22nd November 2024 - Today I had the opportunity to assist in the surgery of a unilateral abdominal cryptorchid, an almost three-year-old whippet. For those unfamiliar with medical terminology, this was a male who had one testicle, in this case the left one, not descended into the scrotum and remained in the abdomen.
The operation is performed for preventive reasons, because as is known, the testicles need an ambient temperature about 5° C lower than that in the abdominal cavity for their proper function. If the undescended (cryptorchid) testicle were left in place, it would certainly develop pathological changes over time due to the higher ambient temperature. In order to prevent possible pathological changes in the descended testicle in the future, this was also removed from the scrotum. Complete castration also eliminates prostate problems in older dogs.
→ The picture on the right shows the difference between a correctly developed undescended testicle (larger testicle on the right) and a undescended, significantly smaller, incorrectly developed cryptorchid testicle (left).
If you own a cryptorchid, definitely do not delay castration. In the case of whippets, castration is recommended after the second year of life, when the dog is fully "finished" both physically and mentally.
Photos taken by me with permission from CTVET veterinary clinic
