andrewang Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 After reading all the comments on the thread, it seems that most of you would recommend desexing after the puppy matures both mentally and physically. However, what about when the puppy still have a testicle lodged somewhere inside his body? Caesar is currently 5 months old and only one testicle has descended, which leaves almost no chance of the other one dropping in the future. The vet quoted me a whopping $350 to desex him because the procedure is not as simple. So right now I have a couple of dilemmas. Caesar's dad only had his second testicle dropped at the age of 6 months, so I'm hoping it'll be the same for Caesar too. 1. Should I wait till Caesar matures so his 2nd one might drop in the future and his growth not stunted? 2. Should I do it soon because the vet told me puppies with only 1 testicle have a higher chance of developing cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozzie Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 That's cheap!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I too wouldn't have called $350 a particularly large amount for the surgery, it;s not much more than a spey would usually cost. That said if his ads second one dropped at the age of six months I think you could safely wait until 7 or 8 months or even 10 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewang Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 That's the standard price you guys have been paying?!! It costs only about $190 for the normal procedure in most places I have asked! My breeder also said $350 is too much and her vet would do it for me at $200 but I gotta drive 2 hours east, which is a pain in the arse, literally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diva Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) Retained testicles have a very high chance of becoming cancerous, if it doesn't drop by six months I would be arranging for the desexing. You could probably leave it a few months longer, but not too long. Edited June 11, 2013 by Diva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Make sure when you compare price you are looking at what you get for that price- monitoring equipment, pain relief, fluids. I would want to check that the vet doing it for $200 isnt compromising on service to be able to charge that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 $350 really isn't a lot for that operation. It's not just your standard castration, they may have to go searching. $200 to me sounds ridiculously cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) I'd leave him until around 10 months then get him desexed. It will be more like a spay operation as they will most likely have to do a midline incision to find the missing testicle, so will cost more. The longer they take to find it the more it will most likely cost. Edited June 11, 2013 by Rebanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Seriously I used to work at a vet clinic that used cheap, nasty anaesthetics and things to cut costs, didn't work there any longer than i had to, it was not a nice clinic. I would be looking at quality of service over price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wundahoo Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) OK I understand that it's always scary when the "BIG C" is mentioned however cancer in an undescended testicle doesnt happen suddenly or over a short period of time. The most common cancer of a retained testicle is a sertoli cell tumour. This type of tumour almost always takes several years to happen and it's thought that the testicular cells begin to mutate into cancerous types because of the higher temperature inside the body rather than when normally descended testicles are positioned in the scrotum, which is a somewhat cooler environment than the internal core temperature. I get a little bit annoyed at vets who only tell half the story and scare their clients into an early full castration without giving the owner ALL of the information. Full castration is a non reversible procedure which involves the removal of both testicles. This procedure can have some deleterious effects on the long term health of a dog if performed at too young an age. Owners of dogs that may need to be castrated for medical reasons must be given ALL of the relevant information as well as alternatives so that they can make an informed choice. Firstly, there is usually no real need to rush into castrating a young dog which has an undescended testicle. The dangerous changes usually take quite some time to happen. Secondly, even if the client decides that early removal of the undescended testicle is the way that they want to go, it's possible for their vet to perform a hemi-castration. It's quite reasonable to only remove the undescended testicle and leave the normal one where it is. This will allow the dog to mature as it should, with the benefit of the hormones that are needed for correct growth, muscle development and the secondary effect of stimulation of other hormonal systems such as thyroid and adrenals which can sometimes become deficient in dogs which have been subject to a total castration early in life. To remove only the undescended testicle also allows the owner sufficient time to decide whether a full castration is what they really want for their dog. andrewang, it's still possible that your dog's testicle may descend. 