Bladder and prostate cancer: neutering male dogs increases risk
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: June 5th, 2019
Oh man. This is going to make a lot of people in my field angry. Apologies to classmates and veterinarian friends!
I came upon this study from the August, 2007 journal Prostate. 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.
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. 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). 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.
For more helpful information and tools, get a copy of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide
Two percent is not a lot, but I neuter hundreds of dogs, and I see bladder cancer. Two percent happens! 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. Yes, yes, all true.
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
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
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?
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 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
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
Thanks, yes, this is a “disease of civilization.” Makes sense!
Best, 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.
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
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
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.
Hang in there Lisa. Send you my best.
D
“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.
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 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
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?