I have been finding conflicting information from both vets and dog owners as to what age a cryptorchid should be neutered.
Looking for experienced advice.
Also would you let your local vet do this surgery or go to a specialized hospital?
I will be interested to hear the breeders respond.
I thought that this was a clear cut case of – always neuter – but maybe there is something new that has been found? Or maybe it’s a question of when, and not whether to do it?
Personally, I would bring my dog to a specialist for this. I like my vets, but this is where I’d want a referral to a specialist, just like a cruciate surgery or other significant procedure that does not routinely get done at my clinic.
We routinely do cryptorchid neuters at my clinic. It really does depend on the individual dog, sometimes it takes five minutes and is super easy. Sometimes it turns into major abdominal surgery. You can neuter them at the same time as any other dog.
MustangSavvy some of the literature states do them before 9 months others advise to wait until 2 years, especially for the large breed dogs.
MustangSavvy some of the literature states do them before 9 months others advise to wait until 2 years, especially for the large breed dogs.
S1969 for me it is definitely when, not if.
For a large breed dog the testosterone is more important to help close growth plates and decrease risk of orthopedic problems and some cancers down the road. It is generally reccomended to wait until two to neuter any large breed dog, unless you’re leaving them intact. Since cryptorchid’s have such a high risk of testicular cancer not neutering isn’t really a good option, but neutering around 2 still allows proper growth while mostly minimizing the cancer risks.
I once “rescued” (got for much less than the going price) a puppy from a pet store, a puppy mill puppy from one of those places in Kansas, home of the majority of puppy mills back then. Puppy was cryptorchid. Took him to vet, who said since I was not breeding him, he’d just punch down the other testicle. Easy operation and puppy was fine except for all the issues he had from imbreeding and all the crap that puppy mill puppies are born with. He had rickets when I got him~!:mad:
In general I think it is good to delay neutering until after 12 months IF it is feasible for the owner. Some males get too testosterone filled or the owner may not want to oversight and responsibility associated with having an intact male at home.
If I had any concern about my vet’s comfort in doing the procedure I’d seek out a specialist or a teaching hospital.
My understanding is that crypto has a genetic component so if this was a purchased puppy I would definitely relay this to the breeder for their future reference.
Also, who does the procedure would depend a bit on where the retained testicle is and the vets comfort level. Sometimes you can feel them in the inguinal area, other times it’s going on a treasure hunt in the abdomen. If I had a vet I knew I could trust and who was confident in their abilities I wouldn’t hesitate to let them do it. If not? I’d seek out a referral to a specialist.
[QUOTE=Cat Tap;8741011]
MustangSavvy some of the literature states do them before 9 months others advise to wait until 2 years, especially for the large breed dogs.
S1969 for me it is definitely when, not if.[/QUOTE]
Meh, the literature is pretty divided. You can find it going either way.
What breed is it?
You could probably get away with neutering a small breed dog earlier(9-12 months) without it really affecting the dog too much.
Larger breeds you want to wait until they are mature, 18-24 months.
Unless you or your vet suspect a testicular twist or some other medical problem, there’s no reason to not to wait until the dog is mature to neuter.
I had my(crypt) GSD neutered at 26 months as I wanted to make sure he was fully mature.
I waited until my boxer was a year old. He was a bilateral cryptorchid.
