My old dog's prostate X-ray shows mineralization. Is it cancer?

Unfortunately prostate problems are very common in intact male dogs, and there is a chance he could have prostate cancer. Without seeing Cooper in person, I can't say for sure what his chances are that it's cancer, but it certainly would be a differential for me in in a senior, intact dog. Dogs are also very stoic about pain and illness, and a lot of times they are quite ill before showing any outward signs. That means they can be acting fine one day, and then be quite ill the next day. Keep in mind as well that just because you don't see visible blood in his urine, it doesn't mean blood isn't present in microscopic amounts. The next steps would be a urine analysis, abdominal x-rays and/or ultrasound to visualize the prostate, and a prostate biopsy. These tests will help confirm if Cooper has cancer, and I would speak to your vet about doing them. I hope this helps!

It is hard to look at x-rays through the PetCoach system, but I do not see any bladder stones. There does appear to be some gas in the bladder, which may have been inadvertently introduced through catheterization or could indicate the presence of a gas-producing bacteria. The prostate is significantly enlarged, to the point where it could constrict the urethra and cause straining to urinate. The urinalysis shows a possible infection, which could come from the bladder or prostate. I would not start urinary alkalizers without the certainty of oxalate stones. I would start antibiotics appropriate for a prostate infection and have Sheldon neutered ASAP, which can help with BPH https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/prostate-enlargement/

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.

I'm sorry Bruno is sick! Unfortunately in a dog his age, a malignant tumor is always high on the list of potential causes. Senior dogs are prone to cancer. You can ask the vet to do a biopsy to make sure it's a tumor for sure, but that would be my guess. I'm sorry i don't have better news for you. Best of luck.

It can be very difficult to determine exactly what area of the bowel is affected by a mass without invasive and expensive testing which may not be in Jake's best interests given the very poor prognosis. However some benign prostate conditions can be more treatable in entire males (if no blood changes such as elevated calcium are detected). A specialist ultrasound exam, prostatic wash or needle biopsy from the prostate can be worthwhile as if benign may respond to medical treatment in some cases

Based on those bloodwork findings here are some possibilities: kidney disease, infection, immune mediated hemolytic anemia, bone marrow disease, prostatic benign hyperplasia, prostatic cancer or a prostatic infection. I would follow up with an abdominal ultrasound to evaluate the prostate even further and possibly get samples from it to see if it is infection, cancer or benign tumor and then starting treatment for the anemia (if severe). If Tyger has been diagnosed with IMHA, steroid and antibiotic therapy should have already been initiated by your veterinarian. If you wish to discuss Tyger’s case in more detail feel free to request a consultation request. We will be able to review the entire bloodwork and exam findings (if you have the medical records), to perhaps narrow down some of the possible causes for his illness. Best wishes moving forward with Tyger’s care.

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.