I have a German Shepherd puppy who will be 5 months old next week who so far has only one of his testicles down. Is there any chance of the other one coming down? When he had his vaccinations at 12 weeks the vet said that the other one was there just not down yet. Has anyone got advice on this (MoonMaiden you seem to know a lot about the breed)? Initially I didn't want to show him but he's a stunner and I'm tempted, but I undestand this won't be possible if not intact. Also if the other one doesn't appear will it be necessary to castrate him? All advice gratefully received.

I dont know about german shepherds,but when i bought my bloodhound i took him to the vets to be chipped and vaccinated and the vet said exactly the same to me.And then went on to tell me i really should have him neutered to prevent the risk of cancer.Now i dont know about big dogs but i actually breed toy dogs and i have had boys that havent had both drop until 6 or so months old.Anyway i told him to leave it and when i got home i rang the lady i got the bloodhound off and she was absolutely disgusted that he was trying to neuter him and she said that bloodhounds can take up to a year for them both to drop,so anyway i waited and at 8 mths old sure enough one day they were both there.So i personally wouldnt rush into having him castrated but as i said i dont know anything about your particular breed,sometimes it just seems to me the vets want to lob them off.

I would definately wait until at least a year old, as all dogs are different and some take longer to drop - just DO NOT rush into having him castrated - most vets are all too keen to spay bitches or castrate males. If it turns out that the other one does not descend, then yes it is liable to become cancerous and it would be a good idea to castrate for health reasons, but do not rush into it, some dogs just take longer to mature than others

Firstly don't keep checking as it will upset your puppy Testicles can drop at any age upto about a year. Although he may retain a testicle permanently I cannot see why he would have to have both removed unless it was to stop him breeding, any retained testicles should be removed but not until he has stopped growing or is 12 months whichever is the later

I've never had a GSD who was not entire but some bitch lines do produce them more regularly than others. It is inherited from the bitch on one of her X chromosomes, I would not show him until his other one comes down as he could get very stressed & upset

I had my Dobermann neutered recently he is 18 months old now ,i waited and waited for it to drop but in the end when i picked him up from vets it was too far up in his abdomen it never would have dropped.My vet said all dogs are born with 2 but not all want to be seen.

At 5 months he is still a baby give him time and it will probably come right. I know what Moonmaiden means though, I have lost count of the times that vets have told new owners with puppies from me that their pups only have one testicle (at 8 weeks for heavens sake!) they have all come right within a few months. If you stress you puppy by poking around for the "missing" testicle he may start to retract it under stress). I should leave well alone and give hime some time.

SB

Sorry, just can't help it but every time I read the title of this thread I can't help thinking of a menu, are they served with a cream sauce.

Same here Jackie :D

Jesse

Obviously you must have been checking his testicals, as you said the vet had said that they were both there, but one has not descended yet.
I had a GSD pup years ago who pulled one testical up when testing for entirity, he was able to do this until he was about 6 months old.
You do need to be really careful, when checking, I would only do it when the pup is laying relaxed, firstly by rubbing the belly, so as not to alarm him, if you check when he standing he may well tense up.

Good Luck, but as the others have said, you cannot be certain until he is over 12 months.

Charm

Charm,

That was my point exactly. I went over a very nice young dog a few years ago he looked good and moved well but had only one testicle. I was petting him a few days later at a social event and found both! A few months later he started winning well, he had just grown up and stopped retracting, the stress (handler's I expect) was too much for him as a baby.

SB

hi john ...undesened testicles are very common in gsd's.....and since very very few of these dogs are breeding quality its better to neuter them.sometimes they can't find the testicle in the abdomen that was always my greatest fear

Thanks all for your advice. I will wait until he is 12 months and if still not there I'll consult the vet. Thanks again.