Yorkie Terrier Dog – Urinary or Prostate Problems?

There are a number of reasons why any breed of dog can develop urinary problems. Urinary tract diseases have a very broad base.

My Yorkie Terrier started straining and having a hard time trying to urinate on a Friday night. He seemed fine all week and all day Friday and then it seems like suddenly that night he started straining to urinate and he obviously felt pressure that he had to go constantly. I would spin around and try to lift my leg all the way, but nothing came out.

There were no warning signs of a problem. No blood passed in the urine. The next day, being a Saturday, he went urgently to the vet on duty, which, of course, was not his usual vet. They diagnosed him with a urinary tract infection and gave him some medications. The vet told me that he should be much better by Saturday night. Well, that didn’t happen. There was no improvement over the weekend, so he went to his regular vet on Monday. He had it all day, running tests and blood tests. He found no trace of urinary tract infection, but diagnosed him with an enlarged prostate.

Enlarged prostate! Yes, male dogs can have this problem just like men. Your vet did a prostate exam – it’s the same for dogs as it is for men. She concluded that her prostate was enlarged and causing urinary problems. He had no idea why this seemed to happen so suddenly. Prostate problems occur in many dogs over the age of five, but most show no effect. Elderly dogs are usually the most affected.

This enlarged prostate gland normally expands into the rectum, which can cause straining of the stool and diarrhea. My Yorkie was never able to relieve herself normally again. He was such a small dog and his prostate was so big, it was affecting everything.

He was cauterized and that seemed to help. Due to his age, he could not tolerate some of the tests that the vet wanted to do. He had arthritis and a collapsed windpipe, which when stressed led to an uncontrollable cough. His vet handled him with great care and with great consideration for his condition.

Castration is sometimes the only treatment of choice, since it removes the stimulus for the prostate to enlarge. Preventing an enlarged prostate in your dog is an excellent reason to neuter him as a puppy. My Yorkie was not neutered when I got it and I did not realize the problems that could arise from this at the time. He had several different vets during his life, but none of them suggested neutering to prevent prostate problems. This is something that should be done BEFORE the dog develops problems. Not after the problem starts in an older dog. My Yorkie was 13 years old, and at the time, neutering would not have helped.

It is always advisable to pay attention to the daily routine of your dogs. You may be able to catch problems before they start and get out of hand. If your dog is an older dog, just because he is raising his paw doesn’t mean something is coming out!