# 4 month old male - 1 testicle



## madicloer (Jul 12, 2015)

Hi! 

So long story short, our puppy was dropped off in the woods when we was about 6-7 weeks old, he was extremely underweight and covered in ticks. So we rescued the little guy when someone called us. He is now 4 months old, weighing in around 45 lbs, and just started losing his small front puppy teeth this week. He is a wonderful puppy and has learned many tricks (sit, down, stay, up or jump, heel, and speak), he is great on a leash and very well socialized with all people and other dogs. As of now, only one testicle has dropped. It dropped when he was about 9 weeks old. We were hoping to not neuter him until he was a year old, but now we will have to neuter him early so that the vet can find the other testicle. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and could give me a little information about what to expect from the surgery. Vet said it could end up being pretty invasive if they don't find the testicle quickly. 

-the first picture was Bohr at 8 weeks old and the second is him at 3.5 months with my 1 year old GSD/husky mix Broglie who was also a rescue.


----------



## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

My dog only had one testicle that descended. I had him neutered at 13 months. That decision was made after discussing the issue with the breeder, 2 vets and a reproductive vet specialist. 

The vet who did the surgery said it was difficult to find the testicle. The breeder said they always say that. Who knows. He found it and my dog is neutered now. 

The incision was the entire length of the penis. So, it looked pretty extensive. My dog had a bad reaction to the stitches. He swelled up really bad and then it burst during the night. We had a visit to the the emergency vet and 2 follow up visits to the vet who did the surgery. He was an hour away. It healed well and my dog is fine today.


----------



## madicloer (Jul 12, 2015)

Thank you for the info! My vet is recommending that we neuter as early as possible because the testicle being in his stomach could cause a tumor, but we want to wait longer than that. We may have to switch vets because I think 4 months is too soon to neuter.


----------



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

madicloer said:


> Thank you for the info! My vet is recommending that we neuter as early as possible because the testicle being in his stomach could cause a tumor, but we want to wait longer than that. We may have to switch vets because I think 4 months is too soon to neuter.


 Both testicles provide the hormones for appropriate growth. Many vets want to neuter just because. You could ask him/her about the research that shows it develops into cancer at a young age.


----------



## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

madicloer said:


> Hi!
> 
> So long story short, our puppy was dropped off in the woods when we was about 6-7 weeks old, he was extremely underweight and covered in ticks. So we rescued the little guy when someone called us. He is now 4 months old, weighing in around 45 lbs, and just started losing his small front puppy teeth this week. He is a wonderful puppy and has learned many tricks (sit, down, stay, up or jump, heel, and speak), he is great on a leash and very well socialized with all people and other dogs. As of now, only one testicle has dropped. It dropped when he was about 9 weeks old. We were hoping to not neuter him until he was a year old, but now we will have to neuter him early so that the vet can find the other testicle. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and could give me a little information about what to expect from the surgery. Vet said it could end up being pretty invasive if they don't find the testicle quickly.
> 
> -the first picture was Bohr at 8 weeks old and the second is him at 3.5 months with my 1 year old GSD/husky mix Broglie who was also a rescue.


 What cuties! Titan, who is almost 6 now, only had one testicle drop as well. We still waited until he was 10 months to neuter him. We wanted to wait a bit longer but obviously we couldn't.

His surgery was invasive but it wasn't extremely different than many other neuters. Wore a cone for a while and then the stitches dissolved. We did go in for check ups leading up to the procedure and they would feel around for the stuck testicle and located it that way, so they had an idea where to look for it during surgery.


----------



## madicloer (Jul 12, 2015)

wyoung2153 said:


> What cuties! Titan, who is almost 6 now, only had one testicle drop as well. We still waited until he was 10 months to neuter him. We wanted to wait a bit longer but obviously we couldn't.
> 
> His surgery was invasive but it wasn't extremely different than many other neuters. Wore a cone for a while and then the stitches dissolved. We did go in for check ups leading up to the procedure and they would feel around for the stuck testicle and located it that way, so they had an idea where to look for it during surgery.




