Sometimes our cryptorchid neuters can be a bit on the frustrating side. We had a dog in for a pre-surgical exam and he was unilaterally cryptorchid. This means that only one testicle is in the scrotum. Interesting fact, the right testicle is usually the one that is retained (just like it was in this case).
There are two kinds of cryptorchid testicles, those that are retained in the abdomen and the other in the inguinal canal. In this case it felt as though it was in the inguinal canal and I would be able to bring it over to the incision. Well, that mass turned out to be a whole bunch of fat with no testicle in sight. Agh! Into the abdomen I went and there it was just waiting for me. Success!!
In the picture, the testicle on the left is the one that was retained. Retained testicles have a much higher incidence of cancer and torsion. We always want to remove both testicles as we do not want to breed an animal with this heritable defect. My sister, Melissa, who is a geneticist would also want me to add that it is an X linked autosomal recessive trait.
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