Page 15 - Chow Life - Spring 2016

while the dog lies comfortably on needed for fertility or drive, drug Remember that the most common
a padded cushion. Prostatic cysts supplementation can be safely signs seen with intact male dogs
and BPH can be readily seen as administered to shrink down the with benign prostatic hyperplasia
well as tissue suspicious of cancer. size of the prostate gland without are bright red blood dripping on
To obtain a final diagnosis of the affecting the levels of testosterone the floor from the penis, straining
problem or check out a suspicious needed for sperm counts or to urinate or defecate, or infertility.
area, the dog can be mildly sedated working drive. The most commonly But, often the symptoms are more
and a biopsy of the prostate gland used drug to decrease prostatic subtle and the owner or handler
obtained. size is called finasteride (Proscar or will notice the dog’s bite drive
The preferred treatment for dogs Propecia). Once daily oral therapy decreased, decreased attention to
showing signs of BPH is castration is initiated, a reduction in prostatic tasks at hand, problems settling
since this quickly removes the size and subsequent clinical signs litters, or sub-normal performance
testicles, or the source of the occurs within 4-6 weeks in most in other areas of training.
testosterone initiating the problem. dogs. Other therapies used in Don’t ignore poor performance—
After surgery, most male dogs are humans, such as the herb saw THINK PROSTATE and have your
asymptomatic within 5-7 days and palmetto, have not been shown to male checked out!
the prostate gland returns to a more be effective in dogs with BPH. The
normal size within 21 days. use of estrogen or progesterone Permission to reprint this article is specifically
In male dogs being used for stud, is not used in the male with BPH given by the author Dr. Battaglia and permission
because of the potential for many
or bite work where higher levels undesirable side effects. is also granted by the Canine Chronicle.
of testosterone are