Undescended testicle - Page 1

I have a puppy that will be 6 months in 2 weeks. He has one undescended testicle. Can anyone explain how to massage it down? I can’t feel it so maybe it’s in the abdomen. Also, has anyone had success with supplements or homeopathics? It’s the right testicle that’s missing.

Thanks,
Juno

An undescended testicle is a quite common defect. Especially among pure breed dogs for some reason. It also occurs in humans and other livestock animals. I had a horse once that was a crypt orchid (undescended testicle).

I also used a stud dog once with my bitch. One of the male pups had the condition. When talking to the vet about it he suggested casteration for numerous reasons. One being that the undescended testicle can be cancerous and or tangle up with other internal bits. The other being that it is a genetic defect and the dog should not be allowed to reproduce as it will likely pass on the defect.
If in fact it is a genetic defect, it came from my bitch or the male I used. I contacted the owner of the male. He informed me that it was completely normal to take a year for the other one to drop. This was contradictory to what the vet said and what I had read in my own research. That indicated to me that the defect likely came from his dog and likely his dogs testicles didn’t drop normal.
My bitch has had several litters afterwards with two other males and no problems. All male pups with two beans in the bag by 8 weeks of age.
The owners of that pup were not willing to give him back in exchange for another pup so I covered the cost of the casteration. It was more $ than normal because it was a more invasive surgery. The vet said that it was tangled up and starving for blood. He showed them to us. The bad one was less than 1/3 the size of the other one and it did not look healthy like the other.
Based on that experience, I would think massaging could go either way. It could free it up or cause it to become more entangled. There may not even be one there. Missing is probably as common as undescended. I’ve seen sheep with 3. I’ve also seen male deer with none.
My advise would be to have him casterated. Do not use for breeding as he will only pass the defect to his offspring.

Thanks for your reply. I don’t intend on breeding him. I won’t neuter because I want him to grow normally and hormones are for more than reproduction. I will have the undescended testicle removed at some point. We was disappointed that the breeder didn’t disclose this prior to and when we drove 8 hours to pick up the puppy. 

Hopefully the breeder didn’t know about it. I would hate to think that someone would intentionally misrepresent what they are selling. More likely they didn’t know though. The one time I had the same issue was with our first litter. The vet never checked either. After that I started checking. They are very small and hard to find at 8 weeks. But if all is normal you can feel them. He’ll get by with one. Men do it all the time. Maybe the breeder will offer some recourse.

The breeder did know. I followed up with an email and she did know and her vet said it was in the canal. I even asked prior to pick up what the results were of the vet check. This would have been the time to disclose. I was told she was a reputable honest breeder so very disappointed this was not disclosed since I paid full price. Now I have to find a vet willing to remove the undescended one and leave the descended testicle. The other option is having an ultrasound done every few years to check the undescended testicle. I have emailed her a few times about the status of the testicle and she doesn’t respond.

Hi You don't need to have an ultrasound every two weeks (if someone informed you of that, it's a lie) Neuter your dog at a year of age, it will be slightly more expensive to remove the undescended testicle, your dog will be fine and live a normal life
Enjoy your pup

If you want to retain your male's hormonal traits/drives, you can have them excise the undescened testicle to curtail the health risks. He will still be fertile, so you'll need to exercise all the usual cautions with your "one-eyed Jack" to avoid unwanted litters... which should be avoided.