One did not drop??

[Alisha Mobley]

A bit more info...

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/diseasesall/a/neutering_2.htm

My vet said that my pet is cryptorchid. What is that, and will the surgery be different from a "normal" neuter?
Cryptorchid is a medical term meaning literally "hidden testes" (crypt = hidden, orchid refers to the testicle, or testes). This is considered a birth defect - where the testicle doesn't "migrate" out of the body cavity and into the scrotum like normal during fetal development. Some pets can be "late bloomers" and a testicle not present at birth can descend later, but by 4-6 months of age, if it isn't there, it won't likely be. It is a heritable trait, so any pets in a breeding program with this condition should be neutered to not pass on this trait.

Where is the testicle?
That depends! It can be deep inside the abdomen, similar to where the ovary would be found - by the kidney. It may be anywhere from the kidney area to the bladder. It could also be in the inguinal canal, the passageway from the abdomen to the scrotum.

Testicles in the abdomen are not likely to be palpated, but the vet has a good chance of palpating a testicle in the inguinal canal. I say "not likely" to be palpated, because 99.9% of the time, the hidden testicle is much smaller than normal, even when in the inguinal canal. The other 0.01% is for the case that stands out in my mind regarding a cryptorchid dog. He was a geriatric Irish Setter that had been neutered as a pup. Sad thing was, the vet that had done the surgery all those years ago only removed the testicle in the scrotum! This dog was presented for difficulty defecating and urinating, with a large abdominal mass. A very large (12" diameter) testicle was taking over the abdomen! Thankfully, surgery went well, and he could live out his senior years comfortably.

Moral of the story: cryptorchid dogs should NOT be bred, and must be neutered - since the risk of testicular cancer in an abdominally cryptorchid dog is high.

As others have stated, cryptorchid dogs are at a higher risk of testicular cancer.

http://www.labbies.com/reproduction5.htm

Cryptorchid testes have a 6- to 13-fold greater risk for developing a Sertoli cell tumor (testicular cancer) compared to normal testes.

Sertoli cell tumor: Sertoli cells are located on the walls of the seminiferous tubules within the testicles and support the development of the spermatozoa. Tumors that originate from the Sertoli cells occur with less frequency in normal descended testicles, but have the highest incidence for occurrence in cryptorchid testes. These tumor cells have a high incidence for metastasis (spreading to other parts of the body). Sertoli tumors present as a firm nodule on the testis, and may reach significant size prior to diagnosis in an abdominal testis. Often males with Sertoli tumors present other systemic symptoms associated with hyperestrogenism (excess production of estrogen) which include anemia, hair loss, feminization, and attraction of other male dogs.

Testicular torsion is also a risk in cryptorchid dogs.
(this was also taken from the above site)

Testicular Torsion

Cause: Testicular torsion, a twisting of the testis around on its venous vasculature, is more common in cryptorchid males with a retained abdominal testis but may also occur in normal males with bilateral testes. Twisting of the venous vessels inhibits blood entering the testis from leaving. As a result, the testis becomes engorged with blood.

Symptoms: Dogs with testicular torsion exhibit pronounced enlargement of the testis. Pain may be so intense as to elicit a state of shock (rapid heartbeat [tachycardia], delayed capillary refill time, pale or muddy mucus membranes, weak pulse, vomiting). Torsion of a retained testis presents as abdominal pain.

Diagnosis: Torsion of a scrotal testis is made upon observation of the acute presenting symptoms and evidence of a firm mass in the scrotum. Torsion of abdominal testis is highly suspect in symptomatic, cryptorchid dogs when abdominal palpation indicates a large, firm mass in the abdomen. Ultrasound imaging is a method for confirmation of this diagnosis.

Treatment and Prognosis: Castration is the preferred method of treatment, particularly in cryptorchid males. Treatment of males with reproductive value is limited to removal of the torsed testis while attempting to spare the remaining healthy testis. Attempts to save the torsed testis by derotation are typically unsuccessful due to irreparable damage resulting from the compromised vasculature.

