SMUDGE

VIDALIA, GA....We were contacted about a four-week-old male chihuahua puppy with a genital deformity.  The sheath over his penis had not developed, leaving him exposed and in danger of developing infections from drying out.   We had dealt with this several times before with our hypospadias puppies.

I agreed to take this tiny one-pound puppy that had been abandoned.  When our Specialists in Charleston saw him initially, he was too young to sedate.  We all agreed he would have to be taken care of constantly to not damage his penis during the interim.  Penile surgery cannot be done until the puppy has matured and stopped growing.

We have loved, nurtured, and kept Smudge infection free for one year.  He is now mature and has stopped growing.  He weighs 5.8 lbs and has remained that weight for several months.   The day finally came for Smudge to have his procedure with Dr. Patti Sura at CVRC in Charleston, SC.  We were all excited for our precious boy.

Smudge was old enough to be sedated and had no complications over the past year.  We never let his penis dry out for even a second.  It was a constant battle but one we were willing to do for this exceptional pup.  He has hernias that occasionally come out, but we also corrected that.  We checked Smudge into CVRC the night before surgery.

We got a call later that night concerning Smudge. His case was a lot more complicated than initially anticipated.  It appeared that Smudge's Urethra did not go to his penis.  Since he is so low to the ground, we assumed he was urinating from his penis. It turns out he has a small hole right below his anus, functioning just fine for him.

Dr. Sura explained all the complications that could potentially happen.  We decided not to re-route the urethra since it was working.   Dr. Sura would do a total neuter and remove his penis since it did not function.   The hernia repairs would also be done at the same time.  Smudge would become Smudgette and look more like a female than a male.  His chances of living a great long life without the worry of infection went up 100%.

The surgery had its risks and complications, but we had the best Surgeon in charge of his procedure.   Smudge had his operation and did well.  The next day he was still a little out of it but was slowly coming around.  Once he woke up and was off his IVs, he urinated the way he always had.   He is sore, but that is to be expected.

Penile construction may be complicated for many people to understand and discuss.  For us, it is all part of a typical day at Noah's Arks Rescue.  We deal with everything that could go wrong with a pup, from abuse to genetics.  All we care about is giving the dogs we take on the best possible care. There is never a situation that would stop us from helping an animal.

We now need your help to take care of dear Smudge's medical/surgical bills.  You would think, small dog, small bills. The smaller the dog, the more complicated the cases and the bigger the bills.  Please, DONATE whatever you can so we can help more dogs like Smudge get the care they need so they are not euthanized.  

Smudge will be up for adoption once he has healed in the next month.  He loves everyone and gets along great with other dogs.  This past year, Smudge has been a delight to care for.  He will make an excellent addition to any Family that does not have small children since he is so tiny.