Testicular tumours are some of the widespread varieties of tumour in undesexed male canine

Laddie, a nine-month previous chihuahua cross, got here to see me for a well being examine. He was in wonderful physique situation, and preventing match.

There was only one drawback: On preliminary examination, I might solely discover his left testicle.

Usually, male canine have two testicles, positioned within the scrotum.

Laddie had a situation often called cryptorchidism – the place one or each testes fail to descend. As Laddie had one undescended testicle, I identified him with unilateral (one-sided) cryptorchidism.

When neither testicle arrives within the scrotum, it’s referred to as bilateral cryptorchidism.

Cryptorchidism is extra widespread in smaller breeds (as much as 10 per cent), than in bigger breed canine.

In creating puppies, the testicles progressively relocate from the stomach, by the inguinal canal (within the interior thigh space) to their last vacation spot within the scrotum by the age of two to eight weeks. Some take so long as six months to get there.

People who do not make it could be positioned wherever alongside that route – within the stomach (the place they can’t be detected by bodily examination), within the inguinal or interior thigh area, or within the space instantly in entrance of the scrotum.

My examination revealed a cell, testicular-shaped lump in Laddie’s inguinal area.

When they’re within the scrotal sac, testicles are at their most well-liked temperature: a number of levels cooler than the core physique temperature.

Undescended testes are uncovered to larger temperatures. They do not develop like regular testes, tending to be smaller, and could also be unable to supply sperm.

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However the large concern for Laddie is that testicular tumours – some of the widespread varieties of tumour in undesexed male canine – are about 13 instances extra prone to happen in cryptorchid testicles.

There are a number of varieties of testicular tumour seen in canine, however cryptorchid canine are notably liable to sertoli cell tumours. These may cause life threatening bone-marrow suppression.

Cryptorchid canine are additionally at elevated threat of testicular torsion, an excruciating situation the place the testicle rotates, twisting and reducing off blood provide to the testicle. This requires emergency surgical procedure.

Cryptorchidism is an inherited situation. As there’s presently no commercially out there check for the gene(s) accountable (Blades et al., 2022), the consensus is that affected canine shouldn’t breed, as their offspring are prone to have the identical situation.

Therapy entails the elimination of the affected testicle by desexing.

For Laddie, this might contain eradicating the scrotal testicle by a small pre-scrotal incision, as we’d in a routine desexing process.

Removing of viable testes would cease him from breeding and passing on the situation. Nonetheless, it could additionally contain a further incision being revamped the undescended testicle – to substantiate it’s certainly a testicle and never fats or a lymph node – to take away it.

For canine with belly testes the process requires opening the stomach to find and take away the undescended testicle/s. It is a greater and barely extra advanced surgical procedure.