Neutering a dog with only one testicle that has dropped

[DragonsMom]

To begin. I do not believe in neutering dogs. I know both sides.. but my baby is an inside dog that will never roam the neighborhood looking for chics. He is a two year old Tibetan Spaniel.

Recently my vet informed me that Dragon needs to be neutered. I told him my view. He said that there may be complications later in life for Dragon if I don't have the testicle that didn't drop surgically removed.

My grandmother lost her blue healer a few years back due to trouble with being spayed. This scares me because I think I'd rather have him have possible complications later than to lose him now.

Does anyone know if this is a true reason to get him neutered? Does anyone have a dog that had the same circumstances and didn't go with the surgery, or did? Please let me know your opinions. Thanks.

[Kade]

Well, leaving a male dog intact does open up the risk of testicular cancer. I imagine that an undescended testicle that became cancerous would be an added complication to an already tragic situation.

[Giny]

Apparently from what I read a dog with an undescended testicle has a greater chance of developing cancer in that testicle then the one that's descended. Just that alone would have me concerned and I would NOT take the risk of him developing cancer and would get him neutered. Also, surgery for a male’s castration is much less invasive them a female getting spayed.

[dollface]

I have heard with some breeders (on another forum) that some can do just fine where others don't.... If you are worried you can have just the contained testy removed.... My friends dog has a contained testies and he's doing just fine, neither one of them have dropped the last time I talked to her.... I have heard of them dropping as late as 2 or so years.... My dog Dozer only had one but I never gave that much of a chance to drop fixed him at 5 weeks (wish I waited, or kept intact) and he cost about as much as a bitch does to spay... Me personally I would only have the retained one removed.... Best of luck

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

I do know of a dog that wasn't neutered after the owner was advised of the very same thing. He developed testicular cancer a year and a half later and died at the age of 3.

When the testicle doesn't drop it means that there is already something preventing it from dropping, could mean that it's just way up there but it can also be a matter of life and death for the dog. One of our members BJ Bulldogs had a pup years back whos testicle didn't drop, when they went in for what was supposed to be a simple neutering they found that the testicle had actually wrapped around the kidney!

In the dogs case above, had BJ waited to have the dog neutered or just decided not to do it, it would have only been a matter of time before that pup would have been dead. There really isn't a great way to tell exactly where that testicle may be without ultrasounds and even then there is no sure bet that you'll be able to tell if it's compromised something else. Kidney failure is also something I'd be very worried about.

I lost one of my beloved girls during a spay, it was one of the worst days of my life but you know what, I'll still continue to spay and neuter when it's in the best interest of my dogs' over all health. jmo

[Elaine]

My Jakey is now 4 and i had him fixed at age 2 for the same reason. He only had one testical drop and the vet informed me of the risk for cancer so i had the surgery done, otherwise i may not have. His personality,etc didn't change any due to being neutered and he came thru it with flying colors. I am glad i did the surgery. My vet explained everything and drew pics as to were the testical was retained and eased my mind. Good luck with your decision!

[GreenleafGreyhound]

I also wanted to comment that while your Tibbie may seem quite angelic and not very hormonal at the moment, believe me, he WILL make future attempts to escape in search of a female. Dogs do not have sexual urges similar to that of humans and they do not go through the actions purely for pleasure. They attempt to mate due to their strong instinctual NEED for reproduction. Thus, once your Tibbie hits sexual maturity, he will act like an adolescent young male hooked on his own desires and urges

When my Pekingese hit sexual maturity, he literally escaped twice or more times a week. We nailed boards over the slats of the fence, but he would either jump or dig his way under, despite the physical pain that ensued (the loose nails would occasionally give him small nicks and punctures). Once freed, he would roam the neighborhood searching for bitches in heat. One memorable time, he found a loose Golden Retriever three streets over and chased the poor thing onto our property. When that happened, I knew it was time to neuter him. Does this mean my peke was disobedient and unintelligent? Nope! He was just answering Nature's call because, like it or not, we all have the strong instinct built within us to procreate. With the mass pet overpopulation and high risks of testicular cancer, you'd be doing your Tibbie a favor if you neutered him. Plus, like the others before me have already mentioned, monorchid dogs are especially prone to cancer and various health problems. Neutering him will not change his behavior and it certainly will not make him fat. You should do it

