With no treatment affected dogs either die or are euthanized within days to a few weeks of making the diagnosis. Prior to that Mo was showing no signs of feeling under the weather. He was his happy and wiggly self, the only problem we noticed was that he was having trouble urinating which the vet diagnosed originally as a bladder infection. When he went back to the vet 4 days later, and had x-rays it showed a mass growth. From the first day we saw him having problems to the 4th day, when he was put down is NOT a lot of warning.
Several conditions can cause a mass effect in the pelvic region.
Older male dogs, such as yours, may be prone to developing prostate problems if not neutered earlier in life. The treatment for this condition is neutering. Other conditions include prostate infection and cysts. Without either a sonogram or a fine needle biopsy of the mass, we can t really know the precise diagnosis in this case. Regarding prevention of cancer in the Boxer breed, there is currently ongoing research to establish better screening tests and treatments, as well as studies of the genetic basis of the diseases most commonly affecting Boxers.