CASE REPORT Penile self-mutilation as an unusual sign of a separation-related problem in a crossbreed dog A two-year-old, male, crossbreed dog was presented for evaluation of licking, biting and severe self-mutilation of its penis, which resulted in ulcers and haemorrhagic preputial discharge. History revealed signs of separation anxiety such as active greeting behaviour, excessive vocalisation and intermittent episodes of licking of the penis when the dog was left alone. The owner reported that he had been hospitalised after a car accident, and he had no chance of seeing the dog. During that time, the behaviour progressed to frequent episodes of licking and biting of the penis. Three weeks of treatment with clomipramine in addition to the presence of the dog’s brother, who was brought into the dog’s living environment, appeared to produce a considerable degree of improvement. The purpose of this report is to contribute to an increased awareness within veterinary practice of unusual signs of separation anxiety such as penile self-mutilation. M. SELK GHAFFARI, N. KHORAMI*, M. MARJANI AND S. J. ALDAVOOD* Journal of Small Animal Practice (2007) 48, 651–653 DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2007.00338.x INTRODUCTION Separation anxiety is a common behaviou- ral problem in dogs. It is characterised by signs of distress when affected dogs are left alone or separated from their owners to whom they are overly attached. Treatment is based on behaviour modification that gradually desensitises and counter con- ditions the dog to being left alone by re- warding calm, relaxed behaviour (Simpson 2000, Lem 2002). One-third of reported cases are of mixed breeds, and two-thirds are males (Voith and Ganster 1993). It is estimated that 20 to 40 per cent of dogs who are presented to veterinary behaviou- ral practice have separation anxiety (Seksel and Lindeman 2001). The presenting symptoms can vary. They include inappropriate urination, excessive vocalisation, fearful behaviour, trembling, vomiting, diarrhoea, excessive licking,self-mutilation,overactivegreetings, excessive attention seeking and aggression at departures (Voith and Borchelt 1985, McCrave 1991). This report describes a case of genital self-mutilation as an unusual clinical manifestation of separation anxiety and is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first case reported in veterinary medicine. CASE HISTORY A two-year-old, entire, male crossbreed dog was presented for evaluation of hae- morrhagic preputial discharge. The dog was obtained by its current owner at the age of four months and was kept as a guard dog in the garden. The owner noted excessive vocalisation and intermittent episodes of licking of the penis when the dog was left alone. Accord- ing to the owner, the dog showed very active greeting behaviour upon the own- er’s return home. The owner reported that he had been hospitalised after a car acci- dent, and he had no chance of seeing the dog. During that time, the behaviour progressed to frequent episodes of licking and biting of the penis. The behaviour of licking, biting and severe self-mutilation of the penis resulted in ulcers with second- ary bacterial infection. One month later, when the client had returned home from hospital, severe hae- morrhagic ulcers were visible on the surface of the dog’s penis. After the owner’s return, the behaviour was observed only during the owner’s absence. Most of the informa- tion was gained from neighbours observ- ing the dog through the windows. The neighbours described the behaviour as starting within 30 to 40 minutes of the owner’s departure from home. The bouts of biting behaviour stopped after the owner returned, and the behavioural ex- pression changed to episodes of licking the penis. On further clinical examination, the penis was easily exposed by pulling the prepuce caudally over the bulbus glandis. The extruded penis was examined for the presence of inflammation, foreign bodies or masses. History of apparent in- toxication, injury, jumping onto objects, Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University – Karaj Branch, Karaj (31485-313), Iran *Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran (14155-6453), Iran Journal of Small Animal Practice Á Vol 48 Á November 2007 Á Ó 2007 British Small Animal Veterinary Association 651