Outcomes of six dogs with prostate carcinoma and bacterial prostatitis treated with prostate artery embolization

Risk of recurrent lower urinary tract infection and bacterial prostatitis (BP) after prostate artery embolization in dogs diagnosed with concurrent BP and prostatic carcinoma (PC) is unknown.

To report short- and long-term outcomes of dogs with PC and BP undergoing prostatic artery embolization (PAE).

Six clients owned dogs with a concurrent diagnoses of BP and PC that subsequently underwent PAE and had a minimum follow-up of 4 months after PAE.

Medical records of 6 dogs diagnosed with PC and BP and treated with PAE were retrospectively reviewed. Physical exams, clinicopathologic and imaging results, procedural details, and short- and long-term outcome data were evaluated.

Prostatic carcinoma was diagnosed via imaging findings (6/6), cadet-B-Raf protein (BRAF) testing (3/6), ultrasound-guided aspirates (2/6), and cystoscopic biopsy (1/6). BP was diagnosed based on clinical signs (6/6), imaging (6/6), urinalysis and positive urine culture (6/6), and concurrent positive prostatic wash cultures (2/6). All dogs received antibiotics based on urine culture and sensitivity testing (UCS) for a median of 7 weeks (range 2-13) before PAE. Two dogs had positive UCS at the time of PAE. One dog developed a prostatic abscess and 2/6 had positive UCS after PAE. Median survival was 13 months (4.5-17), and no dog died from infection.

Urinary tract infection, BP, or a combination of both occurred in a minority of dogs undergoing PAE in this cohort and were not life-limiting complications. In dogs, concurrent BP and PC should not prevent treatment with PAE.