A friend is having issues with her young entire male gundog... He has been vet checked and they have discovered an enlarged prostate. He was on tablets for a week which were supposed to bring the size of the prostate down but they haven't worked...
The vet is keen to neuter the dog asap but as he is just starting out in what appears to be quite a successful show career, she wants to try and find all the info and options available before she makes the decision. He lives with other spayed bitches, one of which he is fairly obsessed with. He has sired one litter.
His welfare obviously comes first.. the vet has offered to send him for a scan of his prostate but doesn't think the outcome will be any different.

Any helpful thoughts ??

Gabrielle

First I think the reason for the enlarged prostate is needed to be known, if the reason is hormone related then it may be best to castrate but I would have thought that it was hormone tables the vet has been giving and if that is so the cause may be something else. I would insist on full investigation of the cause before I decided on the route to take.

They could try a Suprelorin implant first-it will make him sterile temporarily-but after 6 months the implant will wear off & he will become fertile again

Thanks to you both for replying.... :-)
The tablets he had I don't know the name of, only that they would leave him sterile for a while and hopefully take down the size of the prostate.
He has just had a urine sample done apparently, which has shown he has a mild infection which is being treated with Clavaseptin (which are making him sick but the vet wants to persevere and just lower his daily dose). Also in the urine sample was lots of semen !! I gather seeing as this was a urine sample, they shouldn't really be there ??
I will tell her about the implant, I just wonder if it is similar to the tablets he has already had...

Thanks again,
Gabrielle

Suprelorin is actually a treatment for enlarged prostate & as far as I am aware is not available in a tablet form. The implant does reduce the size of the prostate gland & the testicles(lol called testosterone depletion)It has been available for several years in NZ & Australia & todate has no nasty sideaffects-certainly hasn't in my Roy's case-he's just had his 2nd implant

Tardak I understand can be used when castration is not an option.  This was what was used for my friends old boy for who surgery was not an option due to his age.