My dog has an enlarged prostate. Should I choose surgery or chemical castration?

Absolutely. Actually, neutering is one way to treat a prostate hyperplasia (enlarged prostate). It should not affect him negatively. His prostate should get smaller, and he will not have any more discharge from his prepuce. If your dog has an inflamed prostate, it still needs treatment with an antibiotic prescribed by your vet.

Poor Alf! Studies have shown that neutering does not provide any protective effects against prostate cancer in dogs - in fact, neutered males have a slightly higher incidence of this disease than intact males. So I'm not quite sure about the reasoning for having him castrated, unless what your veterinarian meant was that Alf has prostatic cysts or benign prostatic enlargement - both of these things would be expected to improve with neutering. It would help to know exactly what diagnostics have been done and what the results were in order to give more specific advice - feel free to request a consultation with one of us if you want to upload copies of his lab reports and medical records for us to look at. Otherwise, if you're unsure about your current vet's recommendations, I would suggest going to another local vet for a second opinion, or requesting referral to a specialist for further evaluation.

Hi, an enlarged prostate is very very very common in unneutered dogs, one study demonstrated that over 80% of entire male dogs over the age of 5 are affected and 100% over the age of 8 have some degree of benign hyperplasia.I don’t think biopsies are compulsory, I would personally opt to have it treated as benign hyperplasia either through castration or through medical management, i.e. an anti-androgen injection that determines a reduction in prostate size of 40 % within two weeks and lasts an average of 5-6 months. The vomiting and diarrhoea is probably not linked to the prostate, and I would first try to help Harvey with this problem and then think about his prostate that has probably been enlarged for a while. Hope this helps.

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Biggi. Please do not be afraid of the surgery to neuter him. It may not take care of all his problems with the prostrate gland, but may help. As long as Biggi is in good health as evidenced by normal blood work, has no obvious cardiac or pulmonary problems, then neutering him should not put him in any danger. All surgery carries a small risk, but if you trust your veterinarian, Biggi should sail through the surgery. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Bob! This is likely benign prostatic hyperplasia. Unfortunately, the best treatment is to neuter him. You can ask your vet to prescribe him some anti-inflammatories to see if this helps but sometimes it doesn't work. For dogs used for breeding, there is also a product called finasteride to help treat this but I am not very familiar with this drug so I would talk to your vet in more detail about whether it would be safe for Bob. I will attach an article below. Also, sometimes drugs will work temporarily but eventually the problem comes back. I would also make sure the vet checked his urine to ensure he doesn't have an infection in his urine. Finally, if your vet thinks his prostate is painful, he may have a prostatitis which will require antibiotics. I hope this helps! http://www.merckvetmanual.com/reproductive-system/prostatic-diseases/benign-prostatic-hyperplasia-in-small-animals

Hi there. Prostate removal is not a surgery that is normally done in dogs. I'm wondering if you meant that your veterinarian recommending neutering Harley? This is generally a very effective way of treating prostatic enlargement - so yes, I would agree that this is a good idea if the enlarged prostate is causing any problems such as difficulty peeing or pooping, or bleeding from the penis. His injured paw is a separate issue. He may have injured it in the fight with his brother, or by jumping off of something. He could also have arthritis or some other issue such as a bone tumor causing the pain and limping. I would recommend taking him to the vet to have this checked, as he may need x-rays to help determine the problem. Your veterinarian can also prescribe pain medication for him to help make him more comfortable.

He should be castrated. Twelve is not old for a small breed dog and age, in itself, is not a disease. If he is otherwise healthy he should be fine for surgery. Castration, in general, is a very short procedure.