I said I wasn't going to mention these puppies again, but this morning I find I have to write to help clear my head. The little guys are 5 weeks old now and currently they have no descended testicles between them. Well early days, but with an experienced breeder getting concerned then I'm getting disillusioned. She can find that one male has two high up another has one, but the boy I'm interested in currently has nothing and if there is nothing there with 2 - 3 weeks then we have to forget him and start to look again. I swear it'll break my heart ... again! I'm crying about it today, but logically there is no point considering him without both being there at 8 weeks old.
Until recently I had never realised that undescended testicles was such a problem in the breed, well actually in dogs in general. Till the "J" litter I'd only bred one male with the problem, and that was in the "E" litter of 2003. Apparently I've been very luck and some people regularly have whole litters of monorchids. Yes, some here have been slower to develop and been 7 to 8 weeks before they dropped but mostly they have been there before 7 weeks. Obviously managed correctly it's not a life or death situation and monorchids should be neutered in early adulthood. I have suggested that Kyle and Jethro be neutered at about 15 months, that gives the body time to grow to it's adult stated before they are neutered. Neutering too early can can cause bone abnormalities and increase the risk of some cancers. But not neutering them at all can cause disastrous consequences in middle age.
Honestly, between everything I feel so deflated this morning. I had set my hopes on this little guy and though I know now I should try and detach from the situation it breaks my heart to do so. Yes there's time, but for my sanity if I can best I try to consider him as unavailable and try to think again.
