Get Dr. Dressler's Dog Cancer Diet FREE Oh man. This is going to make a lot of people in my field angry. Â Apologies to classmates and veterinarian friends!
I came upon this study from the August, 2007 journal Prostate. Â Probably not what a lot of us would be reading in our spare time, but I am busy with upcoming info products for dog cancer owners and I dig through lots of publications.
Here is the study abstract.  The short story is the following:
Data was gathered from North American Veterinary Hospitals on male dogs that had been neutered (testicles surgically removed, or castrated), to evaluate the trend that had been noted in some older articles that neutering increased prostate cancer.Â
Because, if this were the case (and this is my comment, not the authors’), it would seem ethics demand that owners of male dogs were advised of this before consenting to neutering surgery.
Here is what they found. Â Hold your hats, folks:
1. Castration of dogs increases total malignant prostate cancer by over 3 times for some prostate cancers (prostate adenocarcinoma). So the answer is yes, castration does increase prostate cancer in dogs (which goes against what I was taught).
2. Castration of dogs increases the most common type of bladder cancer (transitional cell carcinoma) by eight times.  This is huge!!  Major, major, industry shaking information, or it should be.
So what does this mean to you are considering castration of your dog (or he is castrated)?
Here are some overall statistics: Roughly 1 in 3 dogs will be affected with some form of cancer, and approximately half of those will die of it, at least based on the treatments that have been available up to this point (I believe we can do a lot better with what I call Full Spectrum Care). Â Anyway, 1-2% of all cancers are bladder cancers, the most being transitional cell carcinomas (there are rarely other types of cancer that affects the bladder). So if we put all these above stats together and average them out, we are looking at a bladder cancer risk in castrated dogs of 2 percent. Â
Two percent is not a lot, but I neuter hundreds of dogs, and I see bladder cancer. Â Two percent happens! Â And the worst kind of cancer for your dog to get is…the one your dog gets, if you know what I mean.
Here is some information on bladder cancer in dogs.
Okay, the pundit gallery will argue.. but castration helps control the unwanted dog population, helps unwanted behaviors like aggression and territorial urination in undesirable locations, etc. Â Yes, yes, all true. Â
But, we must start informing owners of this, to use Al Gore’s phrase, inconvenient truth before they opt for castration of male dogs.
And that is one of the purposes of this blog!
Best to all,
Dr Dressler
Â
About the Author
Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM is known as the "dog cancer vet" and is author of Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Beyond Surgery, Chemotherapy & Radiation. Visit his blog and sign up free to get the latest information about canine cancer. Go to http://DogCancerBlog.com.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow– this is pretty scary news. I was always told that spaying/neutering was the best thing for the HEALTH of my dog. This is sobering information. Do you have info on spaying female dogs as well?
Well, do you want the good or the bad??
Good: it practically eliminates the risk of mammary (breast) cancer.
And it eliminates the chance of ovarian or uterine cancers (not hugely common).
Bad: Rotties spayed (and neutered) before one year of age have an approximately 1 in 4 lifetime risk of developing bone cancer later in life. Mixed breed and other breeds’ risk increases too upon early spay or neuter. There are a few other non-cancer related issues to consider, but that is the topic of another blog!
My feeling is now to wait until after a year of age…but less that 2.5 years if you opt for it.
“My feeling now is to wait until after a year of age…but less that 2.5 yrs if you opt for it”
Dr. Dressler, do you mean it is best if going to neuter, that you do so after one year and before 2.5; this must mean the risks if you do it under one and over 2.5 increase. I’ve had both of my dogs neutered lataer in life; Jack was over 4 years when he was neutered and he has bladder cancer now.
Gina, I am very sorry to hear of your Jack.
The question answered was concerning spaying of female dogs, which was asked in the previous question.
The study regarding male dogs did not specify the age of neuter in relation to cancer development.
Also keep in mind that there are many contributing factors in cancer development, such as carcinogens we are all exposed to whether we like it or not, dietary factors, genetics, emotional/lifestyle factors and more.
