RESEARCH ARTICLE
CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF PROSTATIC DISEASES IN DOGS Kiren Menon, Krishnaswamy A and Honnappa T.G. Department of Animal Reproduction Gynaecology and Obstetrics Veterinary College, Hebbal, Bangalore ABSTRACT A study was conducted to note the major clinical signs of prostatic diseases in dogs. The major signs exhibited were constipation (66.7 per cent) followed by inappetence (53.3 per cent). Other signs included hemorrhagic prepucial discharge and dysuria (46.7 per cent each), abnormal gait (40 per cent), vomiting and cachexia (33.3 per cent each). Hematuria, pyuria and purulent prepucial discharge were also noted in some animals. Pyrexia and dehydration was seen in 33.3 per cent of the animals followed by 26.7 per cent of the animals with a poor body condition. Caudal abdominal pain was very infrequent.
INTRODUCTION The common clinical signs of prostatic disease in dogs include constipation as evidenced by tenesmus, ribbon like feaces, dysuria, prepucial discharge and abnormal gait (Kutzler and Yeager, 2005). However, these clinical signs are often misinterpreted and the disease is frequently overlooked. If the condition remains untreated, it may result in renal failure or toxemia. Therefore, it becomes mandatory to rule out the existence of prostatic diseases in all aged male dogs by a Veterinary Physician, particularly, when they are presented with one or the other clinical signs commonly associated with prostatic disease.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS The data pertaining to the present investigation were generated following screening of all the male dogs aged over five years which were presented to the Out Patient Department of Clinical Medicine, Veterinary College Hospital, Hebbal, Bangalore during the period between November 1st th 2007 and April 30 2008. Details about the signs exhibited were derived by both enquiries to the owners and general clinical examination of the
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patient. The disease was confirmed in dogs by a combination of diagnostic techniques like rectal palpation, ultrasonography and prostatic fluid examination. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Constipation was the most common presenting sign seen in 66.7 per cent of the dogs suffering from the disease followed by inappetence in 53.3 per cent, hemorrhagic prepucial discharge and dysuria in 46.7 per cent dogs each. Abnormal gait were noted in 40 per cent of the cases and signs like vomiting, and poor body condition were each seen in 33.33 per cent of the affected animals. Hematuria was seen in 20 per cent of the cases and pyuria and presence of purulent urethral discharge was each noted in 6.7 per cent of the cases (Table 1). Physical examination of dogs suffering from prostatic disease revealed presence of pyrexia and dehydration in 33.3 per cent of the affected animals and poor body condition in 26.7 per cent animals. Pain upon palpation of the caudal abdomen was noted in 6.7 per cent of the diseased animals (Table 2).
RESEARCH ARTICLE
The most commonest complaint in animals with prostatic disease was constipation (66.7 per cent) which has also been reported by Hornbuckle and co-workers (1978), Davidson (2003), Kutzler and Yeager (2005) and Holt (2007) who stated that constipation characterized by tenesmus is one of the prominent clinical sign of prostatic disease in aged dogs, due to compression of the colon by the enlarged prostate gland. Hemorrhagic prepucial discharge and dysuria were the observed in 46.7 per cent each in the affected animals which has also been reported in earlier studies (Hoeffer, 1977; Read and Bryden, 1995). Dilated prostatic urethral veins are considered to be the source of hemorrhagic urethral discharge and the inward growth of the gland into the urethra results in
Dysuria (Reihmann and Bruskewitz, 1993). Other clinical signs observed in this study were abnormal gait (40 per cent) and loss of body condition (33.3 per cent) which has also been described by Johnson and Archibald (1974), Hornbuckle (1978), Davidson (2003) and Holt (2007). Abnormal gait and loss of body condition are probably associated with either prostatic neoplasia or painful prostatic diseases. Emesis was observed in 33.3 per cent of animals with prostatic disease. Vomiting has also been reported in previous studies (Parry, 2006; Smith, 2008) and has been attributed to the rise in metabolites in blood that fail to get excreted due to dysuria. Hematuria, Pyuria, and purulent prepucial discharges were clinical signs observed in the present study. Similar signs have been described by
Clinical sign
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Constipation Inappetence Hemorrhagic Prepucial discharges Dysuria Gait abnormality Vomiting Loss of body condition Hematuria Pyuria Purulent prepucial discharges
Number of animals exhibiting signs
Percentage
10 8 7 7 6 5 5 3 1 1
66.7 53.3 46.7 46.7 40.0 33.3 33.3 20.0 6.7 6.7
Table 2: Clinical examination findings in prostatic diseases Sl No 1. 2. 3. 4.
