Stubborn Penile Prolapse

[s]

Hello! I gather that penile prolapse is quite common in degus. I'm struggling with it for the first time.

I noticed Daewoo's peepee was out of his cone this morning. Not by that much, and not dampening his spirits although he is putting it in his mouth a lot.

Anyway I went to the vets, and the vet put it back in its cone by pulling it out and reinserting. She said the cause was likely hair, which she removed (he's malting). However, a few hours after we got home, it slipped out again! It was looking kind of swollen in the cone. I'm worried it may be too swollen to go back in.

I've checked online for tricks, I know vasaline can help. I live in Japan so a lot of the product names are different. So far I've only tried vasaline with not much success (I also struggle to hold him still). I'm wondering if I should try something to make it less swollen like sprinkling salt or sugar or using ice. But I'm worried about him eating the sugar or salt.

I'm really worried it could get infected or he might not be able to pee etc. He hates the vet so I want to avoid causing him the stress of that again. Any advice?

[s]

I was just thinking, I have some aloe gel which is antibacterial and anti inflammatory, could I put that on?

[bouncy]

I have a prolapse right now that will never go back, and his cone has torn.

Metacam will help with any inflammation. Any open wound can be treated by pure Manuka honey. Also useful are eye lubricants.

[zo]

Same as bouncy my boy has a prolapse too it never goes back in and I have tried everything took him different vets lots too they all told me that as long as he is peeing ok and it’s not infected or looks bad then it should be ok it’s not nice seeing it like it but sometimes I think there is nothing more they can do I don’t know why it stays out it could be because of his age. like bouncy said I give metacam and antibiotics too I hope your boy is doing ok bouncy and is heeling well bless him it looked sore

[s]

Aug 2, 2021 11:37:12 GMT zo said:

it’s not nice seeing it like it but sometimes I think there is nothing more they can do I don’t know why it stays out it could be because of his age.

My boy is only just one year old though! I'm worried it could hurt his life expectancy if not fixed...

[s]

Also, he won't stop messing with it so it doesn't seem like something I can just leave be

[savvy]

At one year old, could this be hormone related? He would be slap bang in the middle of adolescence. Just thinking.

[deguconvert]

KY jelly, or whatever similar brand, would be better than Vaseline, as it is water based and won't gum up his works.

[s]

A nice update: it seems to have gone back in the cone without issue! We lubed him up with no result and went to bed, but when we woke up the next day it was fine. I'm so relieved!

Could have just been hair, could be hormone related (he's also had a growth spurt and been a bit more hyper lately). Anyway, now I use lint rollers on all his bedding every day to get the hairs off to prevent another incident of hair in the cone. I also bought KY Jelly for if there's a next time.

Thanks for your advice!

[teemu]

Dirt and hair is a pretty common cause for prolapses. It gathers around the penis and prevents it from fitting snugly back in, which then causes it to get irritated and swell up, which makes the situation worse. I've had some success carefully cleaning a prolapsed penis myself at home, but most degus are not willing to let you lay hands on their privates. Still, depending on how he is, if it looks like Daewoo has something stuck to his penis, and he allows, it's possible to carefully run a couple of fingers under water and then gently massage the area to clean it. I had a degu who sufferent from frequent prolapses, and cleaning the area when it happened helped a lot.

But if it's proving to be a problem, it's best to let a vet handle it, of course.

[moletteuk]

Glad this is sorted.

[deguconvert]

I'll throw in my "ditto" here! I hope he continues to be in good shape!