# Monorchidism vs undescended testicle



## GardenPaws (Nov 28, 2007)

I need some clarification, does a dog with monorchidism have to be neutered if you're not going to breed him? What I've read is that an undescended testicle must be removed because it can likely lead to cancer. But, what if there is only one testicle. I've always had intact males and never bred any of them. I leave breeding to the professionals.
I like to compete in obedience, and possibly pursue tracking and field work. I don't care for how the coat looks on neutered goldens. Are there any health risks to leaving such a male unneutered. How does a breeder tell if there is truly only one or it is just undescended? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

True monorchidism is failure of a teste to develop, and is very rare. Cryptorchidism is diagnosed if either one or both testes are not present in the scrotum at puberty. They normally are descended by 6-16 weeks of age. Cryptorchidism is quite common. Unilateral cryptorchidism does not cause infertility, but as cryptorchidism is hereditary,and because retained testes have a higher incidence of cancer, affected dogs should not be bred, and should be neutered. Both parents should be implicated as carriers...

Monorchidism is a genetic fault, and it is generally recommended that an affected dog be neutered, as well, although they do not usually show any ill effects.


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## GardenPaws (Nov 28, 2007)

UGH, that's what I was afraid you'd say. I really like my males to get the full benefit of the hormones. I'm sure some will disagree with me but the males I've met that were neutered young are just a bit wimpy for my taste. Not that they weren't sweet just perhaps lacked the confidence of an uneutered male. PG, I'd be interested on your thoughts on spay and neuter coat. You can PM if you think that's best.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I had a dog with an undescended testicle, and the vet had me wait until he was over a year to be neutered.

I had read that dogs with monorchidism and undescended are usually sterile, so I would think that those dogs have a lower amount of male hormones to begin with. If they already have a low amount of these hormones, would neutering really make a difference on his coat? Any thoughts?


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## DUSTYRD2 (Feb 28, 2007)

We have a cryptorchid dog (1 retained testes) who is 2 yrs. this month. I can relate to your concern on the hormone issues totally. Our vet, plus a reproductive specialist advised we could wait until 18-24 months before neutering him, for just that reason - the growth plates and hormones. He has blossomed into a very handsome "manly" looking boy with good bone, structure and coat. He will be neutered next month.  Much as we hate to do it we must for his health's sake

Cryptorchids are not sterile and they can reproduce and it is passed on genetically from both the dam & sire. For this reason most vets will not do a "partial" neuter as there are those "unethical" breeders out there that will go ahead and breed a cryptorchid anyway.

The specialists we consulted also said it was ok to wait to neuter ONLY if we did not see any problems cropping up with his health that could be related to the retained testicle.

Ask your vet to do an ultrasound to see if they can find the retained one, that's what we did and it now will make the surgery a little less complicated as the vet knows exactly where it is.

Hope this helps and good luck.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

GardenPaws said:


> UGH, that's what I was afraid you'd say. I really like my males to get the full benefit of the hormones. I'm sure some will disagree with me but the males I've met that were neutered young are just a bit wimpy for my taste. Not that they weren't sweet just perhaps lacked the confidence of an uneutered male. PG, I'd be interested on your thoughts on spay and neuter coat. You can PM if you think that's best.


 
Is this dog mono or crypto, just out of curiousity? Either way, there is a limited testosterone production, anyway...
I would suggest waiting until he is 18-24 months old to neuter him, just as I recommend for anyone planning to neuter. This prevents that feminization, or "wimpy" look you refer to. Also, there are compelling reasons to wait to alter a dog that is going to be used for performance venues. This article by Chris Zink is considered definitive:
Canine Sports Productions: Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete
Spay and neuter coat seems to be more of an issue when the dog is altered later in life, at least that has been my experience, and also when the dog is low thyroid...


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## GardenPaws (Nov 28, 2007)

Thank You, Thank You, Thank you, Your advice was just the kind of info I was looking for. I'm going to look at a 5 month old next weekend that sounds just like what I'm looking for. We've always had males for (31 years) none neutered unless they had to be later in life. I would like to go visit this dog and be able to ask the right questions and express my concerns and know what I'm talking about. I have know idea if he is a mono or crypto. I heard about this puppy through a third party I'm helping to find a golden puppy. She told my friend she had a 5 mos available to a pet home because he only had one testicle. I didn't want to waste her time if this pup is nothing I'm interested in. I will read the article by Chris Zink. I'm very familiar with her work, we're both members of the Dog Writers Association of America. I know it may seem vain but for my work it's important I have a golden that is a good reprsentative of the breed otherwise it wouldn't be a big deal. Who knows we may just fall completley in love and throw all this out the window! I'll leave it to fate and see what happens. Thanks for your help!


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