Maybe I should have posted this on breeding but guessed many reading this sub-forum breed anyway... I've got a just over 4 month old Border Terrier dog pup that I've kept as pick of the litter but I'm not sure one of his balls is going to drop.  One has but the other, and I can feel it, is definitely not descended, I can't get it to come down at all, I can literally just find it.  I have had dog pups before where a ball goes up and down for a while then stays down but don't remember one wherby I can't make it come down.  What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance

It may be that the passage through the inguinal canal has become too tight a fit for the testes to get through?  TBH, I'm not sure there is a definitate age for this problem to manifest as I've heard of dogs drop a previously 'missing' teste at 8+ months and in others it never appears.

I've certainly heard of dogs who "draw them up" sometimes in the ring but of course these are likely to be just pulled up above the scrotum and so otherwise fully descended.

I'd not rush into this being a lost cause, especially as you can feel where it is.  Opinions vary drastically as to whether we should keep trying to find elusive testes or not - some believe this prevents them coming down while others believe the opposite, i.e. it encourages them down so it's a judgement call really.

Hi Teri, thanks for your reply.  I certainly don't want to rush into anything as he's so nice!  It's typical! I wondered the same myself re. too much fiddling may do more harm than good!  Guess it's going to be a waiting game as obviously he's too young to have them out anyway.  Hopefully it'll come down of it's own accord.

Thanks a lot, Kay

I would leave him a couple more months at least. Most people I've chatted to about this seem to think fiddling with it will make the dog more likely to keep it pulled up if it's a case of tension.

Yep stopping messing about with it for at least the next 2 months even more really.  If it's going to come down it will and I do feel that when people mess about with them it does stop them from dropping naturally.

My boys 'bits' didn't make an appearence for a very long time - he was 7months. But, they are both very small even though the vet says they are present and correct! He certainly doesn't have anything to be proud of ( my boy, not the vet LOL ) He has a very small sac.

> He has a very small sac.

i think thats probably a good thing, my lads are huge! and being a bully he has very muscular thighs-much chaffing... looks pretty uncomfy to me...but frankly bits hinging out of you always did lol

Thanks everyone.  Really appreciated. I'll stop fiddling!  One last question... Do you all have partners who think you're normal?  It just occurred to me during a conversation with my equally doggy husband - mid a ball feeling session (dog not husband!)- that perhaps we as a couple, are different to most!

xx 

Oh no, my husband thinks I'm utterly loopy! He loves the dogs, but thought one would have been fine (we have 3 and I'm angling for a 4th next year). :-D

I live on my own now - my ex thought I was definately on a different planet ;-) (still does :-) ) Maybe I am......????? :-D :-D

Right a bit of an update, 10 weeks (2 calendar months) later.  His other ball is definitely still find-able but whenever you feel for it, it's still right high up.  I can get it to come down but it won't stay and it is feeling smaller than the other one.  It feels as though it is being held much tighter.  Shall I continue to leave it? (I have been avoiding messing with it).  I'm just wondering whether it sounds like it might turn into a vet job....  Thanks in advance folk..

Kay

I've just replied on another post about this, I've had pups not let them down till 18 wks, if they were there at birth they'll come back has been my experience and 10 wks is too early to worry about it.  I don't even check anymore until they're 20 wks other than when table training and just pulling my fingers over his bits to get him used to it.

If you can feel if then I would leave it and keep a check for now - if it's dropped a bit it may drop further. He's what - 6 months - you wouldn't want to be messing about with getting him castrated too early - which is going to be the only thing the vets might do besides saying keep a check on it. :-)

Thanks for your replies, yes he'll be 7 months next week.  I was just a bit concerned that maybe I should get the vet to take a look just in case he thought it was being held back (so to speak) and needed sorting out but if it sounds okay, I don't want to rush him there for no reason and there's no way he's going to be castrated yet thats for sure!  Guess I'll keep on waiting!  Thanks for your replies... Kay

hmmm...our lad is just a year old and has been missing a testicle since he was around 6 months old, although it was certainly in place before that. It was the show judge that spotted it. I've been recommended to leave well alone until he reaches 18 months in the hope that somehow his missing bit reasserts itself, and we are a bit sad that we won't see any progeny since he is in every other way a fantastic little guy. I don't want him neutered (but am well aware of health risks as he gets older and won't discount it).

