Hi, I have a 4 month old cocker dog who I bought with the intention of showing him. At the moment, I can only feel 1 decended testicle. Is this normal at this age? Any advise is greatly appreciated.

It seems a little slow in descending, but there's still time. As a rule, if it's not down by about 9 months it's unlikely to come down at all - some do after this age, but most don't.

Can you feel whereabouts it is in his tummy when he's lying on his back? If you can, gently smoothing it in the desired direction can help.

:)

I have led him on his back but can only feel the one testicle. His breeder has gone on holiday so I can't ask her advise at the moment. I hope it does drop as he has all the prospects of becoming a good show dog and possible stud for the future. I suppose I'll just have to wait and see.

What a shame for you. There is still time and fingers crossed it does come.

Pam n the boys

At 4 months he should have both,you need to tell his breeder as this comes from the dams line.You may have to have him castrated,as undescended testicles often turn cancerous. faolan

I've known a Rough Collie dog with no testicles and then at 13 months, he had 2 to be proud of!!
In the parlour I trim a number of dogs with only one, many are over 10 years old and haven't been castrated. The theory is that testicles are designed to be held outside the body. If they are retained, then the body temperature is much higher, which could encourage a tumour. In practice, I've never known this to happen, but if this is your dog's situation, then it's something for you to be aware of. If your boy is a solid, then castration will likely thicken his coat and make it more difficult to handle. It has less effect on parti colours, where just the darking colouring seems to go long, thick and woolly.
Do tell your breeder, not to complain but just to let her know that the mating MAY have produced this problem.
Fingers crossed that you get him in the ring! We all have to hope for many things to grow right when we keep/buy an 8 week old to show.

Undescended testicles do NOT just come from the dam's line. The evidence seems to point to this defect being inherited either as a recessive or on a polygenic basis (ie a number of genes involved) & from both parents. In Cockers, this problem is not uncommon due to the fact that many years ago, one or two unilateral cryptorchids were bred from & lie behind well-known breeding lines. In Cockers, it is not unusual for testicles to drop later than 4 months although if I was buying one for show/breeding, I would prefer to see them both there present & correct at the time of purchase - if not there then, there is always a risk they won't come down.

Yes and no!,please read what Malcolm Willis has to say on the subject.
Faolan

I have indeed read what Malcolm Willis has to say (Genetics Of The Dog) - I cannot find any suggestion by him that this is could be a trait carried only by the dam. He sums up the existing studies, many of which point to a recessive mode of inheritance, but does not come to a definitive conclusion, although he does mentions "carriers" (meaning both sexes) when discussing how to reduce the incidence in a breed. Padgett refers to the trait as a recessive as do other geneticists. Could you let me know where you have found a reference to unilateral cryptorchids definitively being a defect produced only by females? I am genuinely interested as your first post on this subject was quite definite whereas all the literature I have read suggest that the jury is still out on this subject but most believe it is either a recessive or a polygenic trait.

What about taking your dog to the vet and see if they can feel the second one, and if so they may be able to manipulate it down and hopfully it should stay down.

Margaret

Apart from how the dog came to have a lazy testical, I would not worry about it yet, wait until your lad is at least 12 months old by which time it may well have arrived. It all depends on where it is, if it is still in the adomen it may well not come down but if it is in the pelvic area the chances are it may well appear. Time to take advice about if to have it removed or not when your boy is mature.

I would certainly not consider castration unless the other one hadn't come down at the age of 18 months. I have heard anecdotal evidence that homeopathic Clematis helps to bring the second one down if it is only just inside the abdominal cavity.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

Hi Jo, I was not suggesting castration, I never would, just the removal of the shy one, leave the desended one where it is.