my 8yr german shepard bleeding from his penis

Question
Hi
My eight year old German Shepard is bleeding from is penis. he is not showing any signs of pain or discomfort. The problem is that he is a very big dog and is very aggressive. To take him to the vet is almost impossible. What could this blood be from and do you have any recommendations on how to calm him down if we have to get him to the vet. We have muzzled him in the past but he is very strong and aggressive.
Thank you for your help
Tony B  

Answer

Hi Tony,

Dogs are pretty stoic about showing their feelings of pain, so you can't go by that.

It's good you'll be taking your dog to the vet, as I can oly offer you guesswork. When bleeding occurs from the penis, it's possible that there was injury to the penis or some other part of the urinary tract leading to a hemorrhage, if your dog wasn't neutered it could be prostate disease, or it could be a urinary tract infection. The German Shepard breed is prone to develop a hereditary bleeding disorder called Willebrand's Disease. One of the symptoms of that condition is bleeding from the penis, so that's something that may need to be ruled out. Treatment will vary depending on what the problem actually is.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti