Undescended Testicle

bailefour · Post by **bailefour** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 3:52 pm

Tried to do a search on this and was surprised to have nothing come up. Anyway what is the best way to deal with an undescended testicle when trying to castrale a 2-3 month old bull calf. How common is this and is it purely a heriditary problem?

Bailefor

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 4:29 pm

If you are in UK and the calf is over 2 months old it can only legally be castrated by a Vet regardless of whether or not the testicles are normal. As a vet in general practice I see more which I would describe as "incompletely descended", where the testicle can be found outwith the abdominal cavity but not in the scrotum. I usually manage to castrate them using local anaesthetic and a knife though they are more difficult than normal ones. If the testicle is truly abdominal I would advise leaving the bull uncastrated and fattening it as bull beef, an option perhaps not so attractive to the average Dexter owner I know. Removal of the descended one achieves little except for a reduction in fertility but the behaviour as a bull remains unchanged because of the hormonal influence of the undescended one. It would not normally be a realistic option to operate on a bull with an abdominal testicle on grounds of cost.

bailefour · Post by **bailefour** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 5:20 pm

Thank you Duncan, yes this is case where the testicle has partly descended but not into the scrotum. Does this cause much in the way for complications for surgical removal or does it simply make it mored difficult?

Thanks,
Bailefour

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 5:27 pm

I think it is a job for your vet to tackle, especially as you say it is over 2 months old.

Duncan

Inger · Post by **Inger** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 4:26 am

We had a calf that was late in the testes dropping. We put a ring on him, but it wasn't completely successful and at a year old, we got the vet in to complete the job. The 'steer' was still acting like a bull and developing good muscling, but its difficult to keep part-steers like that, when you only have a small acreage. If we had known that we weren't going to be successful, we would have gotten the vet in at the start. It wouldn't have been such a big job then.

ann · Post by **ann** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 3:47 pm

Hi I had this problem and my vet decided that the testicle was so high up that it would be impossible to remove it so we removed the testicle which was down. I actually ran this one one to 24mths and he was no trouble apart from the fact that it was hard to get any fat on him, with hind sight I would in future if I had this problem try and finish an animal earlier as they do seem to end up very lean meat.

This was the fiirst one I have had and the mother has had several males to the same bull with no previous problems.

Ann :p :p

There is a funny story re this problem as this male was runing with my young females I was slightly worried that he may be fertile as he was starting to make advances to heifers in bulling, although my vet had assurded me that he would not be because the testicle was so high up, however I did not realize that he was on his moblie walking down the street telling me that if I could not feel the testicle then he would not be fertile, he suddenly started to laugh as he was getting rather a lot of funny looks.

Kathy Millar · Post by **Kathy Millar** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 6:23 pm

Ann, what a great story :laugh: Many times I've been deep in conversation about the sexual performance or physical attributes of my livestock with guys I hardly know and I suddenly wonder what a casual bystander would think (and what the guy is thinking!!) :;):

Kathy

bailefour · Post by **bailefour** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 4:27 am

Thanks for the advice....not neccessarily what I was hoping to hear but I have admit it makes good sense

Bailefour

hazel clarke · Post by **hazel clarke** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:20 pm

Any idea if this might be heriditory? Have just come in from a second operation for this problem (different animals!) and wondered if anyone kept records? Both the beasts concerned had the same sire, their dams were completely unrelated
Any thoughts?
Hazel

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:21 pm

Yes Hazel, I think the tendency is inherited, not sure of the mechananism. I don't think it shows itself as regularly as say polling or red. You sometimes get testicles with shorter than normal cords although in the scrotum off bulls which carry it.

Duncan