Hello, my 6-month-old Chi (huahua) only has one testicle. What age would be ideal to wait to see if it will come down after I have him done?
Hello Pam, and thanks for asking what age is ideal for castrating a dog with a retained testicle.
I’ll begin by providing a brief overview of the testicles, including what they are, how they develop, and potential problems.
The scrotum, which is a loose pouch of skin next to your dog’s bottom, is where the testicles, two oval-shaped structures, are typically located. Male sexual organs called testicles also secrete sperm, other reproductive substances, and the hormone testosterone.
The puppy’s testicles first appear in the abdomen (tummy), behind the kidneys, as they begin to develop while it is still inside the mother’s uterus. The testicles should be in the scrotum a few days after your puppy is born. They pass from their starting point through the abdomen, through an opening known as the inguinal ring, and into the scrotum.
When you take your puppy to the veterinarian for his initial checkup, they will check to see if he has two testicles in his scrotum; if not, they will check again on subsequent visits. One (unilateral cryptorchid) or both (bilateral cryptorchid) of the testicles may be absent from the scrotum if neither is present; this condition is known as cryptorchidism (retained testicles). In extremely rare circumstances, one or both testicles have never actually developed.
Can a neutered dog’s testicles grow back?
Since your dog underwent surgery to neuter him, you haven’t given much thought to that part of his body. But you notice that where his testicles once were, there is now a knot or knots. Did they grow back?.
The first thing to understand is that a dog’s testicles cannot regenerate. No, a dog’s testicles can’t grow back. There are a few potential causes if your dog appears to have lumps where the testicles should be after being neutered.
This is highly unlikely, but it’s not impossible. It’s difficult to think of your reputable veterinarian “missing” a testicle when neutering. If they only remove one instead of two, it should be obvious.
However, humans, even the best of us, are fallible. It’s also possible for a dog to retain a testicle. Another surgical incision can be used to remove the testicle, and this is frequently advised. It’s unlikely but possible that the retained testicle will eventually drop if the veterinarian doesn’t remove it. This would give the impression that your dog had unexpectedly developed a new testicle.
The dog might not have ever been neutered, which is another possibility. Some unethical breeders might assert that they neutered their dogs to make them easier to sell. They merely assert that the dogs have been sterilized rather than taking care of the neutering themselves. The owner is unlikely to take legal action against the breeder once they realize they were misled.
Dogs have some very strange reproductive habits. One of the most intriguing, and unsettling when you first see it, is tying When a man and woman become stuck together while having sex, it is called a tie.
The male’s bulbus glandis, an organ at the base of his penis, is what causes the tie. Similar to human penile tissue, canine penile tissue fills with blood and grows larger and firmer.
The bulbus glandis, however, enlarges much more than the rest of the penis. It swells so much that the female can’t have her penis removed until the swelling goes down. Until the bulbus glandis returns to its unexcited state, they are locked together.
The bulbus glandis is frequently mistaken for the testicles, especially in neutered dogs, so what does this have to do with the testicles? Dogs can become excited for many reasons that are nonsexual.
They can become pleasantly excited by eating their favorite food, hearing praise, or getting a scratch behind the ear. This excitement can cause the bulbus glandis to enlarge. Although it doesn’t swell as much as it does during sex, it can still grow to a size that is noticeable.
The swelling is probably just the body recovering if your dog had just undergone neutering. You might observe an enlargement of their scrotum or even knots that resemble testicles. In the first 10 days following surgery, the swelling should go down, provided there are no infections or excruciating pain.
Can you neuter a dog without removing testicles?
The answer depends on your definition of neutering. You cannot surgically neuter a dog without removing their testicles. However, it is possible to perform chemical castration and keep the testicles intact. Dogs can also be sterilized without neutering.
Sterilization and neutering are frequently used interchangeably, which furthers the confusion. Let’s examine male dog sterilization techniques in more detail.
Zeuter is essentially a form of chemical castration. An injection is given into each testicle of your dog instead of surgically removing them.
Unfortunately, Zeuter was removed from the market in 2016. The straightforward procedure gave dogs a castration-alternative and allowed them to retain 50% of their testosterone. In recent years, we’ve learned more about the advantages of testosterone for health. Perhaps another similar product will eventually have more success.
The only widely used alternative to neuter surgery at this time is vasectomy. A few other options exist, but they are rare.
Similar procedures are used to perform a canine vasectomy as they are for humans. The sperm is transported from the testicles into the vas deferens where it is then released as ejaculate. When these tubes are cut or clipped, sperm cannot exit the testicles. The inability of the sperm to leave the testes prevents them from fertilizing an egg or making a woman pregnant.
Although it is a less complex procedure than neutering, a vasectomy also requires anesthesia. More importantly, it preserves the testicles and their testosterone production. Recent studies have shown that maintaining testosterone may be advantageous for physical and hormonal reasons, so pet owners may want to think about this.
Because we love them as much as you do.
By Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, DipABVP
FAQ
Why does my dog still look like he has balls after being neutered?
In some cases, the swelling in the scrotum of male dogs may even give the impression that the testicles are still present. However, this only lasts a few days. This demonstrates that it is not a castration-related postoperative complication.
What happens when dogs lose their balls?
The primary source of testosterone in the body is eliminated when the testicles are removed, which alters sex desire and raises hormone-related behaviors and health issues.
Can a dogs testicle go back inside?
The testicle is usually retained in the abdomen or in the inguinal canal, which is the passage through the abdominal wall into the genital region through which a testicle normally descends, in cases of cryptorchidism.
Why is my dog missing a testicle?
The condition known as cryptorchidism occurs when a male dog’s testicles do not fully descend into the scrotum. By the age of two weeks, the scrotum should have descended to its final position. The term “cryptorchid,” or retained testicles, refers to testicles that have not descended by the age of eight weeks.