hi, sorry to put this so bluntly but i took my pups for a vet check today and the vet said she was worried about one of the pups, she said that his heart beat was a bit irregular and she was worried that one of his balls had not dropped and if it didnt drop soon then it could turn cancerous, i'm so worried and really dont know what to do, we have been planning to keep this pup anyway, and he seems the most lively out of the litter, any advice regarding this would be great

many thanks

What age is your pup?

hi jenny, they are 7 weeks old

Hi Kesha, I wouldn't worry yet, he still has time for it to drop. One of my pups only had 1 down at that age too then it finally came down when he was 12 weeks. Some dogs can take up to 6 months to drop both though never had that problem myself.
Jenny

thanx jenny that has put my mind at rest a lot, iv been worried about it all day now, the vet wants to see him again next week " to make her desicion " she said so i dont know what she planning to do, nothing drastic i hope, a friend of mine said that the heart beat could of been a bit erratic due to being at the vets which can cause them a lot of stress cant it! i hope my little man is going to be ok.

Your friend is probably right about the heart thing as my last litters hearts were going 10 to the dozen when I took them for their check up at that age. Don't let the vet do anything to him yet it's far to soon to be talking about ant surgery on him. Let us me know what happens with him.
Jenny

My English Setter also didn't have any signs of his man bits - at 10 months 1 has arrived.  The vet is being very sensible and waiting til 15 months to check for signs of the other one and then we will discuss surgery to remove.  The c word only applies later in life and is a possibility not a definite!

I remember when I first heard - I too went into complete and utter panic!

He is a super boy.

Also my Gordon Setter had a heart murmur which we had scanned to check for no abnormalities luckily none and he is fine - a completely normal dog who runs for England and has no problems!

HTH

Rachel

Hi Rachel, I have ES too! What colour is your boy? Sarah (Feel free to PM me.)

Hi will PM you later! - gorgeous Orange Belton - 10months (well almost) an absolutely lovely chap just lacking in one of his vitals!

Relax - there's no need to panic. Balls can take months to drop, and even if they don't there's no rush. My mother's golden had a retained testicle removed at 12 months. He lived to be 14.

thats brilliant geanJeanie, and thanx both for the advice, i feel a lot better now, it was probably the big C word that scared me the most and when i take he back next week i will be telling the vet your advice and that she aint putting no knife by my boy yet, lol. i will keep you posted on how he does, ( thats if he stops chewing my feet long enough for me to type it in ha ).

thanx both

should i worry then my lad age 8 months only one of his have dropped should i get him 2 the vets i thourght they only dropped at 12 months so ive nevered bothered about this b4 we just call him wonky!! do u think i should get him the vets

If it hasn't dropped by 12 months it's more than likely that it won't.  I wouldn't leave it much longer than 12 months though to get it sorted out though.

Ideally both are detectable by 8 weeks of age - the longer they stay up the more likely they are to need surgical removal. If they're not down by 12 months I'd book him in for surgery.

Hi Redstaffy,

He may retain the other testicle - have you ever been able to feel it or has his breeder or your vet?  If it is in the general area but simply not dropped it could still come down but as the others have suggested it is improbable (but not impossible) to descend beyond 12-18 months.

The issue of it being potentially cancerous while real is certainly not immediate ;)  A testes retained just above the scrotum or in an area of the groin / abdomen will be at approx the same body temp as a descended one and therefore there is no urgency to have it removed PDQ.  Have him checked over by your vet and if possible have an experienced breeder check him out too (not all vets are great in that area :rolleyes: )

It is not necessary to fully castrate a cryptorchid dog - the normal testes can be left in situ with only the retained one removed for preventative measures - something occasionally opted for in coated breeds with affected dogs.

Regards, Teri :)

I would question the competence of a vet who is worried about testicles at 7 weeks of age, and would ask them this question "How many male dogs have you personally raised from birth to adulthood?" before finding another vet who knows something about dogs.

My boys that have just gone were quite big lads even at 7 weeks :d but I have had them where they've not come down until about 16 weeks.  I would also question a vet who says that at 7 weeks of age !  I give it until about 11 months before I worry about it although I would be very worried if it took that long for one to come down.