5 months is still quite young and I know of a number of dogs that have taken up to 12 months to become fully "entire"..... one was my own dog, a cocker spaniel too !! Please consider the option of a hemi-castration if you are really worried that his undescended testicle needs to be removed prior to 12 months of age. If your current vet will not perform a hemi for you then find one that will !! Or simply wait a while longer..... you might find that you have a fully entire dog by the time he is 12 months old. Cockers are one of the breeds that can show some quite marked differences in development when fully castrated at a young age. I generally do not recommend that cockers are sterilised prior to 10 months if female, and 12-14 months of age if male. The males often take longer to reach maturity. To be frank, my general recommendation to new owners if they have a male cocker is to consider keeping him entire unless there is a medical condition for which the best primary treatment is full castration. I usually tell an owner of 10 week old puppy which has a testicle that doesnt want to stay where it should, that they can safely wait for 12 months at least before they need to make any decision, and that is IS possible for only the undescended testicle to be removed. If there is nothing wrong with the other one, then consider leaving it where it is and allowing it to do the important job of helping your dog reach full maturity and to develop a healthy body system for life. Should you decide to have the undescended testicle removed then please ask you vet about anaesthetic administration and monitoring, IV fluids during surgery and post op recovery, as well as pain meds after the procedure. Edited June 11, 2013 by Wundahoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I agree with others about the cost. Many vets will do it on the cheap because they won't use IV fluids or give the dog pain relief. That is not acceptable to me and I would rather pay a bit more for a professional service. The operation you are referring to is a bit more complicated than your standard de-sex remember. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 OK I understand that it's always scary when the "BIG C" is mentioned however cancer in an undescended testicle doesnt happen suddenly or over a short period of time. The most common cancer of a retained testicle is a sertoli cell tumour. This type of tumour almost always takes several years to happen Exactly what I was going to comment. Yes undescended testicles have a very high chance of becoming cancerous - but you're not going to wake up in the morning and find your 7 month old pup has advanced inoperable cancer from one. Wish vets would LISTEN to owners - "I don't want to desex him until he is mature" is not the same as "I am not going to desex him" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Andrew I have been using the same vet since 1988, never even bothering how much something will cost because payment plans can always be arranged if funds are low. She is a homeopathic vet who absolutely adores all animals and aims to balance costs with care. The vet that looks after our foster dogs (shar pei) cannot be faulted in her care and treatment of our foster dogs (and at rescue rates) and if I need 'shar pei' specific treatment I will travel the hour each way to see her with my own girl. You will have your beautiful boy Caesar for at least 10 years, hopefully more. A good vet who is responsive to your concerns and questions, and who considers the health needs of your dog as a priority is far more important than price shopping. A good vet will save you money over the next 10 years by helping you keep your dog in good health through preventative advice and measures. And just think how debilitating/painful it will be for your boy to have someone rummaging around in his insides looking for that missing testicle before you discount the need for IV fluids and pain meds to reduce the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelle Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Our BC boy had an undescended testicle and we had him done at about 18 months. it cost $400 which I felt was reasonable given it wasnt a straight forward op. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 $350 is very cheap for a complicated surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerMax Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 $350 is very cheap for a complicated surgery. And that's assuming it is easy to find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackJaq Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 (edited) I pay $250 for surgery and $150 per hour on top of that for anaesthesia + pain killers and fluids so I think $350 is a great price for a potentially exploratory surgery lol I would probably wait longer, as somebody else said, a retained testicle won't go cancerous over night and it might yet descend. I know of several monorchid stallions who never had their retained testicles removed and became cancerous after their 8th year or older Edited June 12, 2013 by BlackJaq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I have a notion you're a student? If you are, is there a veterinary faculty at your uni? Back in my day (a good while ago), uni students could access cheap, good quality veterinary care via their uni veterinary science faculty. Worth looking into, it may be same now? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 I have a notion you're a student? If you are, is there a veterinary faculty at your uni? Back in my day (a good while ago), uni students could access cheap, good quality veterinary care via their uni veterinary science faculty. Worth looking into, it may be same now? :) Could you tell my uni that? I'm in the Animal and Vet School and I don't get anything!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wobbly Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 O serious? Damn, they changed it then. It used to be that way back in the day at Sydney Uni. Well scratch that comment then, if it's no longer relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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