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Prostate Cancer In My Brother's Boxer?


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Buster, my brother's 7 year old neutered Boxer, has been showing signs of what I was sure was a UTI. Lethargy, hard and painful time peeing, loss of appetite. He went to the vet (which is also my vet) and they ran bloodwork and a urinalysis on him. He did not have a temperature. He got a shot of antibiotic and something for nausea and sent home waiting for the results. I went up there today to pick up some meds (Tramadol for discomfort) for him and spoke with the vet. Not all of his results were back but nothing indicated a UTI...there was a slight elevation in his WBC but nothing alarming. The vet I spoke with was not the one that saw him yesterday but she had his records. My brother said the vet went over him from head to toe but wasn't sure if she checked his prostate. My sister said than in men, that requires a rectal exam. I would think Tee would tell me if they had done that while in he was in the room with them. Maybe they did it in the back but the records didn't indicate that. She (the vet) said, depending on the results they get on Tuesday, xrays and an ultrasound might be necessary. Does anyone here know anything about prostate cancer in dogs? I've done some searches and if that's what's going on, the prognosis is not good. Could something else be going on that would produce those sypmtoms other than a UTI?

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Blair, Stella (DND Heather), Lizzie (M's Deadra), Hitch (Hallo Dominant) and House (Mac's Dr. House)

Missing my handsome men Lewis (Vs Lowrider) - 11/11/01 - 3/11/09, Kevin (Dakota's Hi Five) - 1/1/06 - 4/18/11 and my cat, Sparkle Baby - ??/??/96 - 4/23/11

"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is, in fact, the most precious and valuable possession of mankind." (Theodorus Gaza)

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My (neutered) cattle dog had prostate cancer. This was quite a few years ago, (before you could research any and every thing on the internet). The unfortunate thing is that (at least then) surgical removal of the prostate is not feasible in dogs.

 

The oncologist who treated Ezra told me that they could do "hormone treatments", but did not say more specifically than that what they would give him. Later, they told me it was chemotherapy, but still no detailed explanation (not even on the invoices).

 

He went in once a month for a treatment, and had xrays every couple months or so to see how things were progressing. The treatment took about 5-10 minutes, so it must have been injectable, not iv infusion.

 

Ezra had no side effects from the treatments. He was about 15-16 years old (his exact age was unknown) at the time and he lived another really good 18 months with the treatments. Toward the end, the treatments no longer were keeping the tumor at bay, and he did start slowing down and it was harder to get him to eat for the last month.

 

I wish I could be more help with details of his treatment, but I just never had the information. There may be much more effective treatments available now anyway. The main point I want to make is that excellent quality of life is very possible for Buster for some time to come; though of course, I hope that cancer ends up not being the diagnosis for him.

Wendy with Twiggy, fosterless while Twiggy's fighting the good fight, and Donnie & Aiden the kitties

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Prostate cancer is actually the one prostate problem that is not prevented by neutering. Neutering pretty much eliminates the risk of benign prostate enlargement, and prostatic infections and abscesses. But the risk of prostate cancer is about the same in neutered vs. intact males. So if a neutered dog has an enlarged or irregular prostate, the probability of cancer is high.

 

However, in the OP's case, I don't see any obvious signs to suspect a prostate issue at all. Prostate problems in dogs tend to cause more issues with defecating than urinating. And one of the more common signs is blood in the urine or dripping blood from the penis. Based on the signs described in the boxer, I'd be more suspicious of something like a bladder or kidney infection or stones. X-rays would be a good idea to check for stones as well as evaluate the prostate, which can't always be palpated on rectal exam in a large dog.

Jennifer &

Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On),

Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice

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The vet I spoke with kept mentioning the possibility of a prostate problem...that why I was asking. I didn't just come up with it on my own. I delivered his meds a little earlier this evening and saw Buster. He looks a little better than he did yesterday...quieter than usual but good. I didn't mention in my original post that he needed a bag of fluids yesterday for dehydration. We'll have to see what the rest of the labs look like on Tuesday and go from there.

siggie50_1.jpg

Blair, Stella (DND Heather), Lizzie (M's Deadra), Hitch (Hallo Dominant) and House (Mac's Dr. House)

Missing my handsome men Lewis (Vs Lowrider) - 11/11/01 - 3/11/09, Kevin (Dakota's Hi Five) - 1/1/06 - 4/18/11 and my cat, Sparkle Baby - ??/??/96 - 4/23/11

"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is, in fact, the most precious and valuable possession of mankind." (Theodorus Gaza)

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