Monorchid questions... - Page 1

I have a 3 month old GSD who is currently monorchid.  At this point is there any chance that this will remedy itself?  If not, what is the recommendation?  I know it wouldn't be ethical to breed him (even though the breeder had said he was an excellent candidate), but when is the right time to have him neutered (to prevent the retained testicle from becoming cancerous)?  I have heard things ranging from 1-3 years for development purposes.  Any data to back up any of this?  I have already started him in some early schutzhund training, and he has shown excellent potential, and I would hate to ruin that by removing the hormones too early.

On another note, is this something a breeder typically would disclose, or is it just something most breeders don't notice/look for at 8 weeks?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

If a breeder knows about it, they should disclose it.  However, it is possible the breeder did not know.  They really should have checked... but maybe they did not?  I will say I always check BUT sometimes testicles can "yo yo".  So maybe it was down when he was at the breeder's house and then went up after he got home with you?  I have had that happen.  Sometimes they come back down, sometimes they do not.  Did you ask the breeder about it?  

I personally would not worry about neutering all that early.  Yes they do recommend neutering, but the risk of cancer (while higher than when the testicle is descended) is still not all that high.  I would neuter, but I would probably wait until the pup is a bit older... closer to two years old.  But that is just me.  

At 3 months, it can still drop.  As time passes it becomes more and more unlikely... but I have heard of them dropping much later than 3 months.  

I've heard of them coming down as late as 10 months.
Look up all the info on the net about early spay and neuter. Lots of bad can come from it done too early. I always tell my  owners to wait until 2 years old to neuter males. They need a chance to develop all of their male characteristics. Remember the only difference between a bull and a steer is neutering and look how drastically different their bodies look! Dogs are not that extreme but it does make a difference. "Male" cancers are very rare before age 2.
Debby

Thanks! I tried to ask the breeder about it, but he's been completely non-responsive since I mentioned the issue. Not really sure why. 

According to literature the testicle if stuck in the abdomen, may descend theoretically up to one year. It happened  to one of my dogs in 6 .5 months. Also keep in mind that testicle may go up and down or be pushed up by improper checking  for it's presence.  
However if the testicle does not descend, then I would recommend you to find a vet who is OK with removing just the undescended testicle. That may be a chore since most vet will want to neuter the dog and consider this for some reason unethical. Thus make sure that the vet does what you want.
If you leave the descended testicle in place then the dog will develop as a normal male which has adequate amount of testosterone to be male. If you neuter him some or most of his drive will go away and his bone and muscular structure will be more that of a female then that of a male. The one issue is however that you must not breed this dog since this condition needs to be considered hereditary. 
Prager Hans

Thanks, my vet is a friend of mine, so I'm sure she'll do what I ask. When she checked, we couldn't even feel the missing testicle in his abdomen to try and get it in place. It's unfortunate, as we were told he would be a good breeding candidate, but I assume at this point, even if it descends he should not be bred. Is that correct?

I would not neuter either... Unless you just do not care if he becomes less drivey and are not working him...Breeding is not suggested but I care more about Health and drive issues...Fat dogs after the cut are also previlant and you have to watch the diet carefully

GOD gave us ALL our organs for a reason..

YR

If the testicle descends before 1 year ( there is just about 0 chance that it may descend after one year)  of age it is your choice. If the dog is exceptional and has both testes descended, then you could breed him. 
 

I had a Labrador Retriever who didn't have both down till 6 months old, so it's worth a wait & see.

I am curious Jplambert, was your pup shipped to you in a plane?

You can ask your vet to do a vasectomy when the retained testicle is removed--not all vets will do this, but many will consider it and learn about it for you. This way, they may feel that it is ethically "more OK" to remove the retained testicle and leave the other testicle in place.

Christine