This is really helpful, thank you! My other worry is that the 2 dogs play really rough most of the time, and I have no idea how I will keep them separated long enough for the stitches to heal. They are attached at the hip.. so it will be difficult


----------



## trcy (Mar 1, 2013)

madicloer said:


> Thank you for the info! My vet is recommending that we neuter as early as possible because the testicle being in his stomach could cause a tumor, but we want to wait longer than that. We may have to switch vets because I think 4 months is too soon to neuter.


The reproductive specialist vet recommended I neuter at 18 months at the latest, because cancerous tumors could start to grow. She also said we could remove the testicle in the abdomen and just give him a vasectomy so he can have his hormones while he grows, but we just did full neuter. We neutered at 13 months. 

The vet showed me his testicles once they were removed. They did not have any tumors. The one that was inside was smaller than the one that had dropped. I was a bit surprised to be presented with his testicles when I picked him up.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Testicular cancer is not all that common in GSDs.

Testicular cancer is not more common in retained testicles, the problem lies in not seeing the tumor until it is advanced.

Testicular cancer is one that generally pops up when the dog is fully mature, usually later in life if at all.

I would not neuter a 4 month old puppy. 

I would do one of two things:
I would wait until the dog is fully mature to make the decision to neuter, 
or
I would have them take only the retained testicle, so that the dog continues to have hormones for growth.

It is your pup, your choice, this is what I would do.


----------



## madicloer (Jul 12, 2015)

selzer said:


> Testicular cancer is not all that common in GSDs.
> 
> Testicular cancer is not more common in retained testicles, the problem lies in not seeing the tumor until it is advanced.
> 
> ...



I think we will have to go see another vet then, even though I've been with this one for a while now. He says that he would not do two separate surgeries when we asked if he could just go in and get the retained testicle.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

madicloer said:


> I think we will have to go see another vet then, even though I've been with this one for a while now. He says that he would not do two separate surgeries when we asked if he could just go in and get the retained testicle.


It is your dog. If the vet is unwilling to do a procedure that will keep your puppy healthier, allow him to grow the way he is intended, than I would agree to seeing another vet. But, I would probably do only one surgery. I would probably wait until the dog is 2.


----------



## Debanneball (Aug 28, 2014)

My boy had a retained testicle, and I had always planned to neuter, so we did it at 8 months..the vet said we could have waited until 9, but then it would have been spring..rain etc. There were 3 tiny incisions, he did not wear a cone, he did not touch his stitches, a week later they were removed, all went well. Good luck with your decision.

PS, I had his hips xrayed at the same time, should have done the elbows also...this was for my peace of mind...


----------



## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Whenever you do decide to do the procedure, keeping them separated will just be something you have to manage. If it's that bad, that they really can't calm around one another, you can crate and rotate until the incision heals.


----------



## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

selzer said:


> It is your dog. If the vet is unwilling to do a procedure that will keep your puppy healthier, allow him to grow the way he is intended, than I would agree to seeing another vet. But, I would probably do only one surgery. I would probably wait until the dog is 2.


This ^^

I have only had one dog with a retained testicle, a Chi/Pom mix that is my husbands dog.

His testicle was very easily located in the crease where his leg met his tummy. So we knew where it was LOL But I still didn't want to take away his hormones for growth, even for a small dog.

Everything I read, said to neuter between 18 months and 2 years for dogs with retained testicles, OR to just take the retained testicle and leave the other if the owner did not want to neuter.

We kept him intact until 18 months then had him neutered. (I personally don't spay/neuter any of MY dogs unless medically necessary, but this is my husbands dog, and him as the primary caregiver knew he would not be as vigilant as I am to prevent an unwanted litter, so he made the choice that was best for him. I breed Pomeranians as well as GSD's, so it is imperative all intact animals are managed accordingly to prevent unplanned breedings.) I did it as one surgery because there are enough risks to surgery as is, without me adding extra surgeries. But each person has to find what works best for them and their dogs.

I would definitely get a second opinion and go from there as to whether you prefer to wait and do everything between 18-24 months, or do one surgery now and do the other later


----------