It is in your dog's best interest to be neutered.

 

[Touzy]

I just wanted to tell you that our male boxer lived for 11.5 years and he never dropped. Either one. The vet suggested surgery in the event that it Could cause cancer early on, but we did not do the surgery. When he finally got cancer it was in his left hind paw.

 

[Vela]

I just wanted to tell you that our male boxer lived for 11.5 years and he never dropped. Either one. The vet suggested surgery in the event that it Could cause cancer early on, but we did not do the surgery. When he finally got cancer it was in his left hind paw.

While that is all well and good in your situation, I am glad your dog didn't have problems with it, that does not mean that many dogs don't have problems with being left intact and cryptorchid. There are always situations that go against the normal where nothing bad happens but there is no logical reason to risk it when neutering should be performed on all non-breeding males anyway, whether they dropped or not. The dogs are better off neutered in the first place so why risk a higher chance of cancer in a breed known for having a lot of cancer, for no good reason? He obviously shouldn't be bred with this hereditary problem; therefore, there is no reason not to neuter him and it is in his best interest to do so beacuse of the increased risk of testicular cancer and torsion. There is just no logical reason not to have him neutered and BEFORE it causes a problem.

 

[bbeahl]

This may sound stupid but how do you tell if they are "dropped". My little Joe is almost seven months and we are getting ready to make his "special appointment". Do I have to wait till they drop? Is he not ready?

 

[gmacleod]

Weeelll - are they in the scrotum or not? If they are, they "dropped". If the scrotum is empty, or only one side filled, then both/one were retained.

As for waiting, no, there is no point in waiting with a 7 month old dog. If testicles are going to drop, the vast majority do so before the puppy is 8 weeks old. And by around the 3-4 month mark, the canal through which the testicles descend closes. Once the canal is closed, the testicles are permanently on whichever side of it they were at the time of closure. The only possible hope of testicles descending on a dog older than that is if the canals did not close normally (and frankly, while I've heard of a lot of people waiting vainly for testicles to drop even up to a year of age, I have never yet heard of a case where they actually did).

 

[lawka]

I will have to agree I currently have a 1 nut wonder who is almost 8 months, who will be neutured very shortly. According to my vet if they do not drop by 4 months they are not going to drop and she too has never seen one drop that late. All the best with your pup, but you should consider getting him neutered, you do not want have to deal with cancer, I recently lost my Angus to Cancer of the Spleen and trust me if you can prevent it, do so.

 

[Boxmyearsof]

My dog Deacon had the samething happen at about the same age so I had him neutered. He did have a thyroid problem after he was neutered. He was 166lbs last time I wieghed him. Well this was 9 years ago and Deacon is still with us and very healthy and happy he still goes to the toy box digs out his favorite toy play with.

 

[Touzy]

The only reason we never had Bo neutered was because A) we knew we would never breed him, he never had an opportunity and B) our Vet told us that the procedure for "non drops" was surgery vs a normal neutering procedure. We will be having the new pup neutered, but it just never came up again in Bo's life. (RIP.. sigh)
I think my advice is go with your gut. If you trust your vet have a long discussion and listen to them carefully. If you do not trust your vet find one that you do. I don't mean go looking for a second opinion, I mean find someone who cares about your boxer as much as you do and is willing to take the time to explain things to you until you feel comfortable making a decision. Best of luck!

 

[courtney323]

Boxmyearsof -

You have been asked to post your Introduction, yet you still haven't. You need to do this now, or you will be removed from the site. We have better things to do than ask someone over and over to follow the Rules

www.boxerworld.com/rules

 

[Mosesdog]

Our guy had an undescended testicle as well, and wound up in crazy surgery because it torted. Here's the link to my post when it happened....

http://boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83222&highlight=Undescended+Testicle

I wouldn't be worried about the extra $20 as this emergency surgery cost $3K. Do your wallet and more importanly your pooch a favor and have it done before it's a more serious issue (i.e. torsion, testicular cancer). Hope everything goes well.