It was suggested by another breeder that we could look at hormone injection(s)--common enough with human beings, but I don't know anyone who's tried either this or herbal remedies on their dog. Does anyone else out there have a view or some experience?

> I don't want him neutered

He doesn't have to be if you don't want.  You could just have the retained testicle removed.  The remaining one will produce enough hormones to ensure he has all the benefits of an entire dog but of course he would still be unsuitable for breeding.

> You could just have the retained testicle removed

thanks for this Isabel, this seems the best option assuming surgery will be needed later.

Another update.  The pup in question will be 8 months old soon and the testicle has not only still not dropped but when I tried to find it yesterday (I have tried very hard not to mess about with it at all), it is now considerably smaller than the other.  In fact it is about 1/3 of the size.

I am starting to get a bit concerned that as it is so much smaller, there is something wrong with it.  I spoke over the phone to a vet (she used to show and breed herself) about 3 weeks ago (before I knew it was much smaller) and she said to leave it then so will have to take him to see her I guess. 

Should I be concerned.  I was hoping to show this pup one day and to breed from him if he turned out to be good enough etc etc but I'm starting to wonder now whether I should keep him at all because of this.

Thanks, Kay

You shouldn't breed from him with his medical history, and because the show standard calls for two descended testicles it's hard to see how he would fare well in the ring against the competition. My sympathies--our lad is in the same position, but he is a keen worker and no one seems to care in the field whether he has one, two or none at all! As long as he's happy and healthy I'm happy--we keep an eye on him just in case and will probably have the missing testicle removed when he reaches 18 months.

I could never part with him, and even though we had hopes of showing him and seeing pups one day that seems like the least of our problems. We will probably get another dog and add to the family instead.

i had dreams for my youngest girl to possibly be shown or at least have a go (also own her mother),but her coat wasn't right as she matured and she is slightly too short.  I love all of mine more than anything and never in a million years would i consider parting with her because of this!

Thanks for your replies but I'm not being heartless by saying I'll let him go, as I keep a succesful show kennel and he wouldn't be able to join myself and the others when we go away to shows.  It's much fairer on him to go to a home where they devote all their time to him entirely.  I have 12 dogs and don't let my oldies go when they've had busy lives, they stay with us until the end but I think you'll find most people who show dogs seriously don't keep a young male dog that would be better suited to a non-showing home.   They'll often run their pick of the litter on (which is what I have done) and take it from there.  If he were purely a pet, of course he wouldn't be going but that wasn't the question I was asking.

hi there we had the same experience with the only dog pup in our tibetan spaniel litter,i ran him on for show but his testicle never dropped .after a year he was neutered and the second one was significantly smaller and never going to descend according to the vet.by this time we had rehomed him as a pet to my step-mother who he worships ,so it all worked out for the good.he comes back in the summer for his hols while they go away and love sto play with his mum and sister.i agree if youre a serious show person,sometimes its better to put them in a pet home.

Hi, thanks for your reply.  Yes everybody I know and have respect for in showing generally follows the same lines.  It is of upmost importance to me that if I ever let a dog go, it goes to a loving permanent home where it can have all the attention!  Just to update, I have decided after speaking to my vet, the pup in question's sire and another friend that I'm going to have him castrated.  The vet thinks it should be straight forward but if they cannot locate the testicle (which I can easily), it will be a more difficult procedure.  I'm hoping they won't have to look too hard for it!  Thanks for all the advice previously, it was appreciated.