Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common prostate disorder of older, intact, male dogs. It is hormonally dependent on the presence of testosterone. The process begins early in life, and most intact male dogs are affected by the time they are 4–8 years old. Clinical signs are variable; some dogs may be asymptomatic, and others may show signs only very late in life. Clinical signs include intermittent hematuria, blood present at the tip of the penis not associated with urination, recurrent urinary tract infections, tenesmus during defecation, stranguria, and nonspecific caudal abdominal pain. Digital rectal palpation typically reveals a symmetrically enlarged prostate that is nonpainful. Pain may be present if there is concurrent prostatitis.
Differentiating the causes of an enlarged prostate is aided by abdominal ultrasound and cytology of a prostate tissue sample. The least invasive means of obtaining a sample include collection of ejaculate from breeding animals and massage of the prostate with a urinary catheter. Percutaneous or transrectal fine-needle aspiration can also be performed with or without ultrasound guidance. Cytologic findings are highly correlated with histopathologic findings from biopsies, and the collection techniques are less invasive. An ELISA for canine prostate-specific esterase has been developed, and studies indicate it can most often differentiate between normal dogs and those with benign prostatic hyperplasia; some false positives due to other prostatic diseases have been noted. Castration is the treatment of choice in nonbreeding animals because the prostate will remodel to normal size within weeks. Medical treatment with an inhibitor of testosterone synthesis can be used for breeding animals, but hyperplasia will return if the medication is discontinued.
Read more about Prostatic Diseases in Small Animals, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Dogs and Cats, and Breeding Soundness Examination of Male Dogs in The Manuals
References
Alonge S, Melandri M, Auidi G, Lacalandra GM. Advances in Prostatic Diagnostics in Dogs: The Role of Canine Prostatic Specific Esterase in the Early Diagnosis of Prostatic Disorders. Top Companion Anim Med. 2018 Dec;33(4):105-108. doi: 10.1053/j.tcam.2018.09.002
Pinheiro D, Machado J, Viegas C, et al. Evaluation of biomarker canine-prostate specific arginine esterase (CPSE) for the diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia. BMC Veterinary Research. 2017 Mar 23;13(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-0996-5
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