1121. Bladder stone dog goes home - 3 sisters

"Are you the sister who spoke to me by phone about the dog having kidney stones and whether an operation is necessary?" I asked the bigger of two adult ladies who came this afternoon to pick up the 12-year-old male cross-bred that looked so much like a miniature version of a Golden Retriever.

"No," she said.
"Are you the eldest of the 3 sisters?" I asked.
"No, I am the 2nd sister."
"Is the other shorter lady the youngest sister?" I asked.
"No, she is the eldest sister."
"So, the youngest sister is the most intelligent," I said. "To seek a second opinion."
"She is the one who loves the dog most," second sister said. I had talked to her by phone many times to update her of the dog but never saw her.

I put the dog on the exam table and palpated the bladder and prostate for pain. Not a whimper unlike 2 days ago.

"I need a tissue paper to wipe away the blood," 2nd sister said. The dog was so active and had pounced on her left knee and scratched 4 inches of red rash."

"This dog needs to be neutered as Vet 1 had done an ultrasound and said that the prostate was much enlarged."
"Why must he be neutered?" 2nd sister asked.
"The male hormones are produced by the testicles and they make the prostate grow bigger and it had become inflamed and infected. The enlarged prostate caused the urethra to be narrowed, making urination difficult for this dog. Bacteria from the bladder was present and could have infected the prostate. That was why it was painful 2 days ago and earlier. Vet 1 did give an anti-male-hormone injection called Tardak and advised weekly injections. Neutering would have been the alternative. Now, the dog's prostate is not inflamed or enlarged and so the dog pees normally for the last 2 days."

The dog did not pee in front of the sisters this afternoon but he had peed a few times freely in the morning.