# Prostate issues and early neutering



## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

It is completely your choice what to do with your dog, you should not sell your dog if you feel attached. There's an ethics issue with selling a dog whose hips are not healthy, too, I don't know why the trainer would suggest it.

Despite being supportive of rescuing dogs as appose to buying, I am NOT supportive of S/N to 'prevent breeding'. You prevent breeding by keeping females in season contained. I had my dog neutered because he had a prostate issue due to not being able to breed, but smelling females in season, and I was not willing to 'release' him (I was 15, didn't seem like an option to me.) 

It sounds like there are ways around that law, as people above stated, but it's an issue you will face with every dog you get. I would move, personally.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Dracovich said:


> I had my dog neutered because he had a prostate issue due to not being able to breed, but smelling females in season, and I was not willing to 'release' him (I was 15, didn't seem like an option to me.)


Prostate issues are not caused by smelling females in heat and not being able to breed. 

It's thought to be a normal condition of male aging across numerous species. Most likely due to the changes in sex hormones. 

It is incredibly common.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

I once had a Russian Wolfhound who was picked up by the pound and they would not give him back unless I had him neutered. This was a dog so soft and shy he needed every bit of testosterone he could possibly make. So I got an idea and went to my vet who agreed to give Ivan Putski a vasectomy. He sighed the paper that the dog had been 'sterilized'. 

Hers what 'lawmakers' politicians and elected officials do- they sit up there and pass laws whittling away at out freedom every day.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

voodoolamb said:


> Prostate issues are not caused by smelling females in heat and not being able to breed.
> 
> It's thought to be a normal condition of male aging across numerous species. Most likely due to the changes in sex hormones.
> 
> It is incredibly common.


He was 11 months old, I'm just stating what the vet said. The cause of prostate issues in such young males is often due to not being released.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Dracovich said:


> He was 11 months old, I'm just stating what the vet said. The cause of prostate issues in such young males is often due to not being released.


Bless your heart. 

You didn't mention what kind of prostate issues your dog was having. 

Benign Prostate Hyperplasia? Prostatitis? Prostatomegaly? Prostatic Abscess? Prostate Cancer?

Those pretty much cover all the prostate issues, and none of them are caused by a lack of "release". 

Male dogs constantly secrete prostatic fluid. Actually quite a large amount of it (Urine isn't the only thing that comes out when they lift their leg) - Regardless of breeding status. Healthy dogs are quite good at releasing prostatic fluid through means other than ejaculation. Sperm are reabsorbed by the body. Basic canine anatomy. 

I did see in another thread you were having weight issues with your dog? Now that CAN be the cause of prostate issues. 

Insulin growth factor can cause the prostate to enlarge. Obesity is an inflammatory condition that effects the whole body including the prostate. Also exercise, or I should say the lack there of, has shown a relationship with prostate issues as well. Too little exercise and that thing balloons up.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

voodoolamb said:


> Bless your heart.
> 
> You didn't mention what kind of prostate issues your dog was having.
> 
> ...


It was 5 years ago and I no longer have those medical records, new vet. But he did not have weight issues until 2-3 years old, after being neutered and after his prostate issue. Vet told me the only cause for an 11 month old dog to have this issue was because of testosterone levels when around females in season (our neighbors bred dogs).


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Dracovich said:


> It was 5 years ago and I no longer have those medical records, new vet. But he did not have weight issues until 2-3 years old, after being neutered and after his prostate issue. Vet told me the only cause for an 11 month old dog to have this issue was because of testosterone levels when around females in season (our neighbors bred dogs).


Well good thing you have a new vet. Your old one was definitely a quack! LMAO

Perhaps your dog has a slight genetic deviation that effects the way his body produces insulin. That is a much more likely cause of the prostate issues and perhaps even why he ended up packing on the pounds. That is much more likely than prostate issues from smelling females in heat. 

Hundreds of thousands of intact males are kept near intact females. If doing so actually led to prostate issues - we would know it. 

It doesn't.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

Supposedly nearly every male dog has a prostate incident at some point in their life, some go by unnoticed, but my dog's penis was not retracting all the way, dripping blood and producing excess smegma.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Dracovich said:


> Supposedly nearly every male dog has a prostate incident at some point in their life, some go by unnoticed, but my dog's penis was not retracting all the way, dripping blood and producing excess smegma.


That sounds like an infection. Prostatitis. It is most often caused by bacteria that enters the prostate gland via the urethra. It can also by viral or fungal in nature though. 

Microorganisms being the cause. Not hormonal in nature. Not from a lack of release.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

voodoolamb said:


> That sounds like an infection. Prostatitis. It is most often caused by bacteria that enters the prostate gland via the urethra. It can also by viral or fungal in nature though.
> 
> Microorganisms being the cause. Not hormonal in nature. Not from a lack of release.


Cool


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

I've heard this from vets, too. But I heard it from a young, new vet who I don't really trust for anything. My oldest male is 9 and has been around my cycling females since he was around 4. It must be something vets just say? Or is there any truth to it at all?


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## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

voodoolamb said:


> That sounds like an infection. Prostatitis. It is most often caused by bacteria that enters the prostate gland via the urethra. It can also by viral or fungal in nature though.
> 
> Microorganisms being the cause. Not hormonal in nature. Not from a lack of release.


