Great Dane

Question
Blood ... pools of blood is discharging from my great dane's penis. I saw several spots earlier this morning and checked his feet thinking he may have a cut. No such luck. It's literally dripping from his penis, I've recently discovered. He's acting normally, not yet a year old and playing like his life depends on it. He's active and not in any discomfort at all (with an amazing appetite ... he's around 150 lbs already) that I can tell. But the discharge is HUGE at times (and other times it simply drips). He's going to the vet about this (even if it stops completely) but I'm wondering if I should call emergency vet care (since it's the weekend. My personal vet (where he's current on EVERYTHING) has no weekend emergency hours. Should I rush him to another vet? My breeder lives across the road from me but she's out of town. She's VERY concerned but I'm thinking not only of my dog (Jack)but the cost involved with an emergency vet bill with a vet I don't even know.

HELP!

I understand you're not a licensed vet but I greatly appreciate, and depend on) your advice. I, too, have owned MANY dogs throughout my life, and consider myself better versed than most, but I've never seen anything like this. I think his size is magnifying my stress (bigger dogs bleed more I guess).

THANKS MUCH, Patti. I'm worried like crazy.

Jeff McVay in Oxford, Mississippi

Answer

Hi Jeff,

If your dog is having a medical emergency, such as unexplained bleeding, you need the help of a doctor, not an Internet helpline.

If your vet's office doesn't have doesn't have a doctor on call for emergencies after their normal hours, they might have a recording on their phone for where to take your dog when emergency treatment is needed. If not, look up where there is an emergency vet clinic near you. This can't wait until Monday.

This could be a problem with your dog's prostrate, which would be remarkably (and quickly) controlled with antibiotics, but that's just a guess, and at the moment your dog needs more than guesswork. A bladder tumor can also lead to bleeding.

Best of luck,

Patti