How to Treat Prostate Disease in Intact Male Dogs
Discuss treatment options with your vet., Have your vet neuter your dog., Consider giving your dog finasteride., Decide whether to give your dog progesterone., Follow up with your vet.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Discuss treatment options with your vet.
Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a fancy term for an enlarged prostate.
It is the most common prostate disease in male dogs.
BPH occurs because of continuous testosterone exposure.Treatment options are neutering (removing the testicles) and anti-testosterone medications.
Anti-testosterone medications can be used if neutering isn’t an option (breeding dog or show dog).
However, these medications are not as effective as neutering to reduce testosterone levels.If your dog is not showing clinical signs of BPH, such as bloody fluid dripping from the penis or difficult defecation, your vet may recommend not treating your dog.It’s up to you whether you want to treat your dog. -
Step 2: Have your vet neuter your dog.
Neutering is the most effective treatment for BPH.
It will drastically reduce the amount of testosterone in your dog’s body.Within about one month of neutering, an enlarged prostate gland will go back down to its normal size., Finasteride, which is an oral drug, is the recommended medical treatment for canine BPH.
It reduces the prostate’s size and improves clinical signs of BPH.
Be aware, though, that finasteride is effective only during treatment—BPH comes back when finasteride treatment stops.Discuss with your vet whether you want to treat your dog with finasteride until you’re ready to have your dog neutered. , Progesterone is an important sex hormone in female dogs.
It's also been shown to shrink prostate size and improve clinical signs of BPH in male dogs.
Progesterone is available as an injection or pill.Consider asking your vet these questions about finasteride and hormone therapy:
How long can I safely keep my dog on BPH medications? What are the side effects of these medications? How much will the medications cost, compared to the cost of a neuter? Can I give the progesterone injections at home? , Whichever treatment option you choose, it would be a good idea to follow up with your vet after treatment.
Your vet can perform a prostate exam to check the size of your dog’s prostate. -
Step 3: Consider giving your dog finasteride.
-
Step 4: Decide whether to give your dog progesterone.
-
Step 5: Follow up with your vet.
Detailed Guide
Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a fancy term for an enlarged prostate.
It is the most common prostate disease in male dogs.
BPH occurs because of continuous testosterone exposure.Treatment options are neutering (removing the testicles) and anti-testosterone medications.
Anti-testosterone medications can be used if neutering isn’t an option (breeding dog or show dog).
However, these medications are not as effective as neutering to reduce testosterone levels.If your dog is not showing clinical signs of BPH, such as bloody fluid dripping from the penis or difficult defecation, your vet may recommend not treating your dog.It’s up to you whether you want to treat your dog.
Neutering is the most effective treatment for BPH.
It will drastically reduce the amount of testosterone in your dog’s body.Within about one month of neutering, an enlarged prostate gland will go back down to its normal size., Finasteride, which is an oral drug, is the recommended medical treatment for canine BPH.
It reduces the prostate’s size and improves clinical signs of BPH.
Be aware, though, that finasteride is effective only during treatment—BPH comes back when finasteride treatment stops.Discuss with your vet whether you want to treat your dog with finasteride until you’re ready to have your dog neutered. , Progesterone is an important sex hormone in female dogs.
It's also been shown to shrink prostate size and improve clinical signs of BPH in male dogs.
Progesterone is available as an injection or pill.Consider asking your vet these questions about finasteride and hormone therapy:
How long can I safely keep my dog on BPH medications? What are the side effects of these medications? How much will the medications cost, compared to the cost of a neuter? Can I give the progesterone injections at home? , Whichever treatment option you choose, it would be a good idea to follow up with your vet after treatment.
Your vet can perform a prostate exam to check the size of your dog’s prostate.
About the Author
Victoria Perez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow lifestyle tutorials.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: