Question:
I have a ten year old male Lhasa. He's our family baby, as I'm sure your pet is as well. We have been to the vet three times in the last week. He started out being very lethargic and he started having accidents inside the house, which he has never done. The initial visit to the vet was the day after we noticed the accidents and the lethargy. The vet has done an ultrasound and determined that he has an absess on his prostate and his prostate is double the normal size. The vet put him on Baytril at first, then switched him to Zenequin on Monday night, after we came home and found puddles of blood on the floor. He has been passing blood in his urine since Monday and the vet assures me that it is because he is straining so hard, due to the pressure from the prostate on his bladder. The change to Zenequin has made a difference in that he appears to be more alert, have a bit more energy, wags his tail. However, last night, he started constantly trying to urinate and have a bowel movement. He is barely urinating since yesterday and barely having a movement as well. He is drinking water, but only eating a very little bit of food. Took him back to the vet this morning. Initially, the vet said that he needed to be neutered to relieve the hormonal input which is contributing to the enlarged prostate. (He has not been neutered because of breeding). This morning, the vet said that he would observe him (observe the constant trying to urinate) and try to determine if his bladder is blocked. He said that we may want to consider putting him down if that is the case. I was not expecting him to say that at all! My question is, has anyone dealt with this issue and if so, did you have success with the antibiotics? We are competely blown away by the vet's statement and are considering a second opinion, dependant upon what we find out today.

I'm not looking to be chastised about not neutering him because of breeding him. I am looking for some advice please. We are very very concerned about our little guy and would appreciate some input. Thanks.

Answer:
Yes it is a pro spay & neuter board....But can you not neuter him now to help with the prostate problem...besides if he is that kind of trouble would it be healthy to breed him?

Cindy

Answer:
Has your vet done a urinalysis to determine the type of bacteria present? I would hazard a guess and say that your dog also has a urinary tract infection, which the antibiotics may or may not be treating based on the kind of bacteria causing the infection. I've personally never had experience with Zenequin, so not sure if that's a broad spectrum or specific antibiotic, but your vet needs to definitely do more testing before giving you potential euthanization advice. Your pup may also have crystals in his bladder, different kinds of crystals present similar problems with remedies like changing foods (again, a urinalysis will tell you if the urine is to acidic or basic, what the pH is, bacteria presence, etc.) Please force your vet to do these simple things or find another that you trust to do a full battery of tests. Also, yes, this is a pro spay/neuter board, your dog is now at an age where prostate problems are going to be come problematic, as your vet rightfully pointed out. Perhaps it's time you get him neutered and eliminate that as a cause for health emergencies in the future. Good luck and please keep us posted as to how he fares.

Answer:
We had a dog with prostate problems that presented at a very early age. Antibiotics were temporarily effective, but the problem recurred. The vet recommended a neuter and it took care of the problem immediately. Once the problems begin, they are likely to recur and neutering is the only 100% solution...

So if you are dealing with an infected, inflamed prostate, your best bet is to have your baby neutered. The symptoms from an inflamed prostate include everything from incontinence, to pain on voiding, to constipation, to diarrhea, to extreme abdominal pain.

If you are very lucky, the problem will turn out to be the prostate--it has an easy cure. that the bladder is not blocked!

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