Inflamed penis

[Kenzie]

My little fox is about a year old. We noticed this afternoon that his penis is inflamed. I tried to give him a warm bath but we all know how that goes. He hates the water! I put neosporin on it, but now he is very aggressive. He has attacked my other animals and will not let me pet him. He is chattering his teeth and growling. That's not like him. I spoke with a vet who said that this may be life threatening. She explained that it could be multiple things such as uti, urinary stones, etc. We do have a cage that he is in, and he is partially paralyzed and has to drag his little butt to get around. I'm torn because I dont want to have to take him to the vet if u dont have to. She explained to not use neosporin and said that I should not give him infant motrin for pain. Anyone have any feedback or ideas?

[HRT4SQRLS]

I agree with the vet that this could be life threatening. Let me ask a few questions. I remember your friend. He was injured due to a fall while being treated for MBD. Can he urinate on his own or do you have to express him? A squirrel that has hind end paralysis is definitely at a high risk for UTI. Even if he does void on his own he might not completely void which puts him at a higher risk for infection. His might be overgrooming his penis due to pain and irritation from a UTI. You have to make sure that he isn't blocked. I would feel his lower abdomen to make sure his bladder isn't distended. If his bladder is full and he can't go you need to gently express him.

I'm not sure why the vet said to not use Neosporin on the penis. You don't want it to scab over and cause a blockage. I guess any safe oil like cooking oil to lubricate the opening should keep it open. I really think you do need to take him to a vet. He's not very old so I doubt this is stones. It is probably infection and that definitely needs treating.

I hope he has settled down from the bath. Yeah, they really HATE baths.