retained testis?

[Nikimajor]

Hello,

I was hoping i could get some advice.

I have recently got a male white boxer puppy and he is a lovely and happy boy.
I took him to the vets last week for his second vac and everything went great accept the vet said his testicles haven't come down yet. He is 11 weeks now and she said not to worry untill he is 16 weeks. I didnt have this problem with my last boxer pup.


Since then i have been looking this up on the internet and it seems to be quite a common problem, and a lot of people say it can take as long as 6months for the testicles to drop.

Should i be worried or should i wait longer than the vet suggested?


Many thanks in advance,
Nicki

 

[darwinsmom]

You don't need to be worried but they likely won't drop and he will have to be neutered as retained testicles pose a health risk. The neuter procedure will be more invasive as the vet will need to find the testes in the abdominal cavity (sometimes not an easy task) but this only makes the procedure more like a spay than a simple neuter. My boy was a bilateral cryptorchid.
-Karlyn

 

[Gilbert]

Unless to plan on breeding you should just have him neutered. And if you are planning on breeding, you shouldn't be since you pup is white.

 

[Nikimajor]

Thanks for your reponse's.

I won't be breeding him, i got him purely as a companion.

I was going to have him neutered anyway.
I can feel the area has got bigger but i can't feel any hard lumps that could be testicles.
I was thinking this was maybe just the testicle sack if that makes sense? What do you suggested as being the correct and safest length of time to wait untill having surgery?

Again many thanks,
Nicki

 

[ELubas]

To my mind six months makes sense. My boy had an undescended testicle as well and though he was fine in the end he did have an emergency neuter due to testicular torsion so I would just get it done Good luck with your baby boy

 

[Nikimajor]

Thanks ELubas,

I think i will leave it untill 6 months, i don't want him to go though something like that to early in his young life but i also don't want any harm to come to him so i will keep an eye out for any possible problems!

I was just a bit worried that the Vet was rushing it to get some more money out of me, i've had some bad experience's with vet's before :(

Nicki

 

[gmacleod]

Well, the vet is right in some way. Which is to say, that although the majority of pup's testicles are fully descended by 8 weeks (actually most are down by 3 weeks), the 16 week mark is a bit of a definitive point. That is, the inguinal canal through which testicles descend closes permanently at about 4 months of age (very roughly 16 weeks ). Thus, up until that point there is a chance of descent. But after the canal closes, there is NO chance of descent.

Irrespective though, I don't think you need to rush to neuter him the moment he passes 16 weeks If he remains cryptorchid though, then I'd certainly suggest neutering before about a year old. He probably won't develop testicluar cancer in that time, but there is a risk of torsion (the retained testicle twisting on its stem, or wrapping around other organs in the abdomen). Torsion risks cutting off blood supply to the affected area, and that can quickly become an emergency. It still isn't common (don't want to be alarmist here), but it does sometimes happen, so a neuter should be considered reasonably early for cryptorchid dogs.

 

[ELubas]

Thanks ELubas,

I think i will leave it untill 6 months, i don't want him to go though something like that to early in his young life but i also don't want any harm to come to him so i will keep an eye out for any possible problems!

I was just a bit worried that the Vet was rushing it to get some more money out of me, i've had some bad experience's with vet's before :(

Nicki

Hi Nicki I admire your dedication to your pup! I too have wondered about the advice of vets in my day. But gmcleod hit the nail on the head. You should target, to be safe, 6 mos to a year for the neuter. And if your guy is anything like my Fraze he will come bouncing back and you will have years of joy ahead of youlovicon

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

My boy also had both of his testicles undescended. We neutered him at 6 months, he will be 4 years in a couple of weeks and other than severe food allergies (nothing to do with the testicles obviously) he is the picture of health. Once he is neutered he will be no different than any other neutered Boxer, no additional health concerns, etc.

Good luck!

 

[fredsmum]

im glad im not the only one, fred also has no teste's, he is 11 weeks now and the vet said to keep an eye for a month and if no sign to bring him back,.. this has answered all my questions thankyou for poting and thanks for replies x