Dear Dr. John,

Our six-year-old Great Dane can run outside as much as he wants. He returned home about two hours ago with a problem. His penis appears to be outside the sheath and cannot be retracted. We tried unsuccessfully to put it back. Today is Sunday and our vet is closed. The nearest other vet is several hours away. We don’t really have much of a choice, so we plan to wait until tomorrow to see him. Are there any risks in waiting? Is this a common occurrence and what caused it? I tried searching online and it listed several conditions. He was told to keep everything moist and not to let his penis dry out. Do you have any other advice? Northeast

Dear NH,

It looks like your dog has a condition known as paraphimosis, in which he is unable to retract the penis into the sheath that covers and protects it, also known as the foreskin. This can lead to a painful emergency because the skin of the penis can dry out, infection can develop, and permanent damage can occur due to narrowing of the blood vessels. I can’t help but wonder if your dog has not been neutered and is an intact male as this is much more common in these dogs. This condition almost never occurs in neutered dogs. It is important to lower the penis back to the foreskin and this can be done with soap, warm water or any sterile lubricant.

Hopefully, your dog will be fine when he can be seen tomorrow, and what you’ve read online will at least allow you to keep the area moist. Any anti-inflammatory that is safe for dogs may also be given. For a dog as large as yours, an adult aspirin every 12 hours can be helpful in analgesia and relieving swelling. Since your dog was outside when this occurred, the causes could be due to trauma or even a mass, neurological disorder, or something else. Your veterinarian should be able to reduce the swelling. I also recommend that the dog be neutered if not already neutered to prevent possible recurrence.

Dr. John de Jong is President of the World Veterinary Association. He owns and operates Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and can be reached at 781-899-9994.