# Advice for Cryptorchidism



## RomiRome (Sep 10, 2016)

So I have a 9 week old GSD who is around 23 pounds. Noticed his testicles did not descend so I took him to the vet. They informed me that if they didn't drop by now that they won't ever and want to neuter him at 6 months.
I am wondering if I should neuter him then or wait a bit longer? Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks! First Puppy so my anxiety is driving me nuts.


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## Joey-and-chandler (Jan 16, 2016)

Im no expert but 6 months is too early for that i think. is it both testicles?

My dog has only one testicle and the other one is just not coming down. We are waiting til he is a year old at leasf


Ps- WHAT A CUTIE!


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## Irie (Aug 31, 2016)

If it were my dog I wouldn't be too worried about it at nine weeks old. If it does not show up by four months, that is more worrisome. Some vets say six months.

The issue you would need to address if the other does not come down, is that it should be removed. They almost always become cancerous if left inside the dog (it will -most likely- be in the abdomen somewhere) and the surgery to remove it is usually uneventful.


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## RomiRome (Sep 10, 2016)

Joey-and-chandler said:


> Im no expert but 6 months is too early for that i think. is it both testicles?
> 
> My dog has only one testicle and the other one is just not coming down. We are waiting til he is a year old at leasf
> 
> ...





Irie said:


> If it were my dog I wouldn't be too worried about it at nine weeks old. If it does not show up by four months, that is more worrisome. Some vets say six months.
> 
> The issue you would need to address if the other does not come down, is that it should be removed. They almost always become cancerous if left inside the dog (it will -most likely- be in the abdomen somewhere) and the surgery to remove it is usually uneventful.


Yeah it is both sadly and thanks ! He was the only fluffy one in his litter so I had to get him.

Also well I hope they come down by 4 months if not I want to wait until a year at the least.

Thank you guys for the advice!


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

My boy has one retained. My original vet said there should be no problem to wait until 24 months like I had planned.

I recently switched vets and confirmed that he agreed with that, he added that as long as there were no behavioral problems which I took to mean the grumpiness caused by discomfort in the retained testicle. I don't honestly know if that is truly a thing or a wive's tale. 

Anyway he has no problems so we are waiting until 24 months partly so I can get his OFA x rays from that anasthesia.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Chances of the retained testicle dropping after 13 weeks is pretty remote. You could always have the retained one removed and keep the dropped one if you wanted to do it for hormones sake.


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## Aly (May 26, 2011)

Hi Romi,

What an adorable puppy you have! I can see why you "had" to have him.  

Unfortunately, I do have experience with this, though it was a wolfhound and not a GSD, and only one testicle was retained. The issues are similar enough that I'll talk about what I did in our case, in hopes that you find it helpful. First thing is to consult with a very good surgeon with experience in this kind of thing as well as experience in tacking the puppy's intestines to his stomach wall. (More about this in a second). I spent some time looking for a vet with a lot of surgical experience, especially in gastoplexies. I was and remain very happy with the choice I made. I then scheduled an initial consultation with her (as it happens) so that she could examine my puppy (who was about 4/5 months old at the time) and make recommendations. 

Based on that consultation, I decided to wait until my puppy was 18 months old to do the surgery. I wanted him to get as much benefit from the descended testicle as possible (e.g., w/re growth plates, etc.) and I wanted him to be as healthy and strong, going into surgery, as possible. As others have noted, cancer is a risk if you don't do the surgery. But it (generally) doesn't appear until dogs are older, so you have the time. Also, last time I checked the percentage of dogs with undescended testicles who develop cancer is fairly small --- though, if it's your dog, it feels like it's 100 percent. YMMV. 

Another consideration is whether you want the vet to perform prophylactic bloat surgery (gastoplexy) at the same time. Wolfhounds have a very high incidence of bloat as do GSDs --- though to a lesser extent, as I understand it. My hound came from lines with an uncomfortably (to me) high bloat incidence, so I decided to have both done. Mind you, the gastoplexy (sp) doesn't prevent bloat or GDV, it simply lessens the likelihood of a 'twist.' It also adds to the cost of surgery and to the length of recovery, so keep that in mind as you think about things. 

So, off Manny went to the vet at 18 months of age. He was fully neutered, the "missing" testicle located (way up in his abdomen) removed, and he had what I called a "tummy tuck." He came through surgery fine and and made a full recovery. 

