Phallus Prostration (male prolapse) - HELP!

[duckluck]

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.

This sounds like great advice, but when you say "not too expensive", what kind of dollar amount are we talking here? I'm curious, because a lot of folks on here keep ducks as farm animals as well as pets, and here it would have cost me, had I chosen to pay for it, almost $200 to get beaks and nails done on three parrots prior to a show, which is a pretty uncomplicated procedure. I chose to spend $50 on a cordless Dremmel and do it myself, which panned out very well. And being as that a prolapsed penis is a fairly common occurrence in ducks, I am wondering what kind of dollar amount this "not too expensive" leads us to...provided, that is, that a duck keeper can find a vet who knows how to work on a duck and on this particular problem.

Having had several prolapses to deal with myself, I have only one to date that is presenting a recurring problem. The others have either resolved themselves or responded to my treatments. Not that I wouldn't have rather had alternate means, but the question remains, at what availability and at what cost?

 

[Miss Lydia]

This sounds like great advice, but when you say "not too expensive", what kind of dollar amount are we talking here? I'm curious, because a lot of folks on here keep ducks as farm animals as well as pets, and here it would have cost me, had I chosen to pay for it, almost $200 to get beaks and nails done on three parrots prior to a show, which is a pretty uncomplicated procedure. I chose to spend $50 on a cordless Dremmel and do it myself, which panned out very well. And being as that a prolapsed penis is a fairly common occurrence in ducks, I am wondering what kind of dollar amount this "not too expensive" leads us to...provided, that is, that a duck keeper can find a vet who knows how to work on a duck and on this particular problem.

Having had several prolapses to deal with myself, I have only one to date that is presenting a recurring problem. The others have either resolved themselves or responded to my treatments. Not that I wouldn't have rather had alternate means, but the question remains, at what availability and at what cost?

What treatments did you use? I have a drake that hasn't ever had the problem going on 9 years, and now a young drake under 1 year and would really like to know the best way to treat it myself. Thanks.

 

[CarolAnn]

Okay, I thought this was anal/rectal problem. Didn't occur to me it could be this! Guess I'll be giving him a more thorough check when I go out this morning. The mass I'm seeing extends from his body about 1.5 inches. He's around a year old. I'm not really educated on where all the holes are on the males. If it's his penis then will this interfere with his eliminating? Blockage and the bacterial danger was what I thought I had to worry about most. So maybe not... I have a brooder coop I can move this guy to if I have to. I'll know more after I've done chores.

I'll have to do as much about this as I can myself. I don't know who treats ducks out here and can't afford a big duck vet bill. More later.

Thank you!!
Carol

 

[Hattiegun]

I had it happen to my male at a yr old. It will not affect him pooping although it will be runny.. I did not isolate as I watched closely to make sure the other ducks were not picking on him... Mix Vasoline with Neosprin (no pain) and lather it at least twice a day,pull it down so u can lube the healthy tissue also..The very bottom will eventually turn black and get crusty.. and long as the upper part stays pink and u keep it clean it should be okay..My guy took 3 Months tho before the tip was dead enuff (and I took him to the vet to get clipped - $30)or it may fall off itself.It took another month or so before he was completely better. I have call ducks so his poor tally wacker would drag some in the grass but after the first week or so , he acted absolutely normal ( although he did not mate) My pools were cleaned absolutely every day and pens are kept super clean..what kind of ducks do u have? Luckily my other ducks did not see it as a bug or worm which can easily happen.. hope this helps...

 

[akeaglevet]

Sorry I missed a few more posts to this thread in the past month.

DuckLuck: Regarding "reasonable cost," I can't really recommend exact dollar amounts, but I would expect would be fees for an examination, an injection of a local anesthetic, and then some minor surgery fee for placing the stitches. It's not unreasonable to recommend other ancillary diagnostics such as radiographs, bloodwork, scoping the cloaca, etc., but if you only want to address the immediate emergency with phallus replacement and stay sutures, it would probably amount to less than a few hundred dollars-- the exact cost would vary a lot from vet to vet.

Miss Lydia: The second reply asks what can be done at home. Take a look at my original post and I make some suggestions there depending upon severity. If you decide to lube and replace the phallus and it stays in (mostly) then you're probably going to be ok without any surgery. But, I can't recommend that you give any pain relievers, etc. on your own. Your veterinarian could prescribe meloxicam or butorphanol to address pain and swelling.

Miss Lydia, CarolAnn, & Hattiegun: Yes, this is pretty much a first-breeding-season thing and not likely to occur in a 9-year-old. I do recommend separating extremely sexually active males from the females for periods of time, particularly if the phallus begins to be seen dangling out a lot. Do it before you get to that swollen, necrotic, painful stage and you might save you and the duck a lot of trauma. It's amazing what nature will take care of, given the chance, but there are risks to leaving a necrotic phallus to hang out and eventually wither off-- it doesn't always work out well (or feel very comfortable I'm sure).

 

[Hattiegun]

My vet was going to charge me $150 for the surgery, if it came to that... luckily it didnt...

 

[Sasa]

Do ducks that have recovered from a prolapsed penis have long-term or permanent pain from it? Maybe nerve pain? maybe just enough to stimulate without really hurting him? One of my Runner drakes recovered from that before I got him and I notice that he is always 'stimulated' but when he tries to mate his penis just dangles, so he never gets satisfaction and is always frustrated. He's a pretty obnoxious boy, poor guy.

 

[DuckyGurl]

Saving this page, really hope I never have to deal with this problem but am extremely grateful for this advice.

 

[new2ducks]

Sorry I missed a few more posts to this thread in the past month.

DuckLuck: Regarding "reasonable cost," I can't really recommend exact dollar amounts, but I would expect would be fees for an examination, an injection of a local anesthetic, and then some minor surgery fee for placing the stitches. It's not unreasonable to recommend other ancillary diagnostics such as radiographs, bloodwork, scoping the cloaca, etc., but if you only want to address the immediate emergency with phallus replacement and stay sutures, it would probably amount to less than a few hundred dollars-- the exact cost would vary a lot from vet to vet.

Miss Lydia: The second reply asks what can be done at home. Take a look at my original post and I make some suggestions there depending upon severity. If you decide to lube and replace the phallus and it stays in (mostly) then you're probably going to be ok without any surgery. But, I can't recommend that you give any pain relievers, etc. on your own. Your veterinarian could prescribe meloxicam or butorphanol to address pain and swelling.

Miss Lydia, CarolAnn, & Hattiegun: Yes, this is pretty much a first-breeding-season thing and not likely to occur in a 9-year-old. I do recommend separating extremely sexually active males from the females for periods of time, particularly if the phallus begins to be seen dangling out a lot. Do it before you get to that swollen, necrotic, painful stage and you might save you and the duck a lot of trauma. It's amazing what nature will take care of, given the chance, but there are risks to leaving a necrotic phallus to hang out and eventually wither off-- it doesn't always work out well (or feel very comfortable I'm sure).

 

[decomposed]

i had to get most of my poor drakes phallus removed 7 days ago about 2 inches were out and the end of it was purple and starting to die it cost me around $780 for the checkup, surgery and meds i couldn't stand to see him in pain they took 4 out of 5 inches =( he is doing good and very horny he keeps trying to rape my arm lol

here are some pics the vet took

this is before the surgery

and after