# Looking for advice on Neutering



## Soakette (Jan 6, 2019)

Hey Everyone, 

My 10 month old GSD Caius is scheduled to be neutered next week. We didnt really want to neuter him until about 3 years old but he has BOTH of his testicles retained up in his abdomen. I have read about dogs with retained testicles getting cancer and other problems so I am afraid to leave them up there. My husband is against him getting neutered this young and says we should wait until he is 12 months. When I was at the vet I asked her about waiting til 12 months and she said we could but a couple months probably wont make much difference. I asked her if it would stunt his growth (he is 67 pounds right now, I am expecting him to be about 90 pounds full grown), she said it might and we cant wait a bit longer if we want him to have that big shepherd head, ( he hasnt quite grown into his ears yet).I do trust my vet, she is very sweet and has always cared about Caius but this is our first GSD so we are a bit lost. Any advice?? I would especially like to hear from people who have had their dogs with both testicles retained. Thanks a bunch, here is a pic of my little (big) man.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

My dog had a retained testicle that we did not remove until he was 2 1/2. I spoke to 2 different vets about it and they both felt it was fine to wait. The biggest risk being cancer in the retained testicle but that does not happen until they are older.

I don't know if your dog might be at higher risk for torsion having them both retained? I mean I guess from just a statistical standpoint you are at higher risk for torsion with 2 in there than 1.

How likely that is to actually happen I really don't know. It's really a question for your vet


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Have you called a reproductive vet? That is where I would go with my questions about this.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I would be more worried about testicular torsion with a retained testicle that testicular cancer. I heard that the incidence of cancer is the same for retained testicles as it is for dropped testicles, but if it does happen, the prognosis is worse because you do not see the tumor, and therefore, you do not catch it as soon. Neutering fixes the problem if you get it soon. But testicular cancer hits older dogs. 

There is no reason not to wait until 24 months, not cancer-wise. Those hormones are there for a purpose, one of them being reproduction, another being growth. And neutering early does increase the risk of cancers like osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma and prostate cancers, and some of these do hit younger dogs. I would hate to have a dog succumb to hemangio or osteo because I was trying to prevent the dog from getting testicular cancer. 

I'm with your husband on this, or rather beyond him because I would wait until two at least.


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## Soakette (Jan 6, 2019)

Okay so cancer might not be a risk. But about torsion?? I am more afraid because it's both up there instead of one. I would hate myself if anyhting happened to him.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

If it was just one I'd say still wait until age 2. But with 2 of them up there I'd worry about torsion more than if it was just one. 

Is the vet sure there are TWO retained? When they are not visible they can be retained, or flat out missing (one or both).

If it is riskier for torsion because there are 2 present and retained..I would probably wait the 2 extra months to hit the 1 year mark. Height for GSDs is usually done by then, and early neuter can make them taller and lankier. Testosterone tells the long bones when to stop growing as well as other things. A quick xray can tell you if his growth plates are closed. 

As for masculine features like head broadening etc, I have not researched or read anything about secondary features like that and how they are affected by pediatric neuter. Maybe someone else will chime in.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Also, he is a beautiful boy! If you got him from a reputable breeder I am full sure they would want to know about this and keep track. Especially if other littermates/siblings are experiencing this.


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## Soakette (Jan 6, 2019)

Yes she Is sure they are both retained. She has felt down there a few times and can feel nothing. We got him at 8 weeks so we are sure he wasn't already neutered.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I'd be more worried with one, because I would think that if one affected the other, the one being stuck outside and the other inside might make it more likely for them to get tangled? Maybe not. I am trying to picture the plumbing of testicles and my brain is blocking me for some reason. I mean generally they hang together, going up and down depending on how cold it gets. Torsion happens when a dog gets overly excited and jumps around like a maniac. It could happen with the stomach, the colon/intestines, or the testicles. Some people do tack the stomach to prevent bloat/torsion. I know someone who did that and the vet made a mistake and the intestine died and so did the dog. Very sad. 

The point is, torsion is something that can happen with two testicles descended and possibly if they are undescended as well. But we don't remove the intestine, or the stomach because of that possibility, and it is just as deadly. We can remove the testicles and because it is just as well, as we wouldn't breed the dog anyway, there is no reason not to, after the dog is mature. 

I'd wait for the dog to be two at least, and probably 3. Height is not the only thing. When you neuter a dog before he fills out, he doesn't fill out the same. He will generally not get the heavy mane, might have a bitchy -face, and I dunno, I just like the look of a dog.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Soakette said:


> Yes she Is sure they are both retained. She has felt down there a few times and can feel nothing. We got him at 8 weeks so we are sure he wasn't already neutered.


What I meant was they could be absent congenitally. Usually I think it is just one when that happens though. I read in your previous threads you breeder told you it was normal for them to not descend until 6 or 7 months? (I forget the exact age you said they stated) . That is definitely not the norm. Normal is by 8 weeks, and they "can" make a later appearance down the road but that would eb the lucky exception rather than the rule.


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

Levi had one retained testicle not two, but we neutered him at about 2.5 years with no problem. I think it would be fine to wait until he's mature. Neither of the vets we took Levi to seemed to think waiting a couple years would be a problem. If in doubt, you could get a second or third opinion from another vet.


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