Cancer due to undescended testicle, WHY? - Page 1

Much has been written, even very recently, about the subject of undescended testicles. Such an important issue. Over 30+ years of being in the GSD arena, I have had many experiences with the famous undescended testicles. I have owned many pets with only one that had dropped, and breeding dogs with their ample 2 nuts. I never thought much about there being any danger in leaving the testicle in the abdominal cavity. I always thought, as in humans(I am an RN), that it is a natural body part, free from any type of rejection antibodies that may make the body think that it shouldn't be there. Just leave it alone, I thought, and leave them alone I always did. Never any problems, never. I kept them from breeding like the consciencious person I am, that was that. Now I hear that the hidden testicle could cause problems, i.e. cancer,torsion,etc.. Since I've never had this happen personally, not that it doesn't happen, could someone attempt to explain the physiological reason why a normal body part that is nestled inside the abdomen, warm and safe, could reak such havoc! I've heard inklings of kidney involvement, but that doesn't make sense to me. I suppose I should ask a veterinary surgeon, but they're so opposed to testicles in general, that it just doesn't pay!! Please, impart to me some PDB wisdom, I'm ready!

Pam, I've always understood that temperature was the problem.  Retained testicles are "kept" at too high a temperature.

 As you may have already read on other threads, neither of my boy's testicles dropped and they still haven't at the age of 7 months. Odds are great that they never will fall as the ring they need to drop through has by now closed.
  I am sure that there may be much more to it, but I was told by vets that IF they are trapped in the "abdominal area", they can become entangled with other organs and/or attach themselves to those organs. My conclusion is that this attachment/ entanglement increases the risk of testicular cancer by degrading the health and blood flow of the attached organ, thus affecting other organ functions. It seems to me that normal body chemistry and the dogs immune system is also compromised, thus placing the dog at more risk of cancer and other health complications.    At this point, I intend to wait for as long as I can, perhaps as much as two years of age, before I have them removed. This 2 yeas is within acceptable limits according to the vets, but they have each cautioned that the sooner I have the surgery done, the less risk of cancer there will be for the dog.  I have been informed by others that holding off on such surgery allows the dog to more fully develop, giving him a better chance at having a better and healthier life. One veterinary surgeon told me that protocol required her to recommend the neutering be done no later than 2 years, but that he "could" be just fine if I waited "no longer than 5 years".    I am new at all of this and still trying to learn as much as I can about the subject, so take what I say with a grain of salt.   I suspect that before all of this is done, I will know more about dog nuts than I ever cared to know, perhaps even more than my own. ; >)  

Good question. Torsion makes a lot of sense, since the testicle isn’t anchored in the scrotum but just squishing around loose in the abdomen. This makes it easier for the cord to twist.

 Oh, I meant to also say that I am the type of guy that hates to give up, regardless of the odds of a sucessful outcome, so I have been massaging the ares where I think his testicles are now located ( inside folds of his legs at the groin). I doubt that they will ever come down now, but I keep trying. I have only one problem with this task. Each time I try to get those guys to come down, my pup looks at me with a strange expression, as though he likes it, and I am troubled with the thought that he won't respect me in the morning. 
Sorry, but for me to deal with this garbage, I have to crack jokes about it.

LOL Gator, I hope it works a miracle for you and pup! 

Interesting to read the stuff in your first post here... seems there's a lot more to it... keep up the massage and hope that no-one calls "dog - line"!!

Uh . . . Gator . . . from your dog's point of view, you are giving him a hand job, and acting very submissive to him. This may be amusing now, but it's likely to cause problems as he matures. It also won't bring his testicles down.

 "...... acting very submissive to him. "

Thanks for pointing that out. 

Have a good friend who has a 12 yr old male with only one testicle..NO health problems at all. No surgery , either.

Jan

One of my mother's GSDs has an undecended testicle (never neutered - no surgery). He's almost 7 now. No problems so far.