What is it?

Hormone replacement therapy with testosterone, developed by veterinarian, Dr. David Bieber. www.dogosterone.com

Testosterone is taken away when we spay and neuter dogs and now we're giving it back to them, making their testosterone levels the same as when they were intact, in order to improve their mobility, quality of life and longevity.

Why would a dog need it?

Neutered and spayed dogs are deficient in testosterone. (Yes, intact female dogs produce and need testosterone too!)

Testosterone plays a large role in maintaining muscle mass and bone density.

With arthritis, dogs can have a hard time getting up because they have poor muscle tone and lose muscle mass. Sometimes, they will fall down or slip on the floor for seemingly no reason. Unfortunately, a lot of these dogs get euthanized because they eventually get to a point where they cannot walk. A lot of people accept this as the normal aging process but, it doesn't have to be this way.

Top indications for testosterone therapy:

• Arthritis
• Hip Dysplasia
• Muscle Atrophy
• Assisting in recovery from orthopedic surgeries (along with a rehabilitation program)
• Dogs having trouble standing up or slipping on the floor

What's involved?

We want to make sure your dog is healthy before starting testosterone therapy and there are diagnostic tests that will need to be performed so that we can rule out any underlying disease processes.

We will perform radiographs of the chest and abdomen, a complete blood cell count, serum chemistry, total thyroid test, urine analysis, a cancer screening blood test and a baseline total testosterone level. These diagnostics are bundled together and offered at a discount to save you money.

After these diagnostics are performed, we will determine if your dog is a candidate. If so, we will proceed with the first injection. Injections are performed on a monthly basis thereafter, for the life of the pet as testosterone is not stored in the body.

When can I expect to see improvements?

Results are typically seen between the 2nd and 5th injections.

Is testosterone therapy safe?

Testosterone therapy is very safe with no side effects. It's important to note that we are using very small, physiologic doses-we're not giving supra-physiological doses and making canine Schwarzeneggers.

I wouldn't recommend a therapy that I haven't given to my own dog. Testosterone therapy is no exception. "Izzy" Gibson is 18 years old and she's currently receiving testosterone injections and doing great!