Why is my male dogs balls area swollen?

Canine brucellosis is a contagious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium, Brucella canis (B. canis). This bacterial infection is highly contagious between dogs. Infected dogs usually develop an infection of the reproductive system, or a sexually transmitted disease.

Different species of Brucella infect sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, pigs, and other animals.

What are the signs of brucellosis?

Brucellosis in dogs typically causes reproductive problems such as infertility and abortions, with few other signs of clinical illness. The disease is most common in sexually intact adult dogs.

"Brucellosis in dogs typically causes reproductive problems such as infertility and abortions, with few other signs of clinical illness."

Male dogs infected with brucellosis develop epididymitis, an infection in part of the testicle. A dog with a newly acquired infection will often have an enlarged scrotum or an enlarged testicle and may have a skin rash on the scrotum. The dog may be infertile. In chronic or long-standing cases, the testicles will atrophy or become shrunken.

Female dogs infected with brucellosis develop an infection of the uterus; causing her to be infertile, have difficulty getting pregnant, or she may abort in the late stages of pregnancy. She often has a persistent vaginal discharge. Typically, a pregnant dog with brucellosis will abort at 45-55 days of gestation or will give birth to stillborn or weak puppies that may die a few days after birth.

During the early stages of brucellosis, enlarged lymph nodes are common. Occasionally, B. canis will infect the intervertebral discs, eyes, kidneys, or brain. If the bacteria infects these other tissues, the signs will be related to the bodily system that is infected.

How is canine brucellosis spread?

Large numbers of B. canis bacteria are shed in the genital secretions (semen or vaginal discharges) of an infected dog. Smaller amounts of bacteria may also be shed in the dog's urine or saliva. After a female dog aborts a pregnancy because of brucellosis, she will continue to discharge fluids infected with the bacteria for 4-6 weeks after the abortion.

Dogs are exposed to the disease via contact with infected bodily fluids. Although the most common route of infection is oral (i.e., from licking contaminated urine or discharges from the reproductive tract or licking or chewing placental material or aborted fetuses), dogs can also pick up an infection through sexual transmission, inhalation (sniffing contaminated urine or other discharges), or through other mucous membranes such as the eyes.

How is canine brucellosis diagnosed?

The infection is usually diagnosed by a blood test. The most common blood test is called a rapid slide agglutination test or RAST, and it can detect infections after three to four weeks. This test is used for screening of breeding dogs, and negative tests are reliable unless the dog has been recently exposed to the disease. False-positive tests are relatively common, and any dog that tests positive with the RAST test should have the disease confirmed with an advanced test called an agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID), which will identify infected animals between 12 weeks and 1 year post-infection.

What is the treatment for canine brucellosis?

Although antibiotics (most often minocycline or doxycycline, possibly enrofloxacin) can be used to help control the infection, no treatment is completely effective at eliminating the bacteria, and any dog that has been infected with B. canis should be considered to be infected for life. Even if the acute infection can be controlled with antibiotics, the dog may shed bacteria intermittently for the rest of its life.

"Any dog that has been infected with B. canis should be considered to be infected for life."

Surgical sterilization of the infected dog will decrease shedding of the organisms into the environment, thereby reducing the risk to other dogs.

How can brucellosis be controlled?

Brucellosis in dogs is a rare disease in Canada. It is more prevalent in some areas of the United States, such as the southern USA, and in other parts of the world. Since the disease is a major threat to the breeding capability of dogs, all dogs used for breeding purposes should be tested regularly (e.g., every 3-6 months, depending on exposure to other dogs), and new dogs should never be introduced into a kennel situation until they have been quarantined for 8-12 weeks and then tested for the disease. Most experts recommend performing two blood tests four weeks apart, near the end of the quarantine period.

In the United States, brucellosis is a reportable disease, meaning that the disease is of great public health importance, and veterinarians and physicians are required to report all positive cases to federal authorities. Canine brucellosis is not reportable in Canada.

Am I at risk for developing brucellosis from an infected dog? 

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease, or a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Although people can become infected by coming in contact with infected animals, it is uncommon for a person to get a brucellosis infection from a dog.

