i have a minature long haired dachsund who is two years old, he has an undescended testicle, my vet has advised me to have both the undescened one and the healthy one removed ,which i am happy to go ahead with but i understand the operation is much more evasive than just a routine castration, and wondered if anyne knows of a scan which could show if indeed he even has a second testicle ,or its position as i love my dog very much i i wouldnt want him to have an unnessersary operation.
i am aware that the chanes of him only having one testicle are remote and that any such scan will be costly.

I would imagine an ordinary abdominal ultrasound scan would show the presence of a "lost" testicle assuming the vet can't locate it by merely palpating.  Ultrasound scans will detect the ovaries in women and a lot of them will have far more abdomen to "sound" through ;).
As you say the absence of a testicle seems rather remote but an ultrasound should not be too expensive providing the dog will tolerate it so might be worth it if you are very concerned about the operation.  On the otherhand modern anaesthetics are very much better than they used to be in the old days and if the testicle is located he's really going to have one anyway.

Hi Ellen,

A scan may show up the undescended one but equally it could be so high up in the body cavity that exploratory surgery is the only way forward to removing it.  Testes are not necessarily retained in the abdominal region - they have quite a way to travel to their "final resting place" as the puppy is developing ;)  I've heard of a dog where the retained one was in the chest cavity   Mother Nature - a complex dame!

Modern methods for sedation and anaesthesia are becoming safer almost annually -  I do empathise with your concerns.  Discuss things fully with your vet and if you are in contact with your breeder ask his/her advice about any known problems with anaesthetic in your breed.

Good luck, Teri :) 

http://www.ethicon.novartis.us/overview/en/castration.shtml

this may help

Hi tohme,

that link refers only to cases when the retained testes having reached the abdomen.  During foetal development, the testes are nowhere near the abdomen nor are they even in that vicinity at birth hence one or both can be retained at any point on their journey.

Regards, Teri :)

True, but I posted the link so that the OP could see what is involved in the procedure........