:surprise: thanks for actual facts, instead of misleading information.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

Muskeg said:


> I've heard this from vets, too. But I heard it from a young, new vet who I don't really trust for anything. My oldest male is 9 and has been around my cycling females since he was around 4. It must be something vets just say? Or is there any truth to it at all?


From my understanding it's the dog version of 'blue balls'. Rare in dog's under 4 so there was little information I could gather on cause and effect on my 11 month old pup, and that was over 5 years ago, might be more info now.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Muskeg said:


> I've heard this from vets, too. But I heard it from a young, new vet who I don't really trust for anything. My oldest male is 9 and has been around my cycling females since he was around 4. It must be something vets just say? Or is there any truth to it at all?


There have been studies in humans that frequent ejaculation can prevent prostate cancer. That's pretty much the only grain of truth in the whole ejaculation and prostate health thing. 

Buuuuuuut. The differences in human and dog anatomy make it a moot point. Intact males are almost constantly secreting prostatic fluid. They ejaculate, like a lot, just with no sperm and not during mating. Possibly why prostate cancer is significantly less common in dogs than people?

There is absolutely zero scientific evidence that a lack of release causes prostate issues in dogs. Zip. Nada. Nothing. And with the way a dog's anatomy works and the sheer amount of intact males kept near intact females not developing prostate issues - it doesn't pass the "common sense" meter either. 

I file it under "Vets say the darndest things"


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

According to Dr Becker, who is a raw feeding non S/N nazi vet, it's rare to see breeding dogs with this specific issue.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Almost All Male Dogs Have This

TBH I have spoken to quite a few breeders who will manually ejaculate their males every 6 months if they are not to be bred that year. A GSD breeder/ service dog trainer locally does this and says it keeps them healthy and lessens competitive behavior between males. I'm not a breeder though.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

TLDR you shouldn't be forced to neuter your dog.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I moved these posts to their own thread to not clutter up the other thread with off topic stuff.


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

WTF lol that was weird, I don't really like being the said thread starter


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

What's a prostrate issue? A problem with casting oneself to the ground in submission?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

LOL, didn't notice the typo! Fixed it!


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Castlemaid said:


> LOL, didn't notice the typo! Fixed it!


HAHA, I was wondering what OP's deal was!


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

I'm not exactly OP!


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Dracovich said:


> According to Dr Becker, who is a raw feeding non S/N nazi vet, it's rare to see breeding dogs with this specific issue.
> 
> Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Almost All Male Dogs Have This
> 
> TBH I have spoken to quite a few breeders who will manually ejaculate their males every 6 months if they are not to be bred that year. A GSD breeder/ service dog trainer locally does this and says it keeps them healthy and lessens competitive behavior between males. I'm not a breeder though.


I have to say that I find your comparison of Dr. Becker to a fascist political party that was responsible for the cruel deaths of millions of people to be incredibly offensive and hurtful. Especially to those who are holocaust survivors or otherwise personally impacted by those events.  As it is rather hurtful to Dr. Becker herself who has devoted her life to caring for animals.

Regardless of your insensitive choice in terminology, I suggest reading the article a little more closely. No where is it suggested that breeding prevents BPH. Just that she does not condone the use of drugs to prevent prostatitis in breeding dogs that develop BPH. The mention of "rare" in regards to deveoping BPH could be because breeding dogs on average are of a younger age/in better health than non breeding dogs/etc. 

I cannot find any verifiable information that ejaculation prevents prostate problems in dogs. I've been looking. Just second hand stuff. No studies. No direct quotes from a well respected vet specializing in reproductive medicine. Please, if you, or anyone, can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. 

It's just not the way a dog's body works. In the wild they are seasonal breeders. Most won't ever breed even during the season. Evolution has given them a way to "refresh" their system without the need of ejaculation in the context of mating. 

There is some merit in collecting a breeding dog when he is not being used to maintain sperm health and motility though. 

I'm not going to touch on the behavioral aspect of it... IME with multiple intact animals if someone feels the need to do crazy stuff to minimize competitive behaviors in males - they probably shouldn't have intact males LOL


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## Dracovich (Feb 24, 2017)

Read it again. Maybe you'll get it.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

I'm confused why there is so much rudeness aimed at members with actual knowledge and science backgrounds who are generously offering their time to post facts on this forum. Perhaps some people should have a slice pf humble pie and realize they could actually gain real knowledge from this forum if they would just accept that they are not an expert in all the things.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

> I have to say that I find your comparison of Dr. Becker to a fascist political party that was responsible for the cruel deaths of millions of people to be incredibly offensive and hurtful. Especially to those who are holocaust survivors or otherwise personally impacted by those events. As it is rather hurtful to Dr. Becker herself who has devoted her life to caring for animals.


And I agree with this thought about using the term "Nazi" to categorize anyone that has strong convictions. Usually when someone in a discussion starts throwing the term Nazi around out of context, it means that they have stopped being open to learning and new ideas a long time ago, and have turned to judging other very unfairly. 

Too bad, I was finding the discussion very interesting, but closing this thread to avoid further rudeness and inappropriate categorization.


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