Puss on penis area normal??

yellowish green discharge around the sheath is normal. It is basically, lubricant the body provides. If the odor is foul...there is blood present, if there is enough to be dripping constantly, etc, or it is a completely strange color (ie NOT...yellowish green) then yes, take him in. If there are OTHER symptoms of infection like fever (temp rectally over 102) lethargy, not eating or drinking normally, urinating often (not to mark) or STRAINING to pee, take him in.

Lots of times people unfamiliar with males freak out over the sheath discharge but it yes normal. Might try some Vetericyn for the ears...or the vet can give you some otomax. Both have worked here quite well...especially the Vetericyn.

I'm not saying your dog does or does not have a sheath infection, but all male dogs do have a normal whitish/yellow liquid that comes out of the sheath of their penis. It is *not* infection, and it comes and goes. It's called a preputial discharge, and as long is it is not stinky and isn't copious, and there is no swelling or inflammation, there might not be immediate cause for concern.

The ear I would have looked at - ear problems can be -so- many things, from too much hair (or pulling too much hair!), debris, mites, yeast, etc. Ear problems can be painful, fast, and if untreated can have permanent side effects. Without knowing what you are treating, you may be letting a problem grow.

But anytime you are unsure, or you have a *feeling* that something is wrong, the best bet is to have it looked at. 

Calmwaters

Gina can I get the Vetericyn at a pet store like petsmart or maybe walmart?

I'm curious what you are feeding.  Not so much for the penis, but for the ears.  Sometimes, ear issues can be tied with food allergies.

Except  sore, filthy ears are ALSO breeding ground for e-coli and other bacterial infections -- they can UNDERLY the yeast infection that likely is there.  so beware --

Calmwaters

I could treat the ear with a alchol/water solution

   I don't like that idea; alcohol burns and if he has a perforated ear drum, it could damage his hearing. I think you should get something from the vet for it.

Frankly, I can **never** bring myself to put *water* of any sort in the ear.  I get 'water in the ear' all the time **myself** and I just can't do it -- whether it's with vinegar or alcohol I just can't.

 However, my vet (my regular vet) actually gives out the Blue Power recipe for folks tight on money because he's seen how well it works.  I actually use it in **MY OWN** ears pretty much every week because I seem to get water in my ears at least once or twice a week (and it gets sore, etc. etc. etc.)

Plain alcohol DOES sting a bunch.... alchol mixed with the gentian violet and the boric acid *does not* hurt at all.  It will heal the outer ear if they've scratched it but it soothes SO instantly that it just plain makes the head-shaking go away.  The boric acid is a calmative/soothant.  It's oldtimey, yes.

Now -- I actually emailed this lady and raised the question of a deeper bacterial infection (I would particularly have had a hissy fit because a vet who had NOT seen this dog, and it was coming from a *bad* situation anyway told her they didn't want to see it??? NOPE -- I'd be looking for a new vet).

Chlorhexaderm (the blue stuff you get from the vet) **will** cause deafness if there has been a perforation of the ear drum.  But generally alcohol won't do that and my vet was happy to have me use it (Billy *had* a perforated ear drum before we ever got him so that was a big concern).  Billy's ears were SO bad they were swelled shut.  But we got them OK and they remained PERFECT forever after.

But we KNEW that because we had him **seen** by a competent vet who did a deep and thorough exam, and who actually did a culture in house and then a culture and sensitivity because of all the bacteria he found.  That's why I raised the issue of a bacterial infection up in the thread.

If you do the blue power recipe for two weeks and you still have PAIN (if you touch behind his ears does he wince or cry?  does he NOT want to be touched on his head?  does he sporadically cry out??  can you palpate behind the ear and he pulls away from you??) VET **NOW**. 

I'd prefer to see you go *now* as Janice says -- but I've also been in that place where I just can't swing it financially and the Blue Power will heal if it IS just yeast and it won't hurt.  If it's bacterial, it's likely that it's been there for a while so honestly?  You GOTTA find out for sure.  It won't go away -- it WILL continue to grow, get worse and can actually ultimately kill if it abscesses and ruptures into the brain.  Not a nice thot but it's true.

erica1989

If this is a new pet - he should take a trip to the vet. There may be other issues going on that you cannot see from the outside.

Most of your ear cleaners ARE alcohol based, but I would NOT put water in the year - as that breeds yeast/bacteria.

But seriously, this is a new pet - he should really see a vet. If for nothing else than to get established for monthly preventions and in case of an emergency.

AMEN sister -- I know good preaching when I hear it!!  *smile*

(I don't mean that to be offensive -- but every word she said is gold!)

Calmwaters

Thank you both for your concern and Callie thank you for the blue recipe. I have an appointment for him Monday for a checkup and will have his ears checked then it was the soonest I could get an appointment with this vet, a different one that my parents and others in my family use. He does not howl or seem like he is sore around his ears, he will actually go to sleep while I am petting and rubbing around them and they do not smell any more like they did when my friend cleaned them out and he is not shakeing his head as much nor does he scratch at his ears they are not red or swollen or anything like that either so I am just going to let the vet check him before I treat him.

You're saying good things -- but just remember a bacterial infection is incidious -- he wouldn't howl.  He *might* cry (particularly if touched briefly the wrong way or even in play with another dog) -- but mostly you have to probe HARD to find identifiable pain (because it's so deep behind the ear cup).  You won't be able to tell by smell probably -- that's kind of a learned art and even a normal regular vet wouldn't know that (something my TCVM vet showed me).

The best thing you're saying is that he relaxes enough to sleep while you are messing with his ears -- THAT's a darned good sign.

Head "shaking" - that's a big yeast infection sign.  So is scratching.  Now dogs I've had who get bacterial infections will sometimes "knuckle" their ears (you know how a child will fist their hands and RUB their eyes hard to wake up??  Ok -- imagine a dog using their paw like a fist and rubbing the behind-the-ear area **hard** -- that's what I mean -- THAT can be a bacterial infection sign because it presses away pain.

You won't see red/swollen ears with a bacterial infection - you can't see ANYTHING from the ear canal -- the vet has to go DEEP with a swab or pull the ear canal straight and put an ear light DEEP to find one.  (and most vets are reluctant to do that with a dog they don't know!  cos it can get them bitten!!)

Bastically what I'm saying is -- a bacterial ear infection can be tough as nails to detect -- but they are incidious.  Having him checked before you do anything else (and making a big point with the vet "let's be SURE there is no bacterial infection down there after what he's been thru" is the way to do that!)

Muffin lost his ears because I didn't press this issue hard enough.  He was two years old and NO ONE had found them ... and I wasted another year with a vet who was an idiot (who skirted the issue but played around when he should have been seriously DOING something).

So -- if I can make a difference for one dog I try to b/c no one ever *talks* about a bacterial infection I figger that's good.  I was almost 50 years old before I even knew there was more than one kind of ear infection.  *sigh*  and Muffin paid the price for that.