HugoDane Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I have a 11 week old male great Dane, I was just informed by the vet that he has 1 testicle and the other may be in his scrotum or abdomen. He states that he will need to be castrated at 6 months. Does it have to be done at 6 mths or can you wait till 12mths. I'm only concerned as I was told that castrating early can hinder the growth stage. The platelets stay open which leads to skinnier lankier dogs. Any info would be much appreciated.. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I believe that it is better to desex large dogs at 12 months or over, due to the issues (and others) that you mention. I would ask the vet why the dog needs to be desexed at 6 months? Many dogs with retained testicles are desexed at all stages of life without any drama. There is some added risk of the retained testicle becoming cancerous, but I would think that desexing at 12 - 15 months would solve that problem. Dane breeders can probably tell you what is the optimum age for desexing for this breed. Have you spoken to the breeder? They should have information and assistance Good luck :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Hi - don't panic .. the testicle may still come down .I heard of a pup recently who was around 4 mths old when both testicles finally were where they were supposed to be . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainy Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I wouldnt worry to much yet one of diesel's didnt drop untill 6mths old Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I have a 11 week old male great Dane, I was just informed by the vet that he has 1 testicle and the other may be in his scrotum or abdomen. He states that he will need to be castrated at 6 months. Does it have to be done at 6 mths or can you wait till 12mths. I'm only concerned as I was told that castrating early can hinder the growth stage. The platelets stay open which leads to skinnier lankier dogs. Any info would be much appreciated.. Thank you I, too, have a male whose testicles went up and down for a while as a puppy. The vet was sure he had a retained testicle but I was just as sure he didn't! Regarding early desexing, the sex hormones (especially testosterone) promote the closure of the growth plates in the long bones. Desexing before sexual maturity (age varies between breeds and individuals) means that the dog will be very slightly taller - the jury is out as to whether this affects the dog as all research in this area is retrospective and there are too many factors involved to be certain. Whilst the difference in long bone length is significantly different, it is not a huge amount and height is probably accentuated by a decrease in muscle bulk as well. In this case I would be weighing up the risks between a retained testicle and early desexing. The former may not be good if left too long but I am not up to date on the risks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I'd be playing it by ear at this point - his other testicle may drop on it's own. I'd also be informing the vet that you don't want to desex at 6 months, but will happily have him done once the growth plates close in his long bones. If the vet can't accept this, then find another vet who will listen to you and your concerns about your dog. I adopted a disabled foster pup I had in care - and I didn't have her desexed until the growth plates closed in her long bones. Due to her disability, we didn't want her legs getting any longer than they needed to be. All the vets who saw her agreed that this was the best option for her and her issues. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MalteseLuna Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I have a 11 week old male great Dane, I was just informed by the vet that he has 1 testicle and the other may be in his scrotum or abdomen. He states that he will need to be castrated at 6 months. Does it have to be done at 6 mths or can you wait till 12mths. I'm only concerned as I was told that castrating early can hinder the growth stage. The platelets stay open which leads to skinnier lankier dogs. Any info would be much appreciated.. Thank you It sounds like he is just pushing to desex at 6 months as that is the age most vets are taught to desex puppies at (and to push owners to desex). If he is a giant breed its best not to de-sex until the pup is older i.e. 12 months. Ask your breeder if possible. The main issue with retained testicles is that because they are kept in a hotter environment (inside the body) they can turn cancerous. But this is unliely in such a young dog/puppy and is more of a middle aged to old aged issue (as I understand it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Definitely get a second or even third opinion - from the dog's breeder, from another good breeder, from a vet recommended by these breeders. IMO a giant breed fo dog should definitely not be neutered so young. Even if he does have a retained testicle it's not going to become a major issue until he is much older, so don't be paniced by stories of cancer and the like, this takes years to develop (if it's going to) not a month or two. The only real issue would be that to neuter a dog with a retained testicle is a much more involved operation than a simple castration which means anasthetic and fluids etc for longer so the bigger the dog the bigger the bill, and obviously a GD puppy is smaller than a GD adult, but honestly $100-$200 versus what is best for your dog in the long run - don't even concern yourself with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumof4girls Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I was told the same thing but waited as I am not desexing Rogue until at least 18mths.. Rogue is 10 mths now and his dropped at just over 6 mths so I am glad I ignored the vet.. My vet pushed from puppy class desex at 6 mths and sent out reminder after reminder, I had to go in and complain as I had no intention of doing that... Since then not a mention :-) blah vets .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mim Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 One of my boys had both testes retained and he wasn't desexed until after 12 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 We get heaps of dogs with retained testicles (so many that I'm pleasantly surprised if I see two testicles on one dog) and many of these dogs are between the ages of two and four years of age with no issues caused by the retained testicle. If it were me, I'd be waiting until twelve months of age. Some vets are a bit ignorant of big dog/breed specific issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lollipup Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Chester retained both his testicles and the vet pushed to have him done by 6 months. I think we ended up having him done just before 6 months. I regretted it. Wish I had waited a bit longer. The vet made out that the risk of cancer was imminent if we didn't do it soon. But in hindsight I think it would have been fine, or they would have eventually dropped. They had to cut him open in three places to find and remove 2 testicles. All the slices were on his belly in different areas where they searched. So much more pain for poor Chester! Plus a bigger bill anyway because they billed on time, and they took a while to find them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 The only dog I have ever seen testicular cancer in was a dog with one retained teste - which was just infront of the scrotum. He did get a lump on it, got it removed, no further issues. He was 8 or nine. I would be very suprised if a dog got cancer in a retained testicle in the first 18 months of it's life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 (edited) Interestingly I have seen MANY entire dogs - live in a predominantly farming community and the dogs are rarely desexed. Even as really old dogs I have never seen a case of testicular cancer. I have seen dogs with uneven sized testes or shrinking ones due to decreased testosterone production but never cancer or tumours - with both testicles descended - note the one with a retained testicle above.. I have seen many dogs with enlarged prostates, don't think any were diagnosed as tumours but not sure, but saw a lot of old dogs with enlarged prostates that were entire. I think the cancer angle is way over used. Edited September 19, 2012 by OSoSwift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I think the cancer angle is way over used. *nods* .I have only ever seen one case of testicular cancer in 'bush' working dogs ..and that dog was around 14 yrs old, with a retained testicle, sitting in the abdomen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leema Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 My border terrier had a retained testicle. We waited in hope, but ended up getting him desexed at about 14 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now