Nature of abnormality observed Pyrexia (>102.50 F) Dehydration Poor body condition Caudal abdominal pain
Number of animals exhibiting abnormality
Percentage
5 5 4 1
33.3 33.3 26.7 6.7
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Table 1: Clinical History of dogs confirmed with prostatic diseases
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Davidson (2003) and Kutzler and Yeager (2005). Hematuria which was observed in 20 per cent of the affected animals may be a result of irritation caused by excess ammonia production in the bladder due to retained urine (Johnson and Archibald, 1974). The common abnormalities on physical examination noted in the present study were pyrexia (33.3 per cent), dehydration (33.3 per cent), poor body condition (26.7 per cent) and caudal abdominal pain (6.7 percent). Cornell (1997), Davidson (2003), Parry (2007) and Smith (2008) described that signs like fever and cachexia are commonly seen in infections of the prostate gland (Prostatitis/Abscess). Caudal abdominal pain (Kutzler and Yeager, 2005; Holt, 2007) is a characteristic sign in acute inflammatory condition of the prostate, shining a light on the fact that rest of the inflammatory conditions of the prostate could be of a chronic nature. Dehydration was one of the signs in this study, as also noted by Parry (2006), can be attributed to the reflection of the systemic disturbances like pyrexia and uneasiness caused by pain results in anorexia. REFERENCES Cornell, K. K., Waters, D. J., Cooley, D. M., Pauli, B., Harvey, H. J., Hall, G., Render, J., Hendrick, M., Sweet, D. and Stoica, G., 1997. Canine prostate carcinoma; clinicopathological findings in 168 cases. In: Proceedings, Ann. Meeting, Am. Coll. Vet. Radiol. pp.86.
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Davidson, J.R., 2003. Prostatic diseases of the dog, Waltham Focus, 13: 2, 4-10. Hoeffer, R.E., Dykes, N.L., and Greiner, T.P., 1977. J.Am.Anim.Hosp.Assoc., 13: 98. Holt, P.E., 2007. Prostate disease, In:
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SEVC
(Southern European Veterinary Conference) Proceedings, (Eds). International Veterinary Information Service, Ithaca NY. Hornbuckle, W.E., MacCoy, D.M., Allan, G.A. and Gunther,R., 1978. Prostatic disease in the dog. Cornell Vet , 68:284. Johnson, D.E. and Archibald, J., 1974. Male genital system in canine surgery, American Vet Publications, California, pp. 729. Krawiec, D.R. and Heflin, D., 1992. Study of prostatic diseases in dogs: 177 cases (19811986). J Am Vet Med Assoc, 200:1119. Kutzler, M. and Yeager, A., 2005. Prostatic Diseases. In: (ed): Ettinger, Feldman Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 6th Edition, Elsevier Inc., p. 1809- 1819. Parry, N. M. A., 2006. Inflammatory diseases of the canine prostate gland, UK Vet, 11: 8, 1-4. Parry, N. M. A., 2007. The canine prostate gland: Part 1:Non-inflammatory diseases, UK Vet, 12: 1, 1-5. Read, R. A. and Bryden, S., 1995. Urethral bleeding as a presenting sign of benign prostatic hyperplasia in the dog: a retrospective study (1979-1993). J Am Anim Hosp Assoc, 31:261. Reihmann H., Bruskewitz R.C., 1993. Benign prostatic hyperplasia: manifestations and intervention. In: Lepor H, Lawson R, K. (eds): Prostate Diseases. Philadelphia, WB Saunders Co.108. Smith, J., 2008. Canine prostatic disease: A review of anatomy, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment, Theriogenology, doi: 10.1016/j. theriogenology.04.039.