Blood from the penis

[Whitwelch]

My girls brother has blood coming from his penis. It isn't a lot but I am sure there shouldn't be any blood. This happened approx 3 months ago as well and we thought
it was from a cut because he is always running through the bushes. Obviously there is something going on. Sent out a urine sample but it hasn't come back yet. His BEAM is fine, he's not showing any signs of straining or pain when urinating. Does anyone have any thoughts on how to support this until the urine sample comes back? Not sure if its UTI or if its problem with the bladder. Thanks, Whitney

 

[GinnyW]

Age? Neutered? Vaccinated? What comes immediately to my mind is prostatic issues like cysts, more common in intact males, sometimes aggravated by the influence of rabies vaccines. In any case, after a raging infection is ruled out, you could look into homeopathic help to balance his system.
Bladder issues are also possible, but may be linked to the same sort of systemic disturbance. If he is prone to these symptoms, homeopathy can fix that as well.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Whit!

I'm sorry to hear about Murphy's bleeding, but fantastic that his BEAM is fine.

Conventionally, blood in the urine is considered to be a UTI. However I consider blood in the urine without a decrease in BEAM or other symptoms of irritation of the bladder as you mentioned (frequency, urgency, straining, odor of the urine, etc.) to just be another clue that his body doing its' job.

For general support of any urinary tract symptom, increasing fluid consumption (especially of structured/chia water) is super helpful.

Also adding vitamin C, cranberry extract and d-mannose are useful (these supplements are all readily available).

I agree 100% with Ginny that the next step, once a a big infection is ruled out, homeopathy is the next step.

Let's see what @Dr. Sara says and what the urine shows (in addition to blood).

 

[Dr. Christina]

Another temporary help is Tinkle Tonic from Animal Wellness.

Also, Whitney, now is the time to make a list of his history and any other problems and early warning signs he has had. You may want to download the Healthy Dog Journal as that makes it easier.

And then read the section under resource library for urinary for lots more info. - Non member login - Holistic Actions!
Dr. Christina

 

[Whitwelch]

Thanks for all the advice, update is that there is no bacteria in his urine. He is a 3 year old Bernese Mountain Dog, raw fed, not neutered, only vaccine he has had is rabies. Bloodwork was done just 2 months ago and all is normal, except he tests positive for Lyme. No symptoms of Lyme so haven’t treated him, but maybe the blood in his urine is related to that? Urine was tested 2 months ago and it showed no unusual protein cells in the kidneys.

 

[Dr. Sara]

Hiya, Whitney!
The differentials (possible causes) for intermittent asymptomatic bleeding from the penis in an intact dog are:

Trauma - often secondary to excitement while erect, may also occur with foreign bodies / debris in the sheath; neutered dogs can and do traumatize the penis as well
Venereal diseases causing bleeding lesions on the penis or inside the prepuce; unlikely in a virgin male
Prostatitis - uncommon in young dogs
Urolithiasis - stones or crystals in the urinary tract
VWF deficiency - inherited bleeding disorder, though both parents are clear (on BernerGarde) this can occur as a spontaneous mutation
Coagulopathy - other bleeding disorder, unlikely with no other signs or exposure to drugs or toxins
Aneurysm in the urinary tract - small enlarged blood vessel that periodically oozes or ruptures; this may be difficult, if not impossible to find, bleeding from such a vessel may be more likely if he has an erection
Renal hematuria - blood from kidneys; can be unknown cause or because of kidney stone
Intermittent urethral prolapse - the urethra telescopes out and is traumatized, especially if the dog is marking and straining to mark frequently. If there are females going into heat, and he is working hard to mark because he is smelling them, he could cause a urethral prolapse.

Careful exam of the penis is necessary, as well as urinalysis, and exam of the prostate.
Blood tests can be done to rule out bleeding disorders.
If there is still doubt about the cause, internal medicine specialists or reproductive specialists can scope the urethra and inside the sheath to localize the problem if possible.
The most likely causes, since the urine looks normal, are the tiny blood vessel periodically bleeding or the urethral prolapse from frequent marking. Neither of these is particularly worrisome, but I would rule out a clotting problem, as well as trauma to the penis.
Lyme disease does not cause bleeding; Ehrlichia can cause bleeding, but that is a different tick carried disease.
Yunnan Bai Yao is a safe symptomatic treatment for bleeding, whatever the cause.
I hope this is helpful!
Dr. Sara