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By Sable
![[us]](/images/flags/us.png "United States")
Date 14.03.02 22:34 UTC
Hi everyone.
Just wondering if anyone could offer me some advice please.
My 13.5 month old Sheltie has not managed to produce any sign of his testicles. My Vet wants to opperate to retrieve them and whip them out ASAP due to the temperature difference they will be subjected to which may cause tumors (80% of dogs in his position do, according to my Vet) I know that Shelties are notorious late developers in that department. What I would like to know is:
Should I go ahead?
In what ways will this opperation change my dog?
I look forward to any advice, Thanks
Sable
By Val
![[gb]](/images/flags/gb.png "United Kingdom")
Date 14.03.02 23:01 UTC
I have Rough Collies, am a dog groomer and an ex-veterinary nurse. My collies are very slow in that department too. It's unusual for males to have 2 descended testicles before 12 months. A friend had a male booked to go abroad, and so needed 2 descended testicles. At 13 months the beautiful dog had none so he was put into a pet home and 2nd choice was exported. At 23 months the beautiful dog came back for grooming and he had 2 to be proud of!
I understand the theory. Testicles are designed to be held outside the body. When they are inside they are kept at a higher temperature and therefore, the theory goes, they stand a chance of becoming cancerous. In the parlour I groom 8 males over 8 years old, with only 1 descended testicle and 4 males with none. All are healthy and well balanced in temperament (another reason given for castration).
Late testicles are usually hereditary so maybe a word with your dog's breeder would be useful.
Castration (and speying) in our breed, as I class them as very similar, tends to change the metabolism and they are prone to weight gain, which the owners can control, and a fluffy, cotton wooly coat, which the owners find difficult to groom.
The decision is entirely up to you, but to me, not quite as straight forward as it might initially seem.
By gwen notts
Date 14.03.02 23:12 UTC
i have staffords and so far in my experience with breeding they have always had two before 8 weeks a pal of mine had one without and had him opperated on he was fine after
By DaveN
Date 14.03.02 23:42 UTC
I hope your vet is better at retrieving balls than my springer pup!
Sorry, had to add that.
By Jackie H
Date 15.03.02 07:32 UTC
Give it at least another six months. Jackie H
And take no notice of people that tell you to give him a good shaking :)
Flatcoats are notoriously slow as well - vets don't always cotton onto this, and one wanted to operate on a pup when he went in for his second jab!
Have heard that Clematis 30c (homeopathic remedy) speeds things up a bit.
Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats
By digger
Date 15.03.02 10:19 UTC
I have the same problem with my springer bitch - but then springers aren't strictly a retreiving breed, so it's a bit like expecting a BC to flush birds.......
But bitches aren't supposed to have testicals - nor "retrieve" them from the dogs - I have heard of neuticals but a bitch retrieving them ...............!
Christine
By Sharon McCrea
Date 15.03.02 23:02 UTC
Hi Sable, our old sheltie had one undescended testicle. My vet didn't castrate him until he was 4 because he said the chance of malignancy is low earlier than that. Unfortunately, once castrated, Storm stopped being a Shetland Sheepdog, and turned into a Shetland Sheep in the coat department. I've heartily wished that I'd let him keep the descended testicle and just had the other one removed each and evey time I've groomed him since - and over 14 years, that's a lot of wishing :-). So given what Val and Jo have said, I'd hold off for a bit longer. Incidentally Storm is a very bad advert for castration as a cure-all for behavioural problems. He has always been an assertive little chap who, even now, insists on parading arthritically around the big dogs with his nightime biscuit held between his two remaining teeth, growling challenges (which, fortunately for him, they ignore). We've always called him 'Captain Mainwaring' at home, and losing the family jewels most certainly did not turn him into a laid-back Sgt Wilson!
By gina
Date 16.03.02 00:14 UTC
Ah he sound lovely and I have a picture of him in my mind with his night time biscuit LOL and although I may be wrong it sounds like you did the right thing cos he is a good old age. I dont know ANYTHING AT ALL about testicular cancer but if one didnt descend (and one did) perhaps you took the right course and I bet you dont mind the grooming etc anyway!!? Regards Gina
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