[shandoggy1]

I have seen dogs in grooming shops I worked in that neither testicle had dropped and they were neutered and were fine. I used to groom a 2 year old poodle" it was my first time grooming him "who was owned by a typical man who didn't want to fix his boy and when I was cleaning and shaving around his areas ( we would ask the customers in advance if there dog was up to date on shots and neutered or spayed and make a note on there card) I didn't see his testicles!! , when the owner came to pick him up I asked him, "I thought your dog wasn't fixed" and he replied he isn't, and when I ever told him his dogs testicles weren't there he was mortified. I actually could see the two little balls on either side of his penus and I showed the owner, he felt bad for his dog and took him to the vet to have his surgery. I told him that since he didn't realize they weren't there then I guess neither of you will miss them!!
And one more thing, unless you will be breeding your dog or showing him then there is no reason to not NEUTER him. He isn't going to miss them and you would actually be doing him a favor a male dog can smell a female in heat for 2 miles. Good luck!!

[Kymcole25]

We had the same problem with Keegan. He only had one testicle down in place, the other was stuck up inside and would never come down. He did produce a litter of three pups, in which the male (Nicky) had the same problem. Both Keegan and Nicky have since been neutered, keeping them out of the show ring.

[calgal]

If your not planning on breeding him then I would strongly suggest having him neutered and cut his chance at getting testicular cancer. Did you know that male dogs can smell a female dog in heat up to a 2 mile radius and he will constantly try getting lose. They will also start marking the furniture and anything else that's near him including his own bed and door jams.

[elegy]

please neuter your dog. testicles are not designed to remain inside the body. the likelyhood of the retained testicle becoming cancerous is something like 13 times higher than in decended ones.

in addition, the majority of hit-by-car dogs are intact males. neutering your dog will get rid of much of his desire to roam.

there is always a risk any time you put a dog under anesthesia, but if you have a good vet that you trust who uses up to date anesthesia protocols and monitoring and who does bloodwork before putting dogs under anesthesia, who places an iv catheter in case there is an emergency so that they have immediate iv access, the risks are really minimal. yes, something could still happen, but, imo, the risks are less now than they'd be later on if you have to operate to remove a cancerous testicle.

[Mysticwind]

Even if your dog had two testicles you adopted him from a shelter and for that reason alone he needs to be neutered. I am quite sure you likely signed an agreement to have him fixed when you signed an adoption contract. Cases like this is why I wish ALL animal shelters and rescues would spay and neuter their animals prior to adoption. Do the right thing for your dog, and the animal population and have him neutered. He won't miss his testicles and will still be a happy dog.

[JackLover]

Ok so if you know both sides why arnt you planning on having him neutered, the only reason not to neuter is if your dog is of breeding quality, I have just had my stud dog neutered he has had two years as a stud dog and now I want him to be a family pet and to live a long and healthy life so he was neutered

[frznbuns]

Originally Posted by calgal

If your not planning on breeding him then I would strongly suggest having him neutered and cut his chance at getting testicular cancer. Did you know that male dogs can smell a female dog in heat up to a 2 mile radius and he will constantly try getting lose. They will also start marking the furniture and anything else that's near him including his own bed and door jams.

I have a doberman who is still intact at age 4. He has NEVER! tried to get out of the yard to find a female in heat nor has he ever marked the inside of our house.. Plus he has never tried to mount me or my husband.. Just because they are intact does not mean that they will mark or tried to escape when nature calls..

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Originally Posted by frznbuns

I have a doberman who is still intact at age 4. He has NEVER! tried to get out of the yard to find a female in heat nor has he ever marked the inside of our house.. Plus he has never tried to mount me or my husband.. Just because they are intact does not mean that they will mark or tried to escape when nature calls..

Perhaps there just hasn't been a female in season close enough for him to notice yet. Dogs will be dogs.