prostatedisease

Canine Prostate Disease

What is the prostate gland?
The prostate gland is an organ of the male reproductive system that surrounds the urethra (the tube the carries urine from the bladder to the outside) where the vas deferens (the tube that carries sperm from the testicle to the urethra) joins it. It sits at the abdominal end of the pelvic canal. Its purpose is to produce some of the components of semen during ejaculation.

What problems can the prostate suffer from?
There are a variety of diseases of the prostate, all of which cause an enlargement of the gland. The most common problem is Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, a relatively harmless enlargement of the prostate in response to hormone levels. Other problems include:

(1) Prostatic Cysts – relatively harmless cysts full of sterile fluid

(2) Prostatitis – inflammation and infection of the prostate

(3) Prostatic Abscess – a cyst full of infected pus

(4) Prostatic Tumours – growths of the prostate are troublesome due to difficulties with removal, and many are malignant

What signs can prostate disease cause?
When the prostate is significantly enlarged, it may partially block the pelvic canal causing problems with the passage of faeces. Dogs with an enlarged prostate often have to strain for a while to pass faeces.

Dogs with prostate disease will often pass blood from the penis. This is usually seen as drips of blood soon after passing urine or at other times, although there can also be some blood in the urine itself.

If the prostate is infected, there will often be a temperature and the dog will appear depressed and unwell, and there is pain in the hind part of the abdomen. Sometimes only a temperature is present with no other external clues as to what is going on, making it hard to determine what part of the dog is affected.

What can be done to find out what is wrong?
The simplest procedure is a rectal examination. Wearing a glove, a vet can feel the prostate through the rectum to determine if it is enlarged and pushing on it may show pain if there is a problem.

Other tests can involve x-rays, ultrasound, blood tests and a prostatic wash. A prostatic wash involves passing a catheter into the penis and collecting a sample of cells from the prostate. A laboratory may then be able to give some idea as to what is present.

What is the treatment for prostate disease?
The treatment will depend largely on what the problem is with the prostate. In many cases castration will be part of the treatment. The prostate is under the influence of the male hormone testosterone, which is produced by the testicles, and when a dog is castrated the prostate will usually shrink down to a very small size and very rarely gets any further problems. There is also an injection, called Tardak, that can stop testosterone production for 4-6 weeks, so this is sometimes used to check that castration will help, or can be used instead if a dog is too old/ill for surgery (although the cost actually ends up higher than surgery with repeated injections).

(1) For Bengin Prostatic Hyperplasia, castration is the only treatment required.

(2) For Prostatitis antibiotics, sometimes with anti-inflammatory pain killers, are required. These infections can be difficult to clear so long courses of strong antibiotics are often required. Castration can help recovery and helps to prevent recurrence.

(3) For a Prostatic Abscess or Cyst, surgery is required to drain the fluid and to prevent fluid forming again.

(4) For Prostatic Tumours treatment may not be possible. In some cases a small tumour may be removed from the prostate, but if the tumour is too large this may not be possible without removing the whole gland. Removal of the prostate is not a realistic prospect as the gland surrounds the urethra and cannot be removed without affecting the function of the bladder.

Can anything be done to prevent prostate disease?
Castration will prevent most forms of prostate disease, especially if performed when young.

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reprinted with kind permission from Andrew Prentis BVSc MRCVS
Hyde Park Veterinary Centre
www.hydeparkvet.co.uk

The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.