It is rarely a single factor…
Dr D
It was very interesting to read the article about neutering/spaying. I am originally from Argentina, and have dogs all my life for over 30 years there. We never spayed/neuter our dogs and they never had any cancer; they all died of natural causes, except for our German Shepperd, who had hip displacia. As far as I know, none of my friends or family had cases of cancer in their dogs there either. Spaying and neutering is not as common in Argentina as in the USA and many people I know feed their dogs food scraps of meats and vegetables mostly.
Thanks, yes, this is a “disease of civilization.” Makes sense!
Best, D
Dear DR Dressler: I have been endlessly searching websites on Prostate and TCC in dogs since my 10 yr old lac, Tucker has been diagnosed with both. The first symptoms were only 2 months ago when I noticed him straining to defacate. Within 2 weeks he had a problem urinating and I took him to the vet and he was put on trimeth for a urinary infection. His urinating is now normal , but his prostate was “rock” hard upon his physical exam. Upon my vets reccommendation, I took him to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and he was examend and given a different type of biopsy. They said something like “small pinging” were send against the prostate instead of a traditional biopsy so cancer cells would not proliferate. They also put him on Proxicam. Also they said the ultasound showed his whole prostate enveloped and enlarged and pressing against his colon, thereby creating his symptom of flat and very small feces. It also showed small tumors or masses on the trigone area of his bladder and both adrenal with abnormal cell growth with blood labs reinforcing their diagnosis of “poor”. I would never want my dear friend Tucker to suffer and evertone says it’s time to think of putting him to sleep which I have done endlessly. but here is my delima. Both regular vet and specialist vet in Cornell said probably few weeks to 2 months tops for Tucker, but since I’ve started him on “K-9 vitamins and Pirocam he has become almost “puppy-like” in his playful behavior and his appetite has increased and his stools are now a little bigger and circular, instead of one-sided flat. I know this is only temporary, but is this maybe because the meds have shrunk his “mass” a little? He is so important to me and I don’t want him to suffer. Will he let me know when it’s time and what can I expect in the end days, so I can minamise his suffering. Thank you, Donna Wahlers
Donna, please check out the blog on life quality:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/29/life-quality-in-dog-cancer-dr-dresslers-joys-of-life-scale/
Talk to the oncologists about EGCG, also see my blog on that.
Good luck to both of you, I wish you the very best during this hard time. You might like the coping guide too.
D
Dear Dr. Dressler, I went out to shovel snow, and noticed my dog urinating blood. However, it wasn’t every time he urinated. I do not know how long he has had blood in his urine. Vet did ultrasound and said it looked like a small blood clot in bladder, but she said it could also be a tumor. Dog was put on anitbotic for 10 days, then a repeat ultrasound. I am beside myself over this. My male dog is a mini-pin and 7 years old. He is a holistic dog. Is there anyway I can be re-assured that this is just a infection. I read urinary tract infections are not so common in male dogs. Note: Dog was neutered before the age of (1). Thank you, Judy
Hello Judy – My 12.5 yr old Westie-Poo was diagnosed with a bladder tumor upon my seeing blood in her urine. The ultrasound showed a mass growing along side of her bladder and in fact it has penetrated the wall of the bladder. My vet wanted to perform a tissue biopsy, and perhaps try to remove the mass itself. Unfortunately being on a fixed disability income, finances and her age were factors in me opting for a “fluid” biopsy only and the lab report came back “inconclusive” – buy my vet at the time of the biopsy used a scope and saw blood vesles in the growth and she is 99.9% sure that it is in fact cancer. My dog is on anti-biotics and anti-inflammatory meds at thge present. It is a wait and see scenario but if Abby was a younger dog, I would have had the surgery and the following chemo. But knowing that Abby has likely another 2-3 years left of life (in perfect health) I chose the option of using meds. There is no way to know if they could completely eliminate the growth and it would perhaps keep growing. But Dr. Dressler has written some reports on meds that may help in the speed of the growth and my vet was opened to reading Dr. Dressler’s report and is going to research for other meds that may stop the growth from growing fast – and perhaps give my baby another year of life – as opposed to six months. She told me that other patients of hers have lived a year with this same situation. Hang in there Judy. God will show you the way and with the help that is out there – perhaps you will be successful in remission and a complete recovery. You are a good pet owner to notice the signs.
