Variability in weight and histological appearance of the prostate of beagle dogs used in toxicology studies.

This review was performed to assess variations in weight and histologic appearance of the prostate of untreated male beagle dogs between 23 and 108 weeks of age, from two breeding centers. Data from 125 control beagle dogs from twenty-seven regulatory toxicology studies were used. Age, terminal body weight, and prostate weight were analyzed. Prostate sections were examined microscopically, and histological changes-such as development of acini, amount of secretion, and patterns of dilation and inflammation-were recorded and graded when appropriate. The influence of age, terminal body weight, and source on the weight and histological appearance of the prostate, and the degree of interanimal variation were evaluated.