It's good that you're asking now. That way, you'll have lots of information to hand when you make your decision. Best of luck to you and that adorable puppy. 

Aly


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## RomiRome (Sep 10, 2016)

Aly said:


> Hi Romi,
> 
> What an adorable puppy you have! I can see why you "had" to have him.
> 
> ...


Thank!:smile2: Also I appreciate all the useful information! And the time you took to write all that out! I will most definitely look for the best surgeon I can find. The vet I went to said she can do it no problem - however, I think she was set on doing it at 6 months so I may hold that off a bit. Going to take Zero (My puppy) around 18-24 months most likely. I will continue to look up information on this though. I was just worried because he is my first puppy that I actually bought and etc. 


Baillif said:


> Chances of the retained testicle dropping after 13 weeks is pretty remote. You could always have the retained one removed and keep the dropped one if you wanted to do it for hormones sake.


Thanks! I will keep that in mind. 


Thecowboysgirl said:


> My boy has one retained. My original vet said there should be no problem to wait until 24 months like I had planned.
> 
> I recently switched vets and confirmed that he agreed with that, he added that as long as there were no behavioral problems which I took to mean the grumpiness caused by discomfort in the retained testicle. I don't honestly know if that is truly a thing or a wive's tale.
> 
> Anyway he has no problems so we are waiting until 24 months partly so I can get his OFA x rays from that anasthesia.


Awesome! I think I will most likely do that same! As I can get the OFA x-rays done like you mention in just one anesthesia. Thank-you!


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

I took the wait and see approach with my husky male, and he ended up with testicular torsion, at around 2-3 years old. It was an emergency, then, and it was really stressful and expensive.

The vet agreed to take the retained one out and leave the descended testicle intact. 

He recovered within a week or so, but it was really painful prior to surgery- testicular torsion is very painful which is how you know to bring the dog in. And the surgery was worse than a spay, at least for him.

I guess if I were to look back, I'd have arranged to remove that testicle at around age 2, and just leave the descended testicle. Some vets will fight this pretty hard, though, so be prepared if that is what you would choose. Or just wait until 1.5 to 2 and remove both if you were planning to neuter anyway. 

It's a genetic issue, and any breeder will take steps to avoid producing pups with this issue. It tends to be related to things like abdominal hernias, as well. So most breeders would like to know, so they can take steps to eliminate this issue from their lines. 

Any intact male I've worked with, had a full descended set at around 7-8 weeks- or didn't (with my husky) and stayed that way. I've never seen an undescended testicle show up later, despite the odd rare accounts of it happening. Any vet will check at the puppy exam at around 7 weeks prior to pups being sold to new homes. Irresponsible of the breeder not to check/disclose this issue. It can be a significantly more expensive operation than a simple neuter, and certainly more expensive than leaving the dog intact, if that was in the plans. 

I'd guess based on what I've read, that testicular torsion is perhaps more common than cancer, and can show up at any age. Cancer usually doesn't become an issue until at least age 9. Testicular torsion is faster than cancer and more deadly and requires emergency surgery.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

My husband is crazy for me to let my boy keep his one nut. I would rather not...just for practical purposes. I think life might just be simpler with a neutered male. I have not yet asked the vet. If he could definitely keep his one then I could do the surgery any time because I assume it would not affect his hormones. 

I think OFA prelims now would tell me enough. He is like 15 months. 

But frankly I need to save some money for it. But good reminder, when he goes in next week for a vaccine booster I will ask about keeping his one nut. 

Then I need to figure out what timing would be best to recover him for surgery,

Then I need to teach him to wear a cone because he is currently pretty dramatic about it lol.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

I would have to agree that for pure practicality, life is indeed simpler with a neutered male. My halfie is pretty chill, but what happens is neutered males go after him. I avoid or deter any dog encounters these days, but when he was younger, I used to be pretty relaxed about it... until the same neutered males started going after him. 

On the other hand, a pup I bred is now 2, and intact (both testicles descended, so no concerns there), and he's a total dog park dog, very appropriate in interactions, not a fighter at all. Neutral to dogs in passing, playful in a park setting. Dogs don't target him. No humans comment because he's a long coat and you can't tell. 

But all told, I think having a neutered male is simply easier for most people. Which is totally fine. If you were doing IPO or protection work a strong argument could be made for leaving a dog as intact as possible, otherwise, if he's not for breeding (and any cryptorchid should no be bred) neutering at maturity is simpler.


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