[azusaheart]

I posted this at the other board, but no one has answered, and I desparately would like some advice and some reasurance that everything is going to be okay:

My name is Linda, and we own a beautiful tri-colored chihuahua puppy named Bean. Actually, we bought him for our daughter, but he is definitely a part of all our lives; hubby (who adores him), me, and our daughter.
We just learned that our puppy has one descended testicle, a condition called cryptorchidism. Bean is going to be seven months old on the 15th. We noticed the problem around a month ago, but we weren't sure at what age he should have two descended testicles. Today, we took him to the vet, and she confirmed that he does have a problem. She also told us that he could be at a greater risk of developing cancer and that he would have to be neutered. She said she could give him until he turned one year to see if the one testicle would drop. We are so brokenhearted over this news. We were hoping to breed him. We know now that that would be out of the question as he could pass this defect onto his offspring. The part about him being at risk for cancer really scares us, as you can imagine. My question is, how long should we wait to give it some time and see if he does indeed drop the other testicle? We certainly wouldn't want to have unecessary surgery performed prematurely, but how safe is it to wait? Is he going to be okay? Anyone else have a male like this who lived to be a ripe old age? Please help. We love our little guy, Bean, so very much. Thank you.

 

[sullysmum]

http://www.thecanaandog.co.uk/lib-health/cryptorchidism.html hope this helps

 

[KB]

That will be a matter of choice for you whether to wait or not. Me I say get it done now, its not uncommon and I dont feel there is any GREAT risk in getting it done. I know your bummed about breeding but Hey this means you can get another you cant have just one chi anyway!!

Let us know what you decide. There is info on the internet, I always encourage people to do their own research and you can always go to another vet for a second opinion. But I doubt they will differ. :wave:

 

[TuckersMom]

First of all, let me say hi and welcome to the forum!

I believe that Bean will live a long and healthy life if you have him neutered by one year as your vet suggested. (Of course, if his other testicle drops by then, there would be no reason to neuter him if you still plan to breed him). I don't believe you are putting Bean's overall health at risk if you give the situation a few more months to see if this problem resolves itself by then. Your vet is your best source for advice. I hope that you have a vet that you truly trust, as he/she can be a great source of information and can give you peace of mind about situations you encounter over the life-span of your furbaby.

ALL dogs have a lower risk of developing cancer if they are neutered early, which is one of the reasons spaying and neutering is suggested for all dogs that are not 'Show' dogs or 'Breed' dogs.

 

[azusaheart]

I've been so sad all day over this. We never had a toy dog before, and I didn't realize that this could be a common problem. We believe in the power of prayer, so we just want to give it a little time while we ask God to help him. I also would like to contact the owners of the stud to ask them some questions as well. We certainly don't want to take too long to decide, placing Bean at risk.

 

[TuckersMom]

Linda, I believe in the power of prayer, also. My boy Tucker had Parvo at 7 weeks of age, when he weighed all of 1.2 pounds. He spent 8 days at the vet hospital with many prayers going up for him all around the U.S.

Then Tucker developed Red Mange---not contagious, but not always curable. Prayer got us past that.

On to a knee surgery (well, actually 3 surgeries on the same knee all within a month). The first 2 surgeries did not successfully fix the injury. God helped us then, too.

And all of this occured in 2004.

If Bean is meant to breed, the testicle will drop. Prayer changes things, so don't give up!

 

[Auggies Mom]

I just wanted to say Hello and welcome and i hope things work out for you and bean. Would love to see his pic :wave:

 

[jlcase]

Hello and welcome... :wave:

My sister's chi, and her friends both had this problem too. They weren't looking at breeding though, I'll hope for the best for you and Bean (cute name btw).

-Jessi

 

[azusaheart]

Photo of Bean

 

[TuckersMom]

What a wonderful picture! Bean is so cute!