Puppies
Prolapsed urethra pre-surgery in a bulldog puppy
Prolapsed Urethra in bulldog and French bulldog puppies is a much more commonplace medical condition than in other dog breeds. Typically, in English Bulldog, French Bulldog and American Bulldog puppies, the prolapsed urethral tissue is observed by the bulldog puppy pet owner as a red, pea-size tissue protruding out from the tip of their male dog’s penis. This exposed, rosy, urethral, prolapsed “bulge” is a delicate vascular tissue that can easily bleed, sometimes in a dramatic, unstoppable, scary fashion.
Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs, such as English Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Boston Terriers could be related to an abnormality in their urethra development. Other suspected reasons for bulldog prolapsed urethra are penile blood flow impediment during urination and during sexual activity. This bulldog urethral blood flow impediment is most likely due to the breed’s predisposition to labored breathing, caused by medical conditions such as stenotic nares , elongated soft palate, hypoplastic trachea and everted laryngeal saccules. Any one of the brachycephalic syndrome medical airway conditions are likely to increase intra-abdominal pressure, which in turn could lead your bulldog puppy to develop a prolapsed urethra due to impeded blood flow to the penis.
Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Maintenance:
prolapse urethra in bulldogs and bulldogs puppies
If your bulldog or bulldog puppy has a prolapsed urethra, I recommend neutering him. If he suffers from any one of the brachycephalic syndrome airway conditions, such as elongated soft palate and/or stenotic nares, you should have those conditions repaired.
Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Rule of Thumb:
Prolapsed Urethra surgical repair should be considered with any bulldog suffering from a prolapsed urethra that is bleeding, painful, or has extensive penile injury and/or urethral ulceration. If the prolapsed urethral tissue is already necrotized and compromised, I recommend having it surgically removed.
Dr. Kraemer’s V4B Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Tips & Warnings:
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Tip #1: Surgery is not indicated in some mild cases, in those non-bleeding cases, the prolapse could be left alone, as is.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Tip #2: I recommend the repair of elongated soft palate, stenotic nares and laryngeal saccules in all English bulldog and French bulldog puppies, as well as other brachycephalic breed male dogs suffering from prolapsed urethrae, as soon as possible.
Surgical Repair of a Prolapsed Urethra in a Bulldog Puppy
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Tip #3: Place a buster collar on your bulldog’s head to prevent licking.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Tip #4: Tranquilizers and anti-inflammatory RX could help reduce the bleeding until you can get your bulldog to a veterinarian.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Tip #5: I recommend urine analysis and urine culture in all prolapsed urethra cases.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Tip #6: Empirical Antibiotics should be considered while waiting for the culture results.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Warning #1: Due to multi-factorial breed predisposition to this problem, prolapse re-occurrence is not uncommon, typically within 6 months to 2 years, especially if an underlying predisposing cause has not been identified and treated.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Warning #2: Urethral Prolapse is unique to bulldogs, therefore, repair should be done by an experienced surgeon and one that is familiar with the breed.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Warning #3: All bulldogs diagnosed with a prolapsed urethra should be neutered to prevent recurrence and re-prolapse. Also, due to the possible genetic link associated with this condition, I do not recommend breeding bulldog males with a known prolapsed urethra.
Dr. Kraemer’s Prolapsed Urethra in Bulldogs Warning #4: This medical problem is most common to bulldogs, thus, you should seek a surgeon experienced with this surgical correction. Unfortunately, prolapsed urethra revisions are limited due to the close proximity of the os penis (a penile bone that only canines have) to the penis tip. After a second or, third revision, there is little to no space left for the repair (between the tip and the bone). At that point, the options are limited, All that can be done are salvage procedures such as amputation and urethrostomy.