Undescended testicles

[Helen Daniels]

Hi. I've just bought a boxer puppy, Mac. Got him 2 weeks ago when he was 8 weeks old and he's a real livewire and my other boxer Skye (3 year old girlie)is getting on with him brilliantly. Took Mac for his second vaccination last night and the vet checked for his testicles again (as she did at his first vaccination). She is unable to find them and thinks that they may not descend at all which will obviously involve him having surgery in the next 12 months to avoid any potential problems in the future. Now my question is, I bought him in good faith as an entire male dog (which is what I wanted) - I paid £650 for him (not cheap) from a reputable breeder who is also a boxer judge in England. At no time was it mentioned to me that there might be a problem with undescended testicles. My vet finds it hard to believe that a breeder with 30years+ experience would not be aware of Mac's potential problem. As yet I haven't contacted the breeder - the vet is going to check Mac again at 14 weeks to see if there has been any change but she is not optimistic. Any advice on going back to the breeder with this will be gratefully accepted. thanks.

 

[smoothmann]

As I've stated in another one of my posts, I got my baby Jax this past Friday the 18th. Took him to the Vet on Saturday, and he only has one testicle. He said the other one may drop, but didnt really get into the consequences if it does not.

If you havent grown attached to the baby, I would definitely see about getting a refund, or exchange, or even making the breeder pay, or help pay for the surgery.

I'm not too sure what the laws are in your country, and how lawsuits are filed, but thats a route you may check into and have ready incase the breeder is absolutley combative in this situation.

Good Luck!

 

[gmacleod]

Did you buy the dog (ie. discuss with the breeder) as a future stud dog or did you buy him as a pet? If it's the latter, I wouldn't imagine that you've got any recourse at all. Testicles matter not one iota for a pet, and pets should be neutered before a year old anyway (it is significantly better for their health).

Of course, anyone buying a dog on the basis of wanting a pet, when what they really want is to use it as a stud, would be somewhat unethical and dishonest in the first place. I hope that's not your case.

Puppies testicles are usually descended by 8 weeks of age. But they don't always stay down. Most do, but some are still going up and coming down and going back up again... the canals through which they descend close around four months, and if the testicles are on the wrong side at that time, you've got a cryptorchid.

Point is, yes it IS possible that the breeder wasn't aware. It is also possible, since you haven't yet reached the age that you know the canals are fully closes, that his testicles will reappear. Did you not notice whether they were/weren't in place when you bought him? If him being "entire" is such an issue, I would have thought it was something you'd check.

Best thing is to talk with your breeder. She may be quite happy to have the puppy returned

 

[elvis_baby]

When Elvis was checked the vet told me the same thing - As I brought Elvis as a pet It didnt matter to me testicle or not and I definatly could not give him back after I took him home.

Whe I spoke with the breeder at a later date, she said the pup she kept also has a an undescended testicle. I didnt think the breeder would always be able to tell if the testicle would drop or not! But it would be worth giving the breeder a call

 

[Helen Daniels]

Thanks

Hi

Thanks for the responses. Rest assured, there's no way he's going back. He has been bought as a pet and not a stud dog (my bitch SKye was spayed at 6 months to reduce the risk of mammary cancer - just unfortunate that she's developed boxer cardiomyopathy at the age of 3 but that's another story....) but that's not the point really, if I'd bought an expensive car but was just using it as a runaround I wouldn't expect the dealer to have not declared that (for instance) the seats were going to be cloth and not the leather that I thought I was purchasing. To be honest, I'm not a vet or a breeder or interested in showing and the boxers that I have had (Mac is the third and we had another two while I was growing up) have all been chosen for a mix of personality and looks. I would still expect (and so does my vet who I respect enourmously) an honest breeder to point out a potential problem to a prospective owner, at the very least to make them aware they have potential vet bills in the pipeline. As I said I've not contacted the breeder yet but will do so in 4 weeks if the problem hasn't resolved itself. I'm upset as much as anything because I hate putting animals under anaesthetic unless it's absolutely necessary for their future health, which in this case it will be. I've also spent the last 16 months back and to at the vet's with my beloved older boxer Sam who I sadly had to have put to sleep at the end of September after a long battle with malignant melanoma.

 

[gmacleod]

Well, you know, the breeder may not actually have been aware. As already pointed out, testicles that have come down sometimes go back up. You'll never actually know for sure whether the breeder has any idea at all until you talk to them

As for uneccessary surgeries, I don't think neutering really fits into that category. Yes, technically it is elective - but it is significantly better for a dogs health to be neutered (preferably prior to a year old) just as it is for a bitch.

For bitches, early spaying eliminates the risk of pyometra and greatly reduces the risk of malignant mammary cancer later in life. Well, for dogs early neutering eliminates the risk of testicular cancer, and greatly reduces the risk of prostate cancer, prostate disease, hernias and perianal tumours. All of those are testosterone related diseases, and not uncommon at all in older intact males. Prostate disease, for example, will strike 80% of intact males over the age of 8. And that can include such joys as incontinence...

In short, retained testicles mean you've got to neuter him for his health - to prevent those retained testicles turning cancerous or twisting aroudn other organs. But whether he has retained testicles or not, neutering would still be very much in the best interests of his health, and should be done before puberty if possible. It's really a no-change situation.

Here's a short veterinary article on the benefits of neutering / risks of remaining intact: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1625&articleid=911

As the author puts so succinctly at the end:

None of the behavioral or medical problems caused by testosterone are rare. Veterinarians deal with them on a daily basis. To say it in a way that may not sound very nice but is certainly true – veterinarians would make a lot less money if everyone neutered their male dogs before they were a year of age.