And while it can occur in any breed, Boston Terriers and Bulldogs seem to be especially prone to this medical condition.
In many instances, no specific treatment is required unless there is a more serious underlying medical condition, or in the event of an infection.
Get practical pet health tips, articles, and insights from our veterinary community delivered weekly to your inbox.
Unfortunately, there are no preventive measures for urethral prolapse. If a dog shows a high likelihood of recurrence, neutering the animal may be your best option.
Urethral prolapse can affect both dogs and cats. If you would like to learn how this condition affects cats, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.
The dog could urinate normally. However, results of analysis of a voided urine sample revealed numerous red cells, a few white cells, moderate proteinuria and a specific gravity of 1.035. Evaluation of a urine sample collected by cystocentesis following collection of the voided urine sample revealed two to three red cells per high power magnification (450X), a trace of protein, and a urine specific gravity of 1.032. Aerobic culture of both urine samples for bacteria revealed no growth. Evaluation of prostatic fluid collected during manually induced ejaculation revealed no abnormalities.
A 3-year-old male non-castrated English Bulldog was admitted to the Veterinary Medical Center because of intermittent episodes of gross hematuria of two months duration.
Photo 1: Urethral prolapse in a 3-year-old non-castrated English Bulldog.The prolapsed portion of the urethral mucosa was not ulcerated or inflamed. Evaluation of the intra-pelvic portion of the urethra via rectal palpation revealed that it was normal; the prostate gland was also normal. The dogs breathing was adequate at rest but became labored with mild exercise (walking). Physical examination did not reveal other abnormalities.
What was the biological behavior of the urethral prolapse in this 3-year-old Bulldog? During a four-year span from the date of diagnosis, the dog was evaluated at approximately four-to six-month intervals. The urethral prolapse was not associated with any clinical signs: it did not change in size, shape or color (Photos 2-3). Unfortunately the dog died of dilated cardiomyopathy, ending our opportunity to further evaluate this disorder. However, contrary to many textbook descriptions, the clinical course of this patient with a urethral prolapse indicates that surgery is not always necessary. This point may be especially relevant to patients (like this Bulldog) who are poor anesthetic risks.
In situations (as described in this case) where prolapse of the urethra is asymptomatic, or when episodic bleeding is no more than an inconvenience, therapy may not be required. We do not recommend use of glucocorticoids, since they are unlikely to provide any beneficial effect, but are likely to increase the risk for ascending urinary tract infection. If excessive licking contributes to trauma of the prolapsed urethra, Elizabethan collars or similar types of restraint devices may help to break the licking cycle.
In response to the recent COVID-19 epidemic, we are taking recommended precautions. We are providing curb-side service. Communication with clients and doctors will be largely conducted via phone, Zoom meeting, FaceTime or another platform. Pets needing surgery or other treatments/diagnostics will be transferred from you to our staff, typically in the parking lot, in an effort to minimize human contact. Please be patient with the process in order to keep everyone safe.