Phallus Prostration (male prolapse) - HELP!

[Amiga]

Talk about an intense experience! Oh, mercy.

So very very glad he came through okay. I wonder if you might offer him a plush doll, to ah, cuddle with.

 

[CarolAnn]

In response to my original old post on this subject, judging from the pictures posted of this condition I determined it wasn't his pahllus that was his problem it was his poop vent. I cleaned him every day for almost a week and extracted big larvae from the hugely affected area. I'd only seen something like that on utube, yuck. He was only able to eliminate in small squirts and was slowing down by the day. We have a friend who took a mean roo off my hands the year before so when he came over one morning I took the drake out and showed him. He said he wouldn't make it so I let him take him. I just couldn't watch him die. When I started to cry he got right in his truck and left. I suppose there are some who would say I should have done more, but putting the beautiful fella down was my only option. I'm sure infection would have poisoned him and his inability to eliminate would have as well. A $700 vet bill for a duck is out of the question in my world. I sold my other drake and my duck hens are much happier.

 

[decomposed]

How sad! i'm sorry you had to do that

. Its a real shame poor little fella, but its good that he isn't suffering anymore.

 

[Dirty Bill Club]

I'm posting my recent experience with Phallus Prostration in one of my Indian Runner Drakes recently for future reference for others.

"Woody," he got his name after this experience, was about 16.5 weeks old, just coming into full maturity I believe. He along with 3 others this age, became "active" in pursuing the females. He was the most aggressive about it and one of the more overall dominant. One morning I noticed he would single off from the bunch (37 total, Runners, Khaki, Swedish) with a younger Khaki chasing him, and noticed Woody's Phallus hanging out. The Khaki thought it was a worm I suppose. It wasn't that way the evening before so I know I caught it very quick.

I secluded him and resorted to "Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks" and BYC for help. I didn't get a good photo of the Phallus at time of Prostration but I'm glad to see "decomposed" in this thread had a good photo for reference. Woody was hanging out about 4-5 inches. I cleaned him up with some diluted chlorahexidine (sp?) solution (used to sterilize and clean in vet office I used to work at, you can also get it at feed stores and some pet stores). I used an A&D type ointment to help moisturize and lube with no success at getting it to go back in.

I continued to use neosporine and ointment daily after cleaning. The following day he retracted about an inch or so. After that no further retraction occurred. It started to get red over a few days, not infected, just inflamed from dragging around and I caught him billing at it several times. After several days the skin on the surface became dry and sloughed off for several more days. After about a week and a half the phallus hanging out began to deteriorate and turn gray. After two weeks I decided not to continue with ointment, expecting it dry and fall off. Almost two and half weeks later of it not changing, I thought I would take a look at him the following day and be ready to cut it off. I was sure it was dead and I was prepared for bleeding and suturing if necessary.

However, the following day I didn't notice it was hanging down. I took him out to look, thinking it was stuck to his feathers or something (hoping it had fallen off). It had fallen off and I found it in his water bin. I was somewhat surprised to find that the part that turned black to fall off was internal, suspecting just inside his vent. I was thinking it wouldn't fall off because the part hanging out was just gray and not turning black. But the tissue must have not turned black because of the ointments and water keeping it more supple, is my guess.

I did take a photo of the discarded phallus to show what it looks like afterwards. It took 2.5 weeks approximately to fall off. I suspect it was dying, and was dead enough he could have pulled it off himself. He was constantly shaking his tail end and periodically fussing with it. Other than being distraught for not being with the flock, he did fine and otherwise was healthy. At first I had him in med pen away from flock, but after a couple days I built a med pen next to the flock pen. He started to eat better being closer, and his friends were right on the other side of the fence visiting with him. The day I inspected him and found his phallus had fallen off, I put him in the drake only pen.

On a side note, I noticed he was being dominated by a Khaki drake that was previously dominated by him. So I am suspecting his absence from the flock changed the pecking order. Which also switched up a little after separating out at least half the drakes in my whole flock. I'm nearly at 50/50. I hope this is helpful to someone who is considering options in care for their ducks.


This is the Prostrated Phallus that was sloughed off after 2.5 weeks. It is approximately 4 inches. The black portion at the right, was internal. The majority of the grey length was what was hanging out.

