Removing dog's prostate.

beveragelady

Just back from the vet with my 10yo collie boy.
A month ago a scan showed that he had an enlarged asymmetrical prostate, so he was castrated. Back then the vet said there's a chance it's an infection but it's probably cancer because it was so irregular. (It's very difficult to type that.) I made it clear to the vet at the time that I would not put him through long-term treatment, like chemo, whatever happened. She agreed that I was probably making the best decision, given his personality.
Today's news was quite good. The prostate has shrunk considerably, his weight and condition is good, he's in good spirits. I was told to watch for a few signs that the cancer may have spread and was sent on my way almost breathless with relief. I had been mentally prepared to make the decision not to bring him home at all, as I have resolved to cut his suffering off far too early rather than a minute too late.
(We don't know for certain that he has cancer. The vet explained that if it was an infection it seems to be gone, and if it is cancer then unless we consider chemo there are no steps we can take anyway.)
While we were there I asked about removing the prostate altogether to stop the cancer spreading, and she said that it's a very invasive step and very often leaves them incontinent. I think he might find this extremely upsetting, he is very fussy about being clean in the house. (I'm not all that bothered about it, my house is completely tiled, I'd adjust easily enough.) Now I'm wondering if I gave her the impression that I wouldn't consider any treatment, and that in fact removing the prostate might be a good idea.

So my question is: does anybody here have experience of how a dog responds to having the prostate removed? Would it be worth a try with a 10yo dog who is already coping with arthritis and spondylosis?

aonb

OP, Ive had elderly dogs. I would not consider an invasive surgery like prostrate removal, given the incontinence possibilities. That is my personal opinion. My elderly dog had incontinence towards the end of his life. He was such a special dog we were prepared to 'put up' with the incontinence, especially since it seemed to get worse/improve/get worse. The incontinence really became an issue though. Laundry, cleaning up, the dogs misery when he "knew" he'd had an accident, the pervasive smell (the grout on our tiles seemed to harbour the urine). We used to have to wash the dog a bit more - though daily rub downs with baby-wipes did help. It was really a bit miserable. In the winter time when the house is 'closed' and heating on, and if it were a long term situation, I think incontinence in a dog can be a real issue.

I hope its an infection and not cancer with your boy - good luck!

beveragelady

aonb wrote: »

OP, Ive had elderly dogs. I would not consider an invasive surgery like prostrate removal, given the incontinence possibilities. That is my personal opinion. My elderly dog had incontinence towards the end of his life. He was such a special dog we were prepared to 'put up' with the incontinence, especially since it seemed to get worse/improve/get worse. The incontinence really became an issue though. Laundry, cleaning up, the dogs misery when he "knew" he'd had an accident, the pervasive smell (the grout on our tiles seemed to harbour the urine). We used to have to wash the dog a bit more - though daily rub downs with baby-wipes did help. It was really a bit miserable. In the winter time when the house is 'closed' and heating on, and if it were a long term situation, I think incontinence in a dog can be a real issue.

I hope its an infection and not cancer with your boy - good luck!

Thanks. I really do think I'd manage the incontinence, but I'm fairly sure he'd be miserable. I'd do anything for him, he's great dog and I doubt I'll ever be so lucky again.

I think I can rule out the surgery as an option though. The big soft eejit trusts me so completely, I wish I knew for certain that I'm making the right decisions.

DBB

I wouldn't contemplate such an invasive surgery either, and I'd echo aonb's post in its entirety... Living with an incontinent dog is not as easy as it seems it would be, either for owner or dog.
Why have you discounted chemo? It's nowhere near as hard on dogs as it is on humans... Nowhere near. Personally, if I was faced with my dog having prostate cancer, I'd pretty much leap at chemo

Choc Chip

I hope it's an infection with your boy and not a tumour too OP. I can only sympathise with the worry - I found a large lump on our dog on friday evening that's been growing scarily fast since so she's having it lopped off asap.

I hope it's not cancer but really appreciated DBB's comment on chemo - good to know it's an option if it does turn out to be malignant.