15 week old Guinness Vet appointment

ILuvMy2ShibasILuvMy2Shibas
edited December 2008 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
Today i take Guinness to the vet to get his last round of puppy shots, and i was talking to the vet about getting him neutered.

Well she starts checking him, and she is concerned because his testicles have not descended, and then asks me if he has already been neutered. I reply no he's on 15 weeks old and she starts feeling around, which honestly isn't the easiest thing to do to a puppy who think she is playing with him...

she then tells me she has found his testicles in his stomach...and that is he is neutered, it is going to be major surgery for him, because she is going to have to cut open his stomach area.

After we leave the vet i call my breeder and she says that Guinness's father and brother both did not descend till late, and that their testicles are not very noticeable....

Now my question is...IS THIS COMMON????

Comments

  • TeamLaikaTeamLaika
    edited November -1
    It's not uncommon in dogs. Read this article on cryptorchidism:
    http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2743

    Guinness should definitely be neutered since testicles retained in the abdomen are more prone to developing cancers. Even if one testicle is descended the animal should not be used as a sire.

    His procedure will be more like a spay in the sense that he will have an abdominal incision. The incision might be fairly long for the exploratory. The testicles, especially in a young small breed dog, can be difficult to locate.

    The toughest part will be keeping him quiet post-op!

    Good luck.
  • StaticNfuzzStaticNfuzz
    edited November -1
    Since you spoke to the breeder and she gave you the history, then personally I would give it some more time....Say another month maybe two. Some Shibas and Jindos do drop late, say 5 or 6 months, your pup is only four months so don't worry just yet.

    Snf
  • kwyldkwyld
    edited November -1
    Kohji retained one testicle when he was young and wasn't neutered until he was around 8 months old. The surgeon told me he wanted to wait to neuter him and see if it dropped as he got older. I believe it did drop and the neuter ended up being routine. Maybe you could wait to see if his do the same, but I was pretty freaked out when I learned they would have to explore him like that if it didn't drop.
  • CrimsonO2CrimsonO2
    edited December 2008
    whoops wrong thread sorry.
  • ILuvMy2ShibasILuvMy2Shibas
    edited November -1
    I will not worry until he is 6+ months, it just scared me that the vet made a huge issue out of it!
  • lindsaytlindsayt
    edited November -1
    I have been told by several breeders that some shiba males are late in descending their testicles well passed 6 months (which may help explain why the organ is small- all the retained testicles I have seen removed are microscopic). As adults they are quite capable of sucking them up back into their abdomens when nervous (which is a problem when the judge at the show comes to give them a little squeeze). It must be one of those primitve features to keep 'em safe or something. I have heard of breeders of small/medium breeds massaging the testicles gradually down into the scrotum over the course of weeks and months to help them descend thus avoiding surgery. I don't know the technique, but you could ask your breeder and see if they suggest it. I would give him a few months to let him sort everything out naturally as it seems he has inherited this particular trait. The risk of testicular cancer or prostate cancer would not be affected by waiting a few extra weeks or a month to see if they descend naturally, which would be preferable to an abdominal surgery. This is a known problem in shibas but will usually resolve itself over time.
  • KFontaine04KFontaine04
    edited November -1
    Miso was late dropping his. But they had dropped just enough at 6 months where the surgery was routine and not major invasive. I would say give it time.
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