 

[Ginny222]

My super sized 8 year old Rowen has it. I let him soak in tepid water in my tub for 1/2 hour. Important to rehydrate something not meant to be outside the body. Washed with Dial antibacterial soap. Put him back in for 1/2 hour, imagine soap stings. Then I bloated him with paper towels and applied Preparation H. His is super infected and thicker than a man's finger. I put 1 Tablespoon of Tetracycline Hydrochloride Soluble Powder to Gallon of Water in his drinking water. I buy it at Fleet Farm or other Farm supply store. It is by the cow supplies. For Pigs, calves and poultry. Tetracycline is one of the only antibodics you can use for birds. Important to make fresh every 12 hours. It becomes toxic after 24 hours. After 12 hours already 1/2 the size it was. Wouldn't cut anything off just because it is infected. Use antibodics. Maybe if gangreen. I repeat this process every 12 hours.

 

[sarahsez]

I am an avian specialist and I see these ocassionally. Sorry I missed this post until 18 months later, but in case someone else comes across this in the future, I recommend the following:

1. Separate the drake from females. Typically this is a problem affecting young, exuberant drakes. If you take away the temptation then their phallus will stay put and get the rest it sorely needs.
2. If the tissue is too swollen to replace or is black, green, dead then see an avian vet first.
3. If not, gently cleanse the phallus and, if possible without too much misery, lube it up with KY or similar water-soluble jelly and tuck it back inside the cloaca. Sometimes, if the duck is cooperative, you can try applying a hypertonic sugar solution to help shrink the swollen tissue. Most ducks are not this patient.
4. If it pops right back out and there is danger of it getting stepped on or beat up, go see an avian vet.

The most important steps the vet can provide that you can't are pain relief, anti-inflammatory drugs, and, in the case of a phallus that keeps popping back out, they can apply a couple of temporary sutures across the vent to hold the phallus in place while it heals. The procedure can be performed in most ducks while awake and using just a local anesthetic-- so not too expensive. Usually this is all that's needed and the sutures can come out in 10-14 days (often they pop out on their own). In very few cases, where the phallus has devitalized or become injured, or fails to heal after the initial vent sutures, then amputation is necessary. Some birds will have long-term complications from this, depending upon how the amputation is performed.

 

[sarahsez]

I am an avian specialist and I see these ocassionally. Sorry I missed this post until 18 months later, but in case someone else comes across this in the future, I recommend the following:

1. Separate the drake from females. Typically this is a problem affecting young, exuberant drakes. If you take away the temptation then their phallus will stay put and get the rest it sorely needs.
2. If the tissue is too swollen to replace or is black, green, dead then see an avian vet first.
3. If not, gently cleanse the phallus and, if possible without too much misery, lube it up with KY or similar water-soluble jelly and tuck it back inside the cloaca. Sometimes, if the duck is cooperative, you can try applying a hypertonic sugar solution to help shrink the swollen tissue. Most ducks are not this patient.
4. If it pops right back out and there is danger of it getting stepped on or beat up, go see an avian vet.

The most important steps the vet can provide that you can't are pain relief, anti-inflammatory drugs, and, in the case of a phallus that keeps popping back out, they can apply a couple of temporary sutures across the vent to hold the phallus in place while it heals. The procedure can be performed in most ducks while awake and using just a local anesthetic-- so not too expensive. Usually this is all that's needed and the sutures can come out in 10-14 days (often they pop out on their own). In very few cases, where the phallus has devitalized or become injured, or fails to heal after the initial vent sutures, then amputation is necessary. Some birds will have long-term complications from this, depending upon how the amputation is performed.

Thanks..! Great advice and I will give it my best shot as I have a young Drake who's penis has been prolapsed for a few days before I realised what it was.. I can't get prep H here in Aus, and I'm stuck out on the farm with no transport atm, so can't get ky, but have had suggestions from a poultry/duck Facebook page that I'm part of that I can use coconut oil..?? Have washed and isolated him and reinserted in once before getting answers, but it reappeared again when he pooped so I will try the coconut oil.. combined with your advice and see how I go..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Coconut oil is awesome. Let us know how he does.

 

[sarahsez]

Will do

 

[sarahsez]

Coconut oil is awesome. Let us know how he does.

Hi Miss Lydia
Re Dicky the Duck.. lol..
I have managed to re-insert his pecker, but it keeps prolapsing when he poops.. I still have him seperate and will keep trying though.. would it be a good idea to give him something like Triple C antibiotics to help prevent infection..?