1349. Questions regarding neutering a cryptorchid

April 1, 2014

I am Dr Sing Kong Yuen from Toa Payoh Vets. Below are my replies in capital letter to your questions.  

 2-year-old golden retriever with an unilateral undescended testicle who came down yesterday to your clinic. I had listed my dog for neutering next Saturday. However, I have some questions (mainly regarding neutering vs. removal of the undescended testicle, options which were offered to me) that I neglected to ask Dr. Sing during the consultation and was wondering if it is possible for them to be answered through email. I understand that it is ultimately on my informed decision that whichever operation will be carried out, but I would like to have a little more information to make that choice.

    1. What is the advantage of neutering a unilaterally cryptorchird dog over just removing the retained testicle?

I CANNOT UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. RETAINED TESTICLES IN DOGS HAVE A HIGHER RATE OF TESTICULAR NEOPLASIA THAN DESCENDED ONES AND THEREFORE REMOVAL IS ADVISED BY VETS  

    I understand and accept the benefits of neutering in general, but this dog will not be bred, and is not allowed to mount and kept on a leash at all times when going out, and in which case, given that he is unlikely to pass on whatever defective genes to his offspring, is there any added benefit to neutering, especially when weighed with the loss of testosterone secretion and whatever health benefits it may bring with it?

OTHER THAN ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR LIKE MOUNTING AND URINE MARKING, NEUTERED DOGS ARE LESS LIKELY TO DEVELOP PERINEAL HERNIAS, PROSTATE ENLARGEMENT AND INFLAMMATION AND CIRCUM-ANAL TUMOURS IN OLD AGE. 

    2. In your experience, is there an increased risk of testicular cancer in the undescended testes? I know that in humans with cryptorchirdism, the undescended testes itself is at higher risk of malignancy, but does this apply to dogs as well? I am unable to find any literature online with regards to this question.

THERE IS LITERATURE ON INCREASED RISK OF TESTICULAR CANCER IN UNDESCENDED TESTES. YOU MAY NEED TO SUBSCRIBE TO ONLINE VET DATA BASE

    3. What will be the effects of neutering on my dog's physique? He is very active and runs ~20km/week with me at quite a fast pace and I would like to retain as much muscle mass as possible. I understand that he is probably physically and sexually mature at 2 years with closure of the growth plates at this point in time, but will there be a detrimental effect on his lean mass? Further, anecdotally I know of dogs whose hair became coarser after neutering. Is this backed by evidence?

I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS

    4. Will there be any changes to his personality/increased risk of depression?

NEUTERED DOGS ARE GENERALLY LESS AGGRESSIVE AND TERRITORIAL IF NEUTERED AT A YOUNG AGE. SOME MAY STILL DO URINE AND STOOL MARKING AND MOUNTING AFTER NEUTERING.   AS REGARDS CANINE DEPRESSION, I DON'T HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE ON THIS AREA. 

    5. Will there be histopathological examination of the retained testes?
YES, IF THE OWNER REQUESTS FOR IT.

    6. Is there a role for androgen supplementation in a neutered dog?

NOT A ROUTINE PRACTICE IN VET MEDICINE. I DON'T HAVE OWNERS REQUESTING THIS.


    I apologize for the questions and they must sound very tiresome, but I have thought over my options for a long time and feel that I must consult with you for further guidance. Thank you very much and sorry for any inconvenience caused.