Breeders and veterinarians exposed to the blood or other secretions of infected animals are at an increased risk of developing an infection; pet owners are not considered to be at risk for infection because they are less likely to come in contact with blood, semen, or uterine discharges from an infected dog.

However, people with compromised immune systems should avoid contact with a dog that is diagnosed with brucellosis.

People who come in contact with breeding dogs, newborn puppies, or aborted fetuses should use caution and practice good sanitation. Whenever possible, wear disposable gloves before handling newborn puppies or cleaning an area where a dog has whelped. After removal of the disposable gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water and rinse well.

Testicular tumors are considered one of the most common tumors in older intact male dogs. The overall incidence in dogs is not very high because most dogs are castrated (neutered) at a young age.

The three most common types of testicular tumors are Sertoli cell tumors, interstitial (Leydig) cell tumors and seminomas. About one third of dogs that develop a tumor will have more than one of these types of tumors present. Other types of testicular tumors (i.e., embryonal carcinoma, lipoma, fibroma, hemangioma, chondroma, teratoma) can occur but are rare.

Causes

The current cause of testicular tumor development is unknown. Although they are most common in intact older male dogs (>10 years), they can occur in intact males of any age and breed. Male dogs that have one or both testicles that have not descended from the belly cavity are much more likely to develop a tumor than dogs with normal (scrotal) testicles.

Tumors of normal descended, or scrotal, testicles are usually benign while those still located in the abdomen are much more likely to be malignant. Testicles retained in the abdomen are predisposed to the development of Sertoli cell tumors and seminomas. These tumors are slow to metastasize but may spread to lymph nodes.

Testicular tumors produce excessive hormones such as estrogen or testosterone. Sertoli cell tumors have a higher rate of spread than other testicular tumors. Dogs affected with these tumors show swelling of the testicular or scrotal area.

Interstitial (Leydig) cell tumors are benign and small. Dogs affected with these tumors show very few symptoms, and the tumors are usually incidental findings.

Seminomas arise from the cells of the testicle that normally produce sperm. The majority of seminomas are benign, and they rarely spread. Seminomas may lead to signs of female characteristics in a male dog. Most dogs are not ill, and many of these tumors are found during a routine physical examination.

Clinical Signs

Warning signs of testicular tumors include soft swellings in one or both testicles, a single enlarged testicle or asymmetric testicles, generalized scrotal enlargement, and infertility in the breeding stud. Hair and skin changes may include symmetrical hair loss, brittle hair, poor hair regrowth after shaving the coat, thin skin, hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) and a stripe of red inflammation along the midline of the prepuce.

Other signs include nipple elongation, mammary enlargement, penile atrophy, preputial swelling and sagging, testicular atrophy of the unaffected (noncancerous testicle), prostatic atrophy or enlargement, and anemia (pale gums). Behavioral changes may include squatting to urinate (versus hiking a limb), reduced sex drive and attraction of other male dogs.

Diagnosis

Suspicion of a testicular tumor is based on the patient history and physical examination findings. In order to evaluate the patient suspected to have a testicular tumor, tests such as a complete blood count (CBC), biochemistry profile, urinalysis, chest and abdominal radiographs (X-rays), abdominal and scrotal ultrasound, fine needle aspiration of the testicular mass and histopathology (biopsy) of the removed testicle may be recommended.

Treatment

Surgical castration is the primary treatment for testicular tumors. Complications following properly performed castrations are rare, but may include incisional problems such as swelling, infection, bleeding into the scrotum and self-mutilation of the incision.

In some cases, the testicular tumor is within the abdomen; therefore, an incision into the abdomen is needed to remove the tumor. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can be pursued if the tumor has metastasized. Treatment of metastatic disease should be pursued.

Prognosis

Surgery is curative for most testicular tumors. About 10 to 20% of the cases have spread at the time of diagnosis. Interstitial cell tumors and Sertoli cell tumors without spread or damage to the cells of the bone marrow have an excellent prognosis. Seminomas without signs of hyperestrogenism also have an excellent prognosis.

Damage to the cells of the bone marrow (caused by the excessive estrogen levels) can be fatal despite therapy, but usually improves two to three weeks after tumor removal. The prognosis for testicular tumors that have spread is guarded but varies greatly depending on the location, type of tumor and treatment options.