Take care,
Judi
We have just had the news that our wonderful boy has an 90% possibilily of having cancer of the bladder (just waiting for lab results to confirm), but the tumour is flat to the wall and about 25% of his bladder wall is affected so they cannot operate. We have just collected him after spending the weekend in emergency hospital after developing a very severe infection and the day at the vets being tested for the cause with this result. He was neutered approx 6 years ago for medical reasons and being a rescue greyhound we are not sure of his age but he is about 11. We have chose not to take the chemo road as I do not want him to be pain so have chose the anti-inflamators & anti-biotics and any other drugs that will help him to ensure he is pain free and happy. It is such a blow that just thinking of it brings me to tears but we will ensure what time he has with us will be extra-special and his rescue sisters (also greyhounds) will be with him.
My spaniel died on Monday. We didn’t know there was anything wrong with him until the New Year, when he suddenly became incontinent. The vet took some x-rays, which showed that the neck of the bladder was much narrower than it should be, but there was no sign of an actual tumour. He put him on anti-biotics and anti-inflammatory steroids but he was going downhill, so he decided there was no other option than to open him up. He did so and discovered that the neck of the bladder was completely thickened with a tumour and that he could not operate, so he put him down.
My dog had to be neutered this time last year, at the same time that he had a perineal hernia operation. I would never have had him neutered, as I like entire dogs, but the vet said it needed to be done otherwise the hernia wound might burst open again.
Would this neutering, even so recent, have made him more prone to bladder cancer?
I am also worried about Frontline, which he had regularly, since I now have read that it could cause bladder cancer.
Julia
Hang in there Lisa. Send you my best.
D
Judy, I am sorry to say more tests will be needed. Consider a double contrast pneumocystogram, a special X-ray with contrast in the bladder. Have the vet change the dog’s position while taking the film. The tumor will not move much, but the clot may.
Good luck,
D
Does it matter what age the dog is when he gets neutered? I was under the impression that neutering at a young age was the problem, not that the animal should not get nuetered or spayed at all.
Thanks,
Rena
Dr.Dressler, We have been having problems with our 5 yr old fox terrier with anal sacs and not retracking penis about every months hehas tohave his sacs squeezed, he is not neutered. he does seem to hump on his blanket and smelling and licking has butt is thiss cause for alarm we have been to the vet 3 times he says my ddog is making a mountIN OUT OF A MOLE HILL what do you think
Dr Dressler,
Thank you for this blog!
I don’t need to tell you how hard it was to find a vet that tells the
whole story. We do get caught up in protocol. I understand overpopulation is a horribly serious situation. I just won’t “punish” my dog to solve a problem that has nothing to do with him. Our female Rottie was spayed at 6mos, fearing future cancers and not wanting to breed her. Since she was 2 she has been on Proin for incontinence. : (
We have had our dogs spayed and neuterd for the health of the dog in the past. But as you write
there are risks. It is a battle at each vet appointment.
We have a 3 year old Cane Corso. He is stunningly beautiful.
And the sweetest dog we have ever had. Our property is fully fenced
and he hardly leaves our side in the house. : )
He will keep his testicals, just as we don’t cut off our body parts
for fear of future possibilities.
With Gratitude,
jackie
Good evening Dr. Dressler, Tomorrow we have to take our 9 year old Sheltie back to the vet for an ultrasound. He had a UTI at his one year check up in July and was treated with anti biotics. I took him in today for similar issues. They did an x-ray and could see the prostate on a standard xray, this concerned the vet. After reading your blog I am not feeling like I should not have gotten Gretzky neutered at 6 months (the age the vet told me to).
