Missing testes?

When do male puppies develop testicles? My puppy is 10 weeks old and I don’t see any. Is this something I should be concerned about?

The testicles (testes) start to develop near the kidneys, up inside the abdomen, and only later descend