November has been renamed “Movember”

No, that is not a typo.  November is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and an international movement started in Australia, Movember—was started in 2003. Movember events have raised $126 million since 2003, with all the funds donated to charities that target men’s health issues-- the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG Foundation.

Prostate cancer does not just affect men; dogs also get this form of cancer. It is thankfully an uncommon disease, but it does occur in both neutered and intact dogs. The signs of prostate cancer in dogs are straining to urinate, bloody urine, back pain, and/or straining to defecate. Diagnostic tests include a good physical examination (including a rectal examination), urinalysis, abdominal radiographs, abdominal ultrasound, and a biopsy or cytology to confirm the diagnosis.

Therapy for prostate cancer in dogs is different from treatment in men. As all of the prostate cancers in dogs are androgen-independent, anti-androgen (anti-testosterone) therapies do not work. In addition, the cancer in dogs is usually highly malignant. Surgical removal of the prostate gland in dogs is very difficult and is only effective when the tumor is detected at a very early stage. The typical therapy involves NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The Veterinary Cancer Center in Norwalk, CT (www.vcchope.com) conducted research on the use of chemotherapy in dogs with prostate cancer and is gearing up to continue that research by evaluating the use of highly targeted radiation therapy--IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy) for the treatment of this disease.

How you can help---Please visit http://us.movember.com/team/777069 and donate to our Team. The money raised will help find an end to this all too common and devastating disease of men (and dogs).

Dr. Gerald Post