Nervy about neutering

Our vet offers his advice Q My 10-year-old crossbreed male dog has just been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate gland, which was making it difficult for him to urinate. My vet has given him a temporary hormonal injection to reduce the size of the prostate, with neutering a permanent solution. We are concerned he's too old for this. What are your thoughts?

- PAMPERED PETS DR DAVID GRANT

A Prostate enlargement is very common in older dogs. By 10 years of age, most dogs will have enlargement, although not all of them will have signs.

The prostate gland is located near the neck of the bladder. It surrounds part of the urethra, through which urine is transported, and lies just under the rectum.

Due to its location two characteristic signs of enlargement are difficulty in urination, usually the first to appear, and constipation when pressing on the rectum.

Mostly the enlargement is noncancerous, and its medical name, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), reflects this. Prostatic cancer is very rare, found in less than 1% of canine tumours, and not one I am familiar with.