# Prostrate Issues- options



## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

My senior intact boy is now 10.5 and recently I've noticed drops of blood from his penis on occasion, usually just after he gets up after a night's sleep, and a greater urgency to go out to urinate. His urine appears clear and he has no issue voiding.

Before I take him to the vet, are there any natural remedies that actually help? I'd like to try these first. I am assuming the vet will advise neuter, maybe try medications first. 

He is healthy otherwise, eating well, energetic, has some arthritis and stiffness but still gets out on hikes. So I think it is safe to try some natural options (saw palmetto?) first, but only if they could actually be effective.

Of course I'll take him to the vet if this becomes worse or he shows any other signs. 

Just wondering if people have had experience with this fairly common problem and what the outcome was. I'll neuter him if I need to, and I suppose anesthesia at this age is better than later, but just curious about what others have done.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

My boy got a massive prostate infection at 3 years of age. The vet treated the infection with antibiotics, but told me it was likely to come back if I didn't have him neutered. He said his prostate was the size of a large orange!

Since he had no pedigree, I went ahead and neutered him, and there were no more problems. He lived to be 14.

If you are not planning on breeding your dog, I'd strongly recommend it. The longer you hold off, the more risky it will be due to his age.

There is also the possibility it may be cancer. Get the vet to check him out! Blood means there's an infection, and between that and having trouble urinating, he has to be feeling pretty miserable.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks, I'll get him checked out.

Sorry- it should be prostate (prostrate is something else entirely). 

Yeah, I hate to neuter, but I guess it's the best way to keep him healthy. 

Been a really tough year, vet-bill wise, and I was hoping there might possibly be a non-vet solution. He appears happy, but dogs being dogs, sometimes it can be hard to tell.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Muskeg said:


> My senior intact boy is now 10.5 and recently I've noticed drops of blood from his penis on occasion, usually just after he gets up after a night's sleep, and a greater urgency to go out to urinate. His urine appears clear and he has no issue voiding.
> 
> Before I take him to the vet, are there any natural remedies that actually help? I'd like to try these first. I am assuming the vet will advise neuter, maybe try medications first.
> 
> ...



You need an answer, go to the vet ASAP. Prostate cancer in dogs is not like in humans, its a lot worse. Hopefully its just a swollen prostate like my boy got at 5 and we had to neuter him. Good luck


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My 9 yr old male has had inflamed prostate several times over the past couple years as we train around bitches in heat often, which can trigger it. My repro vet prescribed proscar(human med) and it works well with no side effects. My male also has renal disease due to contracting Lepto, and the Proscar is still safe to use. Recently, we collected him and the prostate flared up, very enlarged and within a couple days of using the proscar, he was ok again. We did an ultrasound and there is a cyst in the prostate, which plays into it. Unless things get worse, I won't put him through a neuter. I don't know of any holistic remedy other than laser or magnet therapy(which we do daily magnet loop and weekly laser).


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Prostate issues (infections) can also develop secondarily to a perineal hernia, especially in intact males. Watch for a bulging area around his rear, and straining to poop. It's a big, difficult surgery requiring a specialist, but it is usually fixable.
https://www.acvs.org/small-animal/perineal-hernias


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

My dog had that and was put on antibiotics and it cleared up but returned, but not sure how long after that. The second time the vet said it would reoccur without a neuter, so I had it done. He was okay for a year but developed other related problems.


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Mine had prostate issues too...at about 3 yrs old. Several rounds of antibiotics, many finger tests and ultrasounds later, the vet recommended we neuter. His wasn't getting small enough even after the meds. Vet knew I didn't want to neuter, so she continued to monitor it. But at some point you have to do what makes sense. I wasn't going to keep him on meds and constantly manually check the prostate. He was done growing, I had not interest in breeding, and felt it was in his best interest to neuter. BONUS: since it was medically necessary, the insurance covered the cost. We have not had any issues with blood in the urine or discomfort with BMs.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

eddie1976E said:


> Mine had prostate issues too...at about 3 yrs old. Several rounds of antibiotics, many finger tests and ultrasounds later, the vet recommended we neuter. His wasn't getting small enough even after the meds. Vet knew I didn't want to neuter, so she continued to monitor it. But at some point you have to do what makes sense. I wasn't going to keep him on meds and constantly manually check the prostate. He was done growing, I had not interest in breeding, and felt it was in his best interest to neuter. BONUS: since it was medically necessary, the insurance covered the cost. We have not had any issues with blood in the urine or discomfort with BMs.


Same here and PetPlan covered it as well


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Definitely see your vet. Nothing to mess around with. 

For "natural" items:

*Homeopathic remedy called "Prostate*": 



Promotes the health of the prostate
Relieves the symptoms of an enlarged prostate
 https://www.homeoanimal.com/product...91a62kznOXHtNdeKg8mOmDrW6thMmKjhoCyQkQAvD_BwE 


*Saw Palmetto *(Herbal)*:* 
Dr. Joseph Demers, DVM: "I have had good results with combinations of Saw Palmetto, acupuncture and homeopathy. It can be used long-term as a preventative or as part of a treatment protocol. He recommends dosing at one-quarter of the human dosage for small dogs and the full human dose for large dogs."
Dr. Randy Kidd, DVM: "It is an excellent herb for treating an enlarged prostate gland. Also increases the tone of the bladder and nourishes the nervous system. It is used as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) and infections of the prostate and urogenital organs."
Organic/Non GMO: https://www.amazon.com/Oregons-Wild-Harvest-Palmetto-vegetarian/dp/B0006ZWUWK 

*Cleavers Tincture* (cleanses the lymphatic system) may also help: https://www.amazon.com/Cleavers-Extract-Organic-aparine-Tincture/dp/B00KLGSKRS?th=1


Moms


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

By the way, it may help to feel better about neutering if you know that the surgery is _very _fast when done by an experienced surgeon. The incision is also very small (allowing for faster recovery). I wouldn't stress over doing it on a healthy senior -- we've done it in older dogs many times in the rescue, and as a good vet is doing it (keeping them on fluids, pre-surgery bloodwork, etc.), I don't worry at all. (I wouldn't do it at a cheap speuter clinic for a senior though.)



They're barely under anesthesia for any time at all for this surgery -- the actual cutting is under 5 minutes. That minimizes the risks for older dogs. Usually the longer their under anesthesia, the greater the risk of complications. (Spays take longer.)


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks. It's a bummer, but he's certainly not for breeding, so that's not a concern! He's old but otherwise healthy, as far as I know, so hoping anesthesia won't be a big deal for him. 

I'll get him to the vet this week. I've noticed that as long as I get him out to urinate first thing in the morning, he doesn't have any problems. Old dudes always have some sort of prostate issue going on. I think Steinbeck in the book Travels with Charlie wrote about a similar issue (dog, not man).


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I don't want to neuter for non-medical reasons. But if he develops a prostate issue and there is a chance he can live longer by being neutered, I would not hesitate to neuter him.


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