Greencross Vets What is the prostate?
The prostate is a gland located in the pelvis behind the urinary bladder of male dogs. The urethra passes through it shortly after leaving the bladder. The purpose of the prostate is to produce some of the fluids found in normal canine semen.
What are the signs of prostatic disease?
Enlargement of the gland is common with most prostatic diseases. Since the urethra passes through it, enlargement of the prostate compresses the urethra and urination can become difficult. Complete urethral obstruction only rarely occurs, but a dog which has urethral narrowing will take longer urinating and produce a thinner stream of urine than normal. The colon, located just above the prostate, is sometimes compressed by an enlarged prostate. This makes defecation difficult. Some dogs with prostatic disease will have blood in the urine. Bacterial infection of the prostate is sometimes the cause bloody urine.
What are the diseases that cause the prostate to enlarge?
Benign prostatic hyperplasia
This is a non-cancerous enlargement of the gland. It is associated with the hormone testosterone and is the most common disease of the prostate. It becomes more prevalent as age increases and is very common in older male dogs.
Squamous metaplasia
This is a non-cancerous enlargement of the gland caused by excess amounts of oestrogen. An oestrogen-producing tumour called a ‘Sertoli’ cell tumour is usually responsible. These tumours are found in the testicle.
Cystic hyperplasia
This condition is usually secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia or squamous metaplasia. It is caused by obstruction of the ducts that carry prostatic secretions to the urethra. Multiple, fluid-filled cavities result.
Paraprostatic cysts
These are fluid-filled cysts that develop adjacent to the prostate when abnormal tissue remains from embryonic development before the puppy was born. The cysts begin to develop shortly after birth but may not cause problems or be detected until the dog is several years old.
Bacterial infection
Bacteria may enter and infect the prostate by going up the urethra or by coming down the urethra from an infection in the urinary bladder. It is usually associated with a pre-existing abnormality of the prostate, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Prostatic abscess
This is a progressive form of a bacterial infection. If the ducts that drain the prostate become obstructed, bacteria are trapped in the prostate and form an abscess.
Prostatic cancer
This form is much less common the others. It may be associated with hormones from the testicles, adrenal glands, or pituitary glands or it may occur without any association with hormones.
How are they diagnosed?
The first step in diagnosis is to check for an enlarged prostate. This is done by feeling its size either through the abdominal wall or through the rectal wall. It may be confirmed by X-rays or an ultrasound examination.
Because there are so many diseases of the prostate, it is necessary to perform several tests to tell them apart. These tests include cultures of the dog’s urine, a microscopic examination of the cells in the urine and a microscopic examination of the cells in prostatic fluid or in the prostate itself. Samples of prostatic fluid are recovered by passing a urethral catheter to the level of the prostate and massaging the prostate to ‘milk’ fluid out of it. Samples of prostatic cells are obtained by aspiration or biopsy via a needle that is either passed through the body wall or passed through the rectal wall. If the prostate is greatly enlarged, it can be aspirated or biopsied through the body wall. Otherwise, an approach through the rectal wall is necessary. An aspiration sample is taken through a very small bore needle and only recovers a few cells. A needle biopsy sample is obtained through a large bore needle that is passed into the prostate using radiography or ultrasound. A biopsy involves an operation which recovers a piece of tissue that permits a pathologist to make a more accurate diagnosis.
How are they treated?
- Diseases involving primary or secondary bacterial infections are treated with aggressive antibiotic therapy
Because it is difficult to get effective antibiotic penetration into the prostate, treatment for several weeks may be necessary. Since most of the infections are secondary to another disease, treating the infection is only part of the overall treatment.
- Diseases associated with excessive hormone levels include benign prostatic hyperplasia, cystic metaplasia and cystic hyperplasia.
Since testosterone and oestrogen are both formed in the testicles, castration is generally very effective for all of these. The prostate will generally be normal or smaller than normal in size within one month after castration.
- Paraprostatic cysts and prostatic abscesses require major abdominal surgery to drain and remove
- Prostatic cancer does not respond well to any currently used form of treatment.
If it is associated with an excess of a hormone, castration may be beneficial. However, most are not and metastasise rather easily to other parts of the body. The prognosis for these is usually poor.
Professional diagnosis and treatment of prostatic disease are essential. If your pet has shown any abnormal symptoms, contact your local Greencross Vets for an appointment.