Dr. D,
My 9 year old dog is not neutered. Recently, he began leaking blood after peeing, and even when he was not (e.g. when sleeping). Our vet told us it was an infection, and that he also had a slightly enlarged prostate. We treated with antibiotics, but the problem recurred. Our vet told us he should be neutered because his testosterone production is causing his prostate to enlarge which propagates infections. After reading this article I am hesitant to do what my vet suggests. Can you offer me any advice?
Thank You.
Hello Dr. D,
My almost 11 year old intact male G.Retriever has a large tumor (>50%) in his left testicle. we have done ultrasound and he is otherwise in great condition. The Vet has reccomended removal of both testicles.
Is there any reason to take both, or reason to leave one?
I understand it is not common for the other testicle to get a tumor. his prostrate looks great even considering his age, according to the ultrasound.
I am looking for pro’s and cons to make our decision.
Thank You.
I took my 8 year old male lab into the veterinarian’s office today for some pain he was having (couldn’t be certain of location). Anyways, the vet did a small overview of my dog (checked his spine, hips, legs, etc..) to see if it was structural. Said it didn’t appear to be, as she couldn’t find any pain or observe any limping (which he does sometimes in his hips). The vet did a rectal exam and said his prostate was enlarged, and (strongly, strongly) recommended castration. We’ve scheduled him for Monday, but I’m nervous about it. I don’t want to have him neutered, but they made it sound like a must. What would you suggest?
Steve, the more common causes of prostate enlargement benefit from castration. Not all, but most. Probably a good choice, but every dog is different and your decision should be made with your vet who knows your particular dog. Statistically speaking it is a logical step.
Best,
Dr D
My dog was just diagnosed with Prostate Cancer today. He had been bleeding when he used the restroom and put on antibiotics a few times and then they said he was a urinary tract infection. A few months went by and I noticed he was using the restroom funny and he looked like he was in pain. They told me it was an enlarged prostate and a few days later that it was cancer. My dog is 10 years old and he’s currently on antibiotics and he seems to be just the opposite now. He couldn’t use the restroom to much at first and now he’s going uncontrollably. I know what I need to do, but it’s just really hard. He’s been with me since he was six weeks old. He was neutered at that time as well. I will enjoy his last few days, weeks with us. But I will miss him dearly. I love you Onyx!
Dear Reader,
you may want to double check the diagnosis before proceeding. Was there a biopsy or a fine needle aspirate done? What pathologist saw the cancer cells? Cancer and infection need to be differentiated clearly.
In humans some benefit has been shown using EGCG, which is discussed in the Guide and also on the blog:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/egcg-and-dog-cancer-beyond-chemo-radiation-and-surgery/
Of course conventional treatments may help if we are dealing with cancer. Here is the info from a veterinary lecture:
“With intraoperative orthovoltage, median and mean survival times for 10 dogs were 114 and 196 days, respectively. The goal is temporary control of the tumor and amelioration of clinical signs; cure is unlikely. The longest reported post-operative survival in dogs with prostatic adenocarcinoma has been 9 months.”
If you are close to an oncologist, you could pursue this. Chemotherapy does not help very much for this cancer.
Don’t forget to use diet, life quality enhancement, increasing social interactions, immune support and so on as part of your complete plan.
Good luck,
DR D
Our 9 year old lab was diagnosed with prostate cancer -adenocarcenoma that spread to his bones- last November.
He showed no signs of being ill, until he some lameness in his back leg. We attributed it to the fact that he had just gone on a long run (5 miles) with us a few days earlier. His appetite decreased, and we thought it was because he wasn’t exercising as much (due to the limping on his back leg)
It was very common for him to go running with us- he hiked or ran a minimum of 5 miles a day.
We took him to the vet on a Saturday, and they had us come back the next week for bloodwork, etc.
