Ultrasonographic measurements of the prostate gland in castrated adult dogs.

BACKGROUND: The dimensions of the prostatic gland in castrated adult dogs, as assessed by ultrasonography, is currently not yet reported in veterinary literature. The current study was aimed at reporting the prostatic dimensions in castrated dogs and investigate the relationship between the dogs' body weight and prostate size. A second aim of the study was to investigate whether there was a relationship between the dogs' age and prostate dimensions. A prospective, single-centre, observational study was conducted and 72 privately owned, adult, male castrated dogs with a range of breeds and ages met the final inclusion criteria. The subjects were divided into three categories based on body weight. RESULTS: A Kruskal-Wallis test found prostatic length and prostatic depth in the longitudinal orientation to be significantly different among the 3 categories (P < 0.005), with an increase in both prostatic length and prostatic depth with increasing body weight. Linear regression of the data set provided comprehensive formulas calculating prostatic length and depth based on the body weight of the dog (r2 of 0.69 and 0.53 for prostatic length and depth respectively). Kendall's Tau rank test showed no correlation between dogs' age and prostate dimensions (P > 0.100). CONCLUSIONS: The current study is the first to provide a comprehensive, weight-based reference for the canine prostate gland of castrated dogs when assessed on ultrasonography.

Contrast-enhanced CT findings in a dog with a wood foreign body in the vertebral canal.

An 8-year-old Border collie was presented with progressive tetraparesis, 6 days after oropharyngeal trauma with a wooden stick. Contrast-enhanced CT of the head and the cervical spine showed heterogeneous enhancement of the soft tissues surrounding the C1 through C3 region, with extension into the ventral vertebral canal at this level. Two separate, small, foreign bodies were visible; one of which was located within the vertebral canal. Surgical exploration confirmed the presence of wooden foreign bodies within the para-vertebral soft tissues and within the vertebral canal. The dog was clinically normal 6 months postoperatively.