Dog Prostate Symptoms

Dog prostate symptoms are difficult to ignore. Because these symptoms affect the dog’s complicated urinary system, they cause noticeable pain and unusual behaviors that signal a problem beyond a reasonable doubt. If your pet has any of the symptoms listed in the next section, he might have any number of urinary system conditions such as an enlarged prostate, kidney disease, disease of the bladder or urinary tract disease.

Dog Prostate Symptoms

Dog prostate symptoms are often painful and may include distress during urination, such as:

  • straining
  • dribbling
  • licking at the penis
  • voiding frequently in small amounts
  • squatting but not passing urine after many tries,
  • standing with his leg up for extended periods of time
  • vomiting
  • crying out in pain

A dog with prostate problems may also pass blood clots, mucus, or bloody urine. He may also have swelling in the lower abdomen.

What to Do if Your Dog Has Prostate Symptoms

If your dog has prostate symptoms, you should go to an emergency clinic for an examination, X rays, and possible surgery. Although prostate cancer is rare in dogs, it is important to rule it out. Prostate cancer in dogs is not influenced by testosterone, so it may occur in intact and neutered dogs.

Your veterinarian will diagnose the prostate condition by utilizing a series of laboratory tests such as urinalysis and blood chemistries. Blood chemistries blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine. Your vet will note symptoms, check your pets medical history and take X-rays. In some cases he will have to perform a CT scan or surgical exploration and biopsy of the bladder or kidneys.

Treatments for Dog Prostate Conditions

Prostate cancer is treated with surgery and/or radiation therapy. Unfortunately, by the time the disease is diagnosed, it is already in its advanced stages. According to Drs. Debra M. Eldredge and James M. Giffin, authors of The Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook, because prostate cancer is not testosterone dependent, neutering will not slow the progression of the disease. In addition, neutering does not protect against the development of prostate cancer.

Other prostate conditions require two to three weeks of oral antibiotics alone or in conjunction with special diets, long-term catheterization, drug therapy to treat the neurological components of the condition, neutering (in cases of an enlarged prostate gland), supplements and surgery.

About the Urinary System

The urinary system is made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra and, in the male, the prostate. The system has two kidneys, one on either side of the backbone just behind the back rib. Each kidney has a renal pelvis or funnel that siphons the urine into the ureter. The ureters transport urine to the bladder, and the bladder empties into the urethra. The opening of the urethra is located at the tip of the penis in the male and the folds of the vulva in the female. In the male, the urethra also serves as the channel for semen. The prostate envelops the urethra just below the bladder. During an examination, the vet can feel the top surface of the prostate.

 

 

Comments