What Does A Dog’s Penis Look Like – The Anatomy of Dog Penis You Need to Know
There’s absolutely nothing embarrassing about finding out what does a dog’s penis look like. Dog penis-related questions are as normal as questions related to their diet, exercise requirements, or any other such health-related concerns.
After all, being a pet owner means dealing with the cutest, most adorable mannerisms of your furry companion as well as the not-so-glamorous or even talked about parts of that experience.
For example, just like humans, dogs poop too (although we humans don’t eat garbage and sniff our fellow humans’ private parts). But dogs do and they also, male dogs of course, have a penis, like men. And it’s only natural for the penis to occasionally become erect, popularly known as Red Rocket.
Now of course talking about this particular subject does make many pet owners feel uncomfortable but it is something you have to understand nevertheless if you have a male dog. So here’s some basic information about what a healthy dog penis should look like.
A Normal Penis of A Dog – What Does It Look Like?
The penis of canines is covered by a sheath or prepuce, which is actually the skin and tissue surrounding it when the penis is not erect. In some dog breeds, the penis has a fur covering while others don’t have any fur on the sheath.
Normally, dog penis is pink or red in color. The membrane that covers it is what imparts the color.
There’s a bone in the penis called baculum, and all male dogs and mammals, in general, have this baculum bone. It’s what allows the penis to penetrate at the time of intercourse with the females, despite the penis not being erect.
Dog Penis Health
Only when you know and understand what normal looks like can you tell if something’s wrong, right? In that case, the normal penis of a dog consists of the sheath or prepuce (as discussed above). It’s the skin and tissue that surround the genital when not erect.
There’s the mucous membrane as well that covers the penis, which not just adds the bright red or pink color but also makes the penis appear moist.
And now let’s talk about the discharge that tends to collect at the opening of that prepuce – the color of this discharge is slightly greenish or yellowish-white. No worries, the discharge, called smegma, is completely normal.
Moving on to the bone located inside the penis (also discussed earlier), this bone remains rigid of course. That means even when the penis is not erect, it remains stiff because of the bone.
Then we have the bulbus glandis – two glands located at the base or bottom of the penis. At the time of arousal, these glands swell up with blood. And that produces two very noticeable bumps.
As for erections in dogs, these can occur despite neutering. The full penis erection of a dog causes the penis itself to get entirely engorged while also extending the bulbus glandis outside the prepuce.
It’s normal for the erection to last for a few minutes only or maybe even an hour.
Is Dog Penis Color Normal?
The prepuce that encloses the non-aroused penis of a dog is often covered by his skin and fur. And that looks as similar and normal as other parts of the canine’s body covered by skin and fur. But when visible, a dog’s penis usually appears red or pink. And when erect, sometimes even dark purple.
But once the erection goes away, the normal color comes back.
As for the slightly greenish or yellowish-white discharge at the end or opening of the prepuce, this discharge is also normal. However, if all of these colors (of the penis, prepuce, or discharge) start to change, it’s a sign you should take your dog to the vet to check if he has developed some injury, infection, or any other problem in that highly sensitive area.
Why Do Dogs Lick Their Penis?
There’s nothing shady about your dog licking his penis, he’s only just cleaning it. And sometimes this feels good too. It’s only natural for dogs to lick their penis for stimulating an erection, even when neutered.
What you need to do at such times is just ignore the behavior. But that’s only if you don’t notice anything unusual there in terms of his penis color, discharge color, or overall health.
Because sometimes too much licking is actually a symptom associated with excessive drainage, lethargy, pain, or possibly a sign of an injury or infection (in the reproductive or urinary tract). Hence, consult the vet at the earliest.
Why Does Dog Penis Stick Out?
Occasional erections here and there are completely and 100-percent natural, despite neutering the dog. So at times when his penis is erect, it is going to become visible i.e. stick out. But then after the erection subsides, the penis will return back into the prepuce and everything goes back to looking normal.
Now if your dog is experiencing persistent erections, it could be due to some underlying medical conditions. Such as prostate disease, anatomical abnormalities, neurological problems, etc. Even the penis not retracting back within the prepuce is a clear indicator that something is wrong and needs to be checked out at the vet’s clinic.
Likewise, discoloration of the penis is also a cause for concern. Or if the tissue surrounding the penis, which is normally moist, tends to become dry. Then you should take your dog to the vet as soon as possible. There might be some problems associated with his urinary tract. And leaving these types of conditions untreated may lead to permanent penis damage.
How to Tell If Dog Penis Is Infected?
There’s that slightly greenish or yellowish-white discharge, known as smegma, that a dog’s penis produces. This is not a sign of infection, that’s for sure. The formation of smegma is totally normal, so don’t worry about that. In some cases, too much smegma, which dogs often lick to get rid of, is also considered to be normal.
But then excessive licking due to excessive drainage coming from the prepuce is NOT normal. In almost every case, this is a warning sign or symptom of an infection associated with the sheath and/or penis.
So I get how it can be confusing to figure out what’s normal and what’s not. At such times, it’s best to seek medical assistance. Speak to your vet about it and he/she will tell you all you need to know about dog penis infections. Generally, these are marked by…
- The dog appearing ill, dull, or just very lethargic.
- The dog licking his penis way more than usual.
- Excessive discharge or a change in the color of the discharge.
Conclusion
The normal appearance of a dog penis, what is bulbis glandis in dogs, dog red rocket stuck out, dog smegma, etc. – all of these topics have been covered here in this very post.
And the reason you have to read about your dog’s penis is that if every part of the human body can get affected by diseases or injured, then why not apply the same logic to dogs too! This includes penis health as well.
Problems that affect the penis, no doubt, are uncomfortable and painful. So it’s best to know what normal looks like, thus you can spot the abnormal easily and have it treated immediately.
