Testicle Not Dropping

[Halcyon]

Well, this thread brings back memories. *cough* *cough*

As mentioned above, testicles can be sucked back in and in most cases, usually drop on their own. In some cases, this might even be 18 months. Don't panic. Yes, it's a good idea to tell the breeder as it is generally thought to be hereditary. The primary concern for a retained testicle is the increased risk of it turning cancerous although I would imagine that this would be extremely rare in a young, healthy dog. Hence, I would think that it would be safe to wait until growth plates close. The surgery does usually take longer, depending on whether the vet knows/can feel where the missing testicle is and the cost does go up. I think an ultrasound can be taken to find and confirm before surgery. In most if not all cases, the vets tend to try and feel for it both before and whilst under anaesthetic. If it's not somewhere near the scrotum, it's usually in the abdomen. There was a case with a cat that had his testicle near his bladder.

Did you get a quote for the procedure? Does your vet charge by weight or time? Does the quote include any extras (e.g. IV fluids, blood test and pain relief) or is it just the operation?

[windycanyon]

The left side hasn't dropped. She even stood him up on his back feet and said it was up in his belly because she couldn't get a good feel on it.

According to some folks the left one is normally the first to drop so it sounds like it got hung up in there.... Hopefully not too far! Anne

[beth101509]

Did you get a quote for the procedure? Does your vet charge by weight or time? Does the quote include any extras (e.g. IV fluids, blood test and pain relief) or is it just the operation?

I did get a quote. She gave me 2 quotes. One had everything included and what sounded like a bunch of stuff that doesn't need to be done since it was included in the first quote and were optional. She quoted me at 25 - 50 pounds. When I told her he wouldn't be 50 pounds (he is 27 pounds at 15 weeks old), she said well, in 2 months, he should be around that. I told her I read that it really isn't good for a dog to be neutered before they are fully grown and she tried telling me, neutering before 8 months will prevent aggression and other "bad" behaviors. I was like whatever...

I plan on waiting as long as possible because I really don't want to pay anywhere from $300+ (operation only) - $600+ (operations plus extras) just in case his other testicle does drop.

Speaking of unnecessary things.....Do you guys get yearly boosters? I read that this is also a scam and since they receive these boosters 3 - 4 times as puppies that it is already in their system and not needed to be done every year. I am going to keep up with the yearly rabies shot but don't think I am going to do the boosters. Seems pointless and a waste of money. What do you guys think?

[windycanyon]

I'd find another vet. I had a friend w/ a field trial pup that didn't drop one, and she was hearing that as well, then asked another (very good-- has all the monitoring equip, does blood work etc) vet for a quote. Much lower! That vet has done a fantastic job for me for breeding services as well and is only about half the cost as my (former) regular vet.

As for the shots, if TN is annual on rabies, then you have to go w/ that (we are 3 yrs after the first booster here). I also do 3 yrs after the first annual booster for the combos, but stick w/ the core vaccines in that (DHPP). Lepto IS a problem for anyone hunting, swimming dogs here so that is an annual due to the short acting nature of the lepto vaccines. That all said, I still wonder about the hype on vaccines as my first labs had them annually and lived good long lives. I think the far bigger deal w/ vaccines is to make sure your vet separates out as much as possible so the immune system isn't getting hit w/ 7+ things at once, and make sure your pup is 100% healthy and active when he is vaccinated. Can't believe how many vets are going ahead and vaccinating puppies fighting infections (UTIs, etc) these days, which btw is another reason I am no longer using my former clinic as much... You have got to be your own dogs' advocates anymore.

[Halcyon]

Speaking of unnecessary things.....Do you guys get yearly boosters? I read that this is also a scam and since they receive these boosters 3 - 4 times as puppies that it is already in their system and not needed to be done every year. I am going to keep up with the yearly rabies shot but don't think I am going to do the boosters. Seems pointless and a waste of money. What do you guys think?

We don't have the rabies shot here but we do get the triennial C3 vaccine. There is also a yearly kennel cough/parainfluenza vaccine to provide the "C5" cover. They won't vaccinate when dogs are ill either. From what I've read, in America, you have "titres" to check immunity. If it's high enough, you don't need to vaccinate. You might want to look up titre testing and Dr. Jean Dodds for that.

[Charlotte K.]

We don't have the rabies shot here but we do get the triennial C3 vaccine. There is also a yearly kennel cough/parainfluenza vaccine to provide the "C5" cover. They won't vaccinate when dogs are ill either. From what I've read, in America, you have "titres" to check immunity. If it's high enough, you don't need to vaccinate. You might want to look up titre testing and Dr. Jean Dodds for that.

In Australia you have titres, too. See the website if Australian Holistic Vets, ahv.com.

[doubledip1]

I'm no expert on boy dogs or cats, I've never owned one, only horses (and everyone here knows how awful having a boy horse can be thanks to another thread I posted in ;-)).

I email the breeder and see if any of her other dogs were late droppers, and I would wait until at least 6 months before neutering or doing ball dropping surgery.

But I have no idea what I'm talking about, really, so feel free to ignore me :-)

[beth101509]

I emailed the breeder on the 24th and have yet to receive a response. Hmmm...

[doubledip1]

I emailed the breeder on the 24th and have yet to receive a response. Hmmm...

It's Christmas. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't get a reply until after the New Year.

[jacksonsmommy]

Our older lab had this problem. His never dropped and we had to do the more extensive surgery. The surgery was a bit longer and more expensive than "normal" and we had a longer recovery period (~12 days), but it was otherwise a non-issue. We did the surgery at 17 months, and our vet was totally supportive of us waiting until he had grown. And definitely give your breeder a heads up.