Cryptorchid Puppy - Page 1

My 4 month old male GSD is cryptorchid. I bought him originally for schutzhund and possibly breeding. He doesn't have the nerves for schutzhund, I don't think, and now that only one testicle has descended, breeding is out of the question. Which isn't a big deal. What I *am* wondering is if there is a way to get that other testicle to fall. I've heard of accupuncture, but I know nothing about it or how to find these people. I don't want to have him neutered until later because he's getting this big, beautiful head. With all the things we didn't get out of him, at least he is a big, sweet dog. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi, that is a disqualifying fault and the breeder should replace the dog. I had cryptorchid dog, I was told if the testicle does not descend to have him opened up and have it removed since it could lead to cancer at a later date, so at 9months of age, I had the surgery done, they could not find the testicle, closed him back up. at the age of 9 he died of cancer. I would definetly go to the breeder and have the dog replaced. I wish you the best of luck. JJVSO

I am assuming he has one testicle that is undescended.If that is the case, removing that one testicle should not affect his secondary sexual characteristics like big head, etc., Cryptorchidism in dogs,unlike humans, has an identified mode of genetic transmission, i.e., autosomal recessive, and so is considered a fault for breeding purposes. The testicle can be "made to descend" either with hormones or surgically, but the dog technically is not breed worthy per SV. Hope this helps.

All the vet anatomy books will tell you that the inguinal ring closes shortly after birth, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks according to the author's take. Most say if both testicles are not somewhere below that ring in the first weeks of life, they are never going to be and that they should be easy to find. Real world experience says that is not always the case; some dogs might have both below the ring when it closes and they can minipulate one or both high enough out of the scrotum that it/they seem to disappear and can't be palpated. Or the ring may still be open and the testicle(s) are able to pass back and forth. I've assisted with surgery on a number of cryptorchids and sometimes the testicle is trapped in the ring when it closes. It is very rare for a dog to be born with only one testicle, some are harder to find than others. It can also be tough to feel both testicles when trying to hold a puppy erect on all 4's. It's easier to seat him on your lap lifting his front legs so the testicles can be felt easier. Since Ben is a big boy, this might be more of a chore than it's worth LOL. I would not give up on him yet. I've heard of dogs thought to be pets at 6 months due to being cryptorchid and at one year they had both testicles in the scrotum. The owners of those dogs were glad they waited it out.

Good advice, thanks all. We love him, so we can't ask the breeder to replace him. Whether it descends or not, we will not breed him. We will try to find a way to make it descend and if not, have it removed. Thanks!

I agree with Blitzen that you should wait until the puppy is one (1) year old. If the "missing" testicle can be found beside the penile shaft, it can possibly be massaged into its correct place. But at the age of four (4) months, the inguinal ring may have contracted too much. Have someone assist you with this exercise, preferably your veterinarian. Place him on a large table and make him sit so that his rear end is hanging over the table edge. In this sitting position, he cannot retract his testicles. Feel for both of them, and if you only find one, then feel beside the penile shaft for the other. If you can find it, you can sometimes gently "pull" it (over the course of several days) with your fingertips towards the scrotum. If you can't find it, it is probably inside the abdomen or it never existed. If if has not appeared by one (1) year of age, then the undescended testicle should be removed if it is indeed there. Why did it not descend? It is very possibly genetic or due to an injury. Or, the fact that young male puppies can be quite talented when it comes to pulling them up and out of site. To move the testicle into place by surgery or hormone stimulation is certainly unethical if the dog is to be used for breeding. Personally I am a bit touchy about using massage techniques as far as ethics are concerned. If it was not meant to be it was not meant to be. If you purchased this dog solely for Schutzhund sport, then this alone will not disqualify him. But if you purchased him for show or breeding, then it is a definite disqualifying factor. If you don't want to return him to the breeder, then you should enjoy him as much as possible. It's not the puppy's fault that he has this condition. Good Luck, Bob-O

I recently had a rescue dog that I thought was neutered. He had some behavior/aggression issues that I was beginning to belive were health related. I called the Humane Society that I got him from and they happed to "forget" to tell me he was a monorchid (one testicle retained). He had a second neuter surgery to find the missing testicle. My point here is that a testicle that is left, even for a short time, can and does cause medical and behavioral problems. This dog was 13 days away from being euthanized when I was called about him. It may not be a good idea to leave the testical in there for a year. This has been my experience with this.

EduCanine, I have read that a puppy with a retained testicle will often display behavioural problems, but I have never seen a documented study for this matter. The reason why this behaviour could occur is one of that I could not be sure, unless the testicle was in such a place that undue pressure is placed on it, causing pain. Of course if it is retained in the body, it cannot be lowered into the scrotum to keep it cooler than body temperature. And this of course can cause the tissue to become diseased to the end that testicular cancer develops. You did not say how old this rescue dog was when you received him. I am curious. Bob-O

Hi Bob-O The dog was 2 1/2 years old when he when I picked him up in Oregon 6 months ago. He had been having increasing issues with behavior since he was about 10 months old culminating in a bite to a man's face resulting in 14 stitches. I learned in this that the retained tesicle will over produce testosterone, causing over-the-top male behavrior and more reactive to situations. According to the Vet, the heat from the body is the cause of the increased hormone production. The testicle was not the only thing to blame for his behavior, however once removed within 2-3 weeks I started to see a great difference in his behavior. He went from being over-reactive semi-confident aggression to more insecre aggression behavior. His aggression was always coming from insecurity, but the extra hormones seemed to give more confidence and bravodo, after he was properly neutered I was able to help him with his issues. Also his breed played a role in all this (Karelian Bear Dog), just as his history of going from one home and back to the Humane Society for almost two years (poor dog). I'm happy to say he is being shipped to Alaska on Friday to work as a real Karelian should, he will be assisting a family on keeping brown bear and moose away from their garden and home. A ver happy ending for thid guy!!

Dante was cryptorchid. I had him neutered at 14 months and though the vet had a hard time finding the retained testicle everything went fine. (Good time to have hip prelims!) He was a sweet goofy boy before and still is. Barb