Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sex development disorder causing ambiguous genitalia in a dog
By de Oliveira, Maria Eduarda Mirabelo et al.·Published in Veterinary research communications·2025·Department of Animal Reproduction, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: XY disorder of sexual development in a dog: a case study by histopathology, genotyping and karyotyping.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old mongrel dog was brought in with unusual genitalia and signs of trauma, including bleeding from an area that looked like a penis but had features resembling female anatomy. An ultrasound showed ectopic testicles and other abnormal structures. During surgery, the vet found testicular tissue and a malformed epididymis, which were confirmed through lab tests. The dog underwent a procedure to remove the abnormal external genitalia and reposition the urethra. Although the dog had a male genetic makeup, the condition was due to a disorder of sexual development, leading to ambiguous genitalia and non-functional testicles.
People also search for: dog sexual development disorder · male pseudohermaphroditism in dogs · dog genitalia trauma treatment
Abstract
This study aims to report a case of sexual ambiguity in a 3-yr mongrel dog and its respective etiological approach. There was a complaint of trauma and pinpoint bleeding in a chronical exposed structure, which examination indicated to be penis-like with perineoscrotal insertion and ventral hypospadia, surrounded by skin folds that resembled vulvar labia majora or hypoplastic prepuce. No evident scrotum and testicles were noted. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed ectopic testicles and an undefined structure filled with high-cellularity content in close contact with the prostate dorsal wall. The dog underwent exploratory laparotomy, revealing structures morphologically compatible with testicles and epididymides, connected by a tubular structure macroscopically resembling uterine horns, which was subjected to histopathological analysis and genotyping. For the external genitalia, penectomy was performed, followed by lateral mucosa reinsertion of the urethra, remaining a skin extension with vulvar-lips appearance. Histopathological examination revealed testicular hypoplasia and bilateral epididymal dysplasia and confirmed that the tubular structure was indeed an excessive distended epididymal duct. Blood sample was collected for cytogenetic analysis, which revealed variations in the diploid number (2n = 78, XY) due to addition (2n = 79) or absence of acrocentric autosomal chromosomes (2n < 78). Sex genotyping confirmed a male sex (XY). In conclusion, this clinical case demonstrated a XY disorder of sexual development (male pseudohermaphroditism) due to phenotypic sex ambiguity (ambiguous external genitalia), yet with a non-function degenerated testes and hypertrophic dilation of the epididymides, suggesting a disorder of male hormonal biosynthesis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39903346/