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Ask the Veterinarian/Neutered puppy - foul metallic odor

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Expert: - 12/17/2010


Question
My almost 13 wk old puppy smells of metal after he urinates.  My husband and I have confirmed that it is definitely coming from his penis, and not the anal sacs, and we thought it was his pee.  This morning, we noticed after he went out to urinate, a small amount of white/yellowish substance discharging from his penis - I wiped it off and it had that metallic smell.  We think the discharge is the cause of the metallic smell.  I wiped it three times and then it stopped.  I checked him a few more times - no discharge and no metal smell.  When I took him out again before I left for work and brought him back inside the house, I checked again and there was the discharge again.  Its not dripping or leaking it's just a small amount on the tip of his penis - and I know this could be smegma even though he is neutered, but it's the metallic smell, and the fact that we have only seen it after he pees that has us worried.  
Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated.  I am hoping you tell me this is perfectly normal!
Thanks!
Jenn

Answer
You are correct that this is a normal drainage. Most dogs have it and only if it turns really green and smells really bad do we worry.

However, since this is yellowish and smells, I would think a quick trip to the vets might be warranted. I don't have a lot of experience with 13 week old dogs that are neutered already so this might be a side effect of such an early neutering.

If he isn't constantly licking it or looking at it the chances are that it is nothing, but better to be safe then sorry.

It might be a suture that is making the smell and needs to be removed, or it is his diet or an infection. The discharge itself is not unusual, but it should not smell quite like you are describing.

You might want to call your vet ahead and just ask them. Save yourself a trip if you can.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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