Undescended testicle - decision made

[GeoW]

William is now 18 months of age and one still stubbornly has refused to drop.

It has been a worry over several months now the thought of putting William thro' the operation with its attendant risks, all to be balanced against the increased risk of cancer some years down the road.

Today we had a meeting with our wonderful Vet who went thro' the procedure with us and listened patiently whilst I questioned him about the pros and cons and the various indications from research papers.  He was happy to only remove the retained one, and his bottom line was that if it was his dog he would have it done, and he cares as much for his clients dogs as his own (he calls them his babies)

He posed the question 'Could we live with the alternative of not having it done with the thought always in the back of our minds that something may develop in the future?' I suspect I could not.

I trust this man's professional opinion, so the decision has been made, William will have the operation sometime in the next few months.



Still sorry he is faced with this, and I know we will be on tenterhooks and fearful until he is safely back home, but at least my indecision has been resolved.

[BobnDot]

Yes, I know exactly how you're feeling over this  .

Chaz was neutered just over a month ago and I ended up driving Dot up the wall with pacing around waiting for the phone call from the vet to say everything had gone well. Unknown to me at the time Dot had arranged with the receptionist to phone as she knew just what I'd be like worrying about him  .

Anyway, everything went fine, we got him back the same afternoon, no problems whatsoever with his recovery although he was drowsy the first day and, although we started him off with an inflatable buster collar, he didn't need it after the second day and his wound has healed perfectly.

Bob.

[Pearly]

Is there any way they can locate the retained testicle before the operation so it doesn't have to be so intrusive? 

I know there is a small animal CT Scanner in Chester that is very expensive but may be worth considering?  I can understand how worried you must be - I will be for you when its time....

Jayne
x

[mlynnf50]

Selby had this one about 12 months ago when he was nearly three, it was a big operation as he couldn't find it, he was very groggy for a few days after and we had to be careful that he didn't over do it,  we made the decision to just have just the undescended one removed as he is a rather nervous dog and I thought he needed the testosterone.  He is fine now, try not to worry, I know you will but I am sure he will be fine

[JennyBee]

I would have came to the same conclusion if I was in your position - a little cavalier belonging to a neighbour of mine died before his second birthday after a retained testicle turned cancerous . It's one of those situations where I'd be more than happy to follow my vet's advice.

It sounds like you have a super vet, and William will be in very safe hands

[piph]

Ozzy has retained both his testicles - one is half descended and the other still in his abdomen somewhere.  We are about to book him in to have them both removed, as we couldn't live with ourselves if we didn't and one or both turned cancerous. 

[Max X 2]

There must be a fair few of us faced with the same decision

When Max had his op he didn't need another incision as they could get to the undescended one through the same route, so all very straight forward

I'd considered just removing the one, but in the end after talking to the vet nurse we went for both

[Patp]

Sounds like you have made the right decision for William.  You would never forgive yourself if anything ever happened to the ticking bomb which had been left just because you didnt want to put him through an operation.

Jaynes suggestion is a good one, if they could locate it before the op then it would only be a couple of snips rather than a more extensive and painful operation.  Your vet might have a mobile scanner which they may use for farm animals??  Might be worth asking?

Jinley is booked in for a spay after our holidays in October.  I am dreading the day so I know how you are feeling at the moment!

[siam]

When we took Alfie to the vet's for his 1yr checkup I was dreading the fact that we were also going to be discussing the problem of his undescended testicle and when the operation would be to remove it. We had decided that there was no reason to remove the other. However we got a lovely surprise when the vet informed us that the testicle had descended so there was no operation to discuss. It still isn't often visible but the vet assures us that it is definitely there! Much as I dreaded putting Alfie through an operation, I would have gone through with it rather than risk it turning cancerous in later years, so can only agree with your decision to let William have the operation.

[GeoW]

Thank you all for your supportive comments they all help to give confidence that we have made the right decision.

I did mention to the Vet about the use of ultra sound/scanner to pre-locate the bally thing but he didn't seem to think it really necessary.

Before we make the final arrangements for William to have the op, I will press him again on the grounds of minimising the procedure, but there's only so far you can go without seeming to question their professional expertise.



CoL is such a valuable resource for providing advice and reassurance.

Thank you all once again.

M.

[aliceandlouis]

So pleased that you and your vet have come to a decision that suits you all, including the wonderful William (although of course he doesn't realise it yet!)

Good Luck when the procedure happens - and look forward to reading about it all - I have no doubt the mischievous one will find something to keep you on your toes 

[GeoW]

Having had this thing lurking in the back of our minds for several months now we visited our Vet to discuss the subject of Will’s undecended testicle, hoping against hope that something may have moved, but knowing that at 22 months a decision had to be made.

Our hopes were raised when Tom thought he could feel it in his groin, but then wasn’t sure if it was a fatty lump. Undecided, a second opinion by Nigel the other partner was sought, he too couldn’t be sure, but both said were it their dog they would opt for surgery to remove it.

So, Tuesday is the appointed day, Tom will operate with our full confidence but it’s going to be a very worrying time over the next few days, and even more so on Tuesday until we have him back home.

 You can't help dark thoughts coming to mind and it seems worse somehow with him going under the knife as a fit and healthy young dog but the head tells us it's the best thing to do even tho' the heart hates the thought of it happening.

M.

[elaine.e]

Must be something to do with having an orange roan boy and naming him William, as my William had exactly the same problem .

I waited until he was 15 or 16 months old to give him time to mature physically, and in the hope that it appear, but it never did, so the decision was made. It was a good decision too, because the vet said that it would never have descended from wherever it was, and it took a bit of finding.

William had internal and external stitches if I remember rightly (he's almost 10 now, so it was a long time ago) and I had to take him back to the vet twice because there was a bit of swelling. But there was no infection or anything else going on and it probably bothered me more than it did William.

I'm sure it will go well on Tuesday

[Poppsie]

Don't know anything about these things as I have always had girlies  but sending best wishes for Tuesday Maurice  x x x

[fenby]

Will be thinking of you and William on Tuesday, it sounds as though you have got a fantastic vets. Harvey has had the op, and was a bit off for a few days and quite badly bruised, but had no bad side effects since. Sending William lots of