Undescended Testicle

brita54 · 08-30-2007, 09:12 PM

My puppy is 16 weeks old. He at this point has only one testicle that I can tell.
Is it too late for the other to descend?

Murreydobe · 08-30-2007, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brita54

My puppy is 16 weeks old. He at this point has only one testicle that I can tell.
Is it too late for the other to descend?

It's possible, but not probable.

tjmom · 08-30-2007, 09:37 PM

You could have the vet check. Our Titus had an undescended testicle and when the vet felt for it he could not even feel it. The vet said that it was probably too far up and would probably never descend. When we had him neutered we also had the undescended testicle taken out. If you don't have them removed they run a higher risk of testicular cancer. After the surgery the vet said that his was pretty far up and would never have dropped.

reddobes · 08-30-2007, 10:24 PM

Murreydobe is right. It is uncommon for undescended testicles to drop. If it is just above the scrotum it may drop into the scrotum, but most of the time the undescended testicle does nothing. The undescended one is typically smaller than the normal testicle. We typically wait to neuter these dogs until they are about a year old (our normal recommendation is to wait until they start to lift their leg to urinate). Like tjmom said, the undescended testicle is at a much higher risk of developing a tumor so BOTH testicles should always be removed when you neuter. Undescended testicles can either be in the belly or in the inguinal (inner thigh) area. Sometimes we can palpate/feel them if they are inguinal.
I would have your vet check for the testicle.

Murreydobe · 08-30-2007, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reddobes

Murreydobe is right. It is uncommon for undescended testicles to drop. If it is just above the scrotum it may drop into the scrotum, but most of the time the undescended testicle does nothing. The undescended one is typically smaller than the normal testicle. .

Rush (who was a uniball) would probably be humiliated if he knew I was telling this to anyone. But even the one testicle of his that did drop was pretty teeny, and never really grew to be what I'd consider average and normal. I can't even imagine how miniscule the retained one must have been.

(don't let on that I mentioned this, tho).

reddobes · 08-30-2007, 10:38 PM

I promise to keep Rush's secret

Most of the retained ones I have removed are somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the normal testicle, but have had some smaller and some closer to normal size.

**Burns** · 08-30-2007, 10:47 PM

Red's right testicle never dropped (he is 6 months old). His left one was palpable at about 8 weeks, but the right one never appeared. This is called cyptorchid. I think I made a thread about it somewhere around here...

Murreydobe · 08-30-2007, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reddobes

I promise to keep Rush's secret

LOL, we tried to keep his self esteem up about it...telling him he was so incredibly special he only NEEDED one, and that he should feel sorry for those "common" two balled guys.

And in the final analysis, even with NO testicles, he'll still breed any girl that will stand for him.

Linda H · 08-31-2007, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murreydobe

LOL, we tried to keep his self esteem up about it...telling him he was so incredibly special he only NEEDED one, and that he should feel sorry for those "common" two balled guys.

And in the final analysis, even with NO testicles, he'll still breed any girl that will stand for him.

Have you ever heard the term "strung out"? When I worked for the vet we had a horse and a dog or bitch like that. I think it was a bitch. It is when there are many small testicles or ovaries and it is impossible to get all of them. This is what I learned leads to horses and dogs and bitches that will breed even when neutered. I would have thought your vet would have caught this, but not being a vet, I really don't know if all are noticeable.