My Dog Has No Testicles

Dogs' testicles are visible, especially in short-haired dogs. But sometimes they don't manage to descend into the scrotal sac, instead staying retained inside the body, which can cause problems. Let's look at the most common issues and their solution.

The Anatomy of a Normal Dog

From the moment a puppy is born, it's already possible to tell whether it's male or female. In males, we can see a bulge in the abdominal area, away from the anus, corresponding to its reproductive organs. Females, on the other hand, have their genitals closer to the anus.

When male puppies are born, we won't be able to see their testicles. These are inside the body, and it's not until roughly 6-8 weeks of age that they'll descend into the scrotum, the sac containing them.

If this descent doesn't occur, it may seem to us the dog has no testicles. In some dogs, this descent can be delayed until six months of age without this being any kind of condition at all.

Cryptorchidism in Dogs

This is the name given to the condition in which the testicles are absent from the scrotum. It's a hereditary disorder. An adult dog with this problem will be infertile.

Keep in mind that circumstances such as cold, excitement, or even very active play can cause the testicles to retract, making the scrotum feel empty when palpated. Other times, on the other hand, we will be able to feel them in the scrotum. So, these puppies aren't cryptorchid.

If the dog is over six months old and we haven't been able to detect the testicles inside the scrotum under any circumstance, we need to tell the vet. Leaving these dogs untreated isn't an option, since the consequences could be disastrous. Neutering these dogs prevents the development of testicular tumors.

There's also what's known as monorchidism, when only one testicle is retained. Unlike cryptorchid dogs, these are fertile, but breeding them is never recommended. The treatment of choice also involves removing both testicles.

What Do I Do If My Dog Has No Testicles?

When cryptorchidism is confirmed in a dog, the recommended treatment will be removal of the retained testicles. Otherwise, there's a very high risk of testicular tumors developing. Most of these tumors in dogs occur in retained testicles.

If we can't locate the dog's testicles in the scrotal sac and we feel swelling or a mass in the groin, we could be dealing with a case of a retained testicle that's developed a tumor. Treatment for both conditions is neutering. In cancer cases, this often proves curative even when the tumor is malignant.

The key to this surgery is locating and removing both retained testicles. To do this, our vet needs to make an incision in the abdomen, since the testicles can be located either in the inguinal region or the abdominal cavity.

Doing ultrasounds will help the vet locate them precisely. After surgery, we'll need to disinfect the incision and monitor its healing. Above all, we need to prevent the dog from biting or licking the wound, using an Elizabethan collar for dogs.

What If My Dog's Testicles Are Very Small?

We'd be dealing with a case of what's known as testicular hypoplasia. This is a developmental disorder characterized by the dog reaching maturity while one or both testicles fail to reach normal size.

A different case is what's called testicular degeneration, which differs from hypoplasia in that degeneration isn't a birth problem but an acquired one, meaning these are dogs that had normal-sized testicles. It can occur after either permanent or temporary infertility. A very high fever, for example, is a cause of reversible degeneration.

Fever will also raise the scrotum's temperature, preventing this production. Fever-causing diseases such as distemper or parvovirus can be linked to testicular degeneration.