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Why is my unaltered dog's testicle swollen, hard, and discolored?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | unneutered | 3 years and 8 months old | 20 lbs

There is some swelling and tenderness just to the left of his penis and his left testical is swollen, tender, and hard. There is also a bit of discoloration in the reigon. It looks like cellulitis in his left testical. We are visiting family in Texas. He is unaltered 3 year old. He is also my wife’s medical alert service dog. He seemed fine yesterday we think whatever happened started last night and has just slowly been getting worse. We’ve been trying to keep him warm and comfy. Please help him

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Lauren Barry, BVSc, MRCVS, DVM

Answered By Lauren Barry, BVSc, MRCVS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 30th, 2017

This could have a few causes - given that Carson is such an important dog to your wife, I would recommend taking him to the ER vet. It could be an infection, or testicular torsion. The swelling may be an abscess or a lymph node. A physical exam, and possibly an ultrasound or xray may reveal more information. There are some fungal infections more likely in the South - so specific blood tests may need to be ordered.
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