He walked into the vets office the next week, and while he was there, they noticed he was dehydrated, put him on an IV and gave him a shot. Over the next 12 hours, he lost the ability to walk on his back legs- we took him to the vet the next day and he went back on an IV and we drove him to a vet hospital an hour away to have an ultrasound done.
The ultrasound showed he had lost most kidney function and they believed it was prostate cancer.. They said the only way to tell for sure was to sedate him, but the vet did not think his kidneys would be able to take the sedation.
We took him home and had him on an IV round the clock for the next few days as we waited – we fed-exd his xrays to colorado state for evaluation.
On Monday the radiologist said that it was cancer that spread to the bones. His bloodwork, urine and ultrasound supported this diagnosis. Our sweet baby was up all night crying. It was gut wrenching..
We made the decision to end his suffering, even though every day we second guess ourselves because we made this decision after being up with him for 5 days straight. and neither one of us ate or slept more than 3 hours during that time… Could someone have been wrong? Could it just have been in infection? Should we have gotten the moraphine for him and let him live his life out?
How can a big strong dog go from running 5 miles one week, to not being able to walk in a matter of 5 days? Did we miss any signs? We are very vigilant about having a minimum of 2 blood tests done per year.. his last one was in April..
What could we have done? The guilt is is driving us mad.
I also should add that he was not neutered.. neither one of our dogs have been neutered because we did not want to put them through an elective surgery when there is even the slightest chance that something could go wrong..
Also our other dog, male, had breast cancer earlier in the year. He had an inverted nipple that started bleeding and there was a lump underneath that turned out to be cancer. It was caught before it had spread.. so he had surgery and he is ok now.. Our vet told us that male breast cancer is rare… and so is prostate cancer, so we have been told. .. how could lightening strike twice for us- in the same year!!
We are now on the fence about having our other dog neutered.. He will be 10 soon. and your article about neutering and prostate cancer caught our eye. Thank you for any input- the loss of one of our babies is driving us crazy.. they are not “just dogs” to us.. they are our children.. As we never spent a night apart from them, they never saw the inside of a kennel, and were with one of us 24 hours a day.
Dear Reader,
You did nothing wrong. You did the testing, got an expert opinion, and used the information you had to make the decision that was in the best interest of your dog. This is being your dog’s primary health advocate. Yes, cancer is a disease where there is decompensation. You should read this post:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/signs-of-dog-cancer-and-decompensation/
Also, about the guilt, and the desire for more information, The Dog Cancer Survival Guide may really help. It also has exercises that help release some of these feelings. A lot of people read it after their dear one has passed. Another post that I think could benefit you is this one:
http://www.dogcancerblog.com/escaping-dog-cancer-days/
I think if you take some time with the ideas in these posts and The Guide you will find there is light at the end of the tunnel.
May you find peace,
Dr D
Hello Dr. Dressler,
I hope you don’t mind this question about neutering. I just adopted the most wonderful Corgie mix from a shelter. It is required by law that I have this dog neutered, and so I must do so.
However, I am heartbroken over what this might do to his personality – he is the perfect little guy. The dog is 2.5 to 3 yrs old. Is there anything you can tell me to allay my anxiety over this procedure? Thank you.
Dear Charles,
at that age, pragmatically, it will probably be okay with respect to the cancer issues. You may want to contact them and find out whether they would allow a vasectomy in lieu of the neuter in this case.
Best, Dr D
Whenever possible, I prefer my dog’s supplementation to come from fresh food rather than a capsule. Will simply feeding the actual mushroom instead of mushroom extract offer the same benefits to a dog with bone cancer? If so, should the mushrooms be raw or cooked, how much should be fed, and what kinds are best to feed?
I’ve always thought that mushrooms were toxic for dogs- Is this not an issue?
Dear Denise,
as always, always work under your vet’s guidance..as to your question, it is difficult to get the high amounts needed by feeding actual mushrooms. A little cooked shitake is one option.
Best,
DrD