My dog has only 1 testicle descended-What is a cryptorchid?
Took alfie to the vet last week, as i htought he might have a little urinary infection, for which he now has anti-biotics... We had also discovered a little lump on his shoulder like a cyst, the vet says dogs get these kinda things and they usually dont mean anything, but last night i noticed an increase in its size, so he's going back today. On top of that, while we were there, the vet discovered alfie only has one testicle (a fact which she was surprised i knew nothing about?!?!) Apparantly, sometimes when a dog reaches that age, both their testicles don't drop down... Long story short, its not a problem just now, but later in life it could become cancerous, so within the next year or two we should get it removed. The real shocker for me was that the way they remove these is... They DO NOT take an x-ray, but just cut him open and look for it.. Oh and they charge £22 for every 10 minutes, plus anesthtic costs etc, so it could wind up at £200 - £300 Obviously Alfie comes first, but i was shocked at their rates.. Don't even ask about insurance companies.. They have clauses written in which state anything genetic that he'd be born with isnt covered.. In this case they "arent sure - so just send the form in and we'll see". Anyway, Alfie will never know any different, and if we wanted to breed, which we dont, we still could... I am concerned about this little "cyst".... any ideas? |
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| How old is Alfie? It could just be like a serbaceous cyst that will fill up and then empty. i had a yorkie who had one near the base of her spine for years and years. You could hold the cyst if you know what I mean it didnt sort of have a stalk.
Dont get me started about vets bills. our Summer is insured but was ill over Easter and the itemised bill is absolutely ridiculous! The insurance is not going to cover it all as Churchills state £3000 for each illness and it is over £3,500. We paid it on credit card which we never use but have in case, I just hope the insurance pays up soon. |
You're right... most pet insurance policies exclude congenital conditions. 
Quote: the vet discovered alfie only has one testicle
I'm NOT a vet but the condition is called cryptorchidism and there is said to be a higher risk of cancer and torsion or twisting. I remember a rescue one time had a dog with an undescended testicle... this vet also had to search for it. I don't think there is enough contrast between tissue to find it on an x-ray... but I may be wrong. Here's a good article on this- http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... icleid=897 As for the lump... it's good you're keeping an eye on it. You might ask the vet to aspirate it just for peace of mind. They take a fine needle and try to draw fluid off the lump to see if it's a cyst, hematoma, fatty tumor, etc. If it's growing rapidly, it may be best to have it removed when they do Alfie's neuter surgery so there's just one sedation. Best wishes to Alfie!  |
| Have the testicles removed -- both of em!
Our first dog -the one in my avatar- had Sertoli tumor of a cryptorchid at the age of 11. He was very very sick from that. He was a rescue, but his veterinary records about his neutering (by previous owner) said "His right testicle was small and hard to find." leading us to believe it had been found. It hadn't. So, my recommendation is if that second one isn't expected to descend, have them both removed as part of a neutering. |
| Hi guys
Thanks to all for replying. I should have probably been clearer, one of alfie's testicles is fully descended. We'll be getting it taken care of as soon as. As for the "cyst", it doesnt appear to have a stalk at all... im taking him back to vet tomorrow to get it checked anyway. Thanks again guys |
It doesn't make any sense to have only the descended one removed, because with a cryptorchid Ollie will still have all of the issues and fertility of an intact dog. Testosterone production is caused by other hormone levels in the blood; it's not a case where the testicles just produce as much as they can all the time. The cryptorchid will likely produce just as much testosterone as two healthy testicles. So it's either both or neither! 
IMHO |
| What does IMHO mean?
So both have to go? that sucks, but we're not planning on breeding anyway |
| In My Humble Opinion.
I'm not a vet. |
| It might be in Alfie's best interest if both were removed... discuss this with
your vet. I think with only one, there's more of a risk of torsion... just one testicle could probably twist much easier than if both had descended. If you have him neutered, you'll eliminate any risk of testicular cancer and probably reduce his chances of prostate problems too. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... icleid=914 But discuss this with your vet. |
| Neuter him anyway. You wouldn't want to breed him because that condition can be genetic...and unless he is a finished champion, why breed?
Check the cyst too. Bella had a subaceous cyst on her shoulder that burst, then she had to have surgery to have it removed. Of course, it also had to be sewn up twice because she scratched out the staples. The "cone of silence" (Elizabethan collar) does not help for the shoulder and scratching. Hope they can just aspirate it for you. |
| If Alfie has one undecended testie then you DO NEED both removed when you have him neutered. No risk of testicular cancer then and later in life no risk of Prostrate problems.
You never breed or use at stud a dog that has this condition, you only pass on the problem as it can be a genetic predisposition. Don't leave one, for alfies sake, remove both. Lumps can be a multitude of things, rather then surgery to remove, firstly have a needle Biopsy to see, the cost is less then surgery, then they can tell you if it is a nasty or not. If not, possible it can be left and no surgery required if it does not increase in size.  |
| Our Siberan was a cryptorchid. We had him neutered and it took three incisions for the vet to find "the missing one". |
KTB wrote: Dont get me started about vets bills. our Summer is insured but was ill over Easter and the itemised bill is absolutely ridiculous! The insurance is not going to cover it all as Churchills state £3000 for each illness and it is over £3,500. We paid it on credit card which we never use but have in case, I just hope the insurance pays up soon.
Sainsburys is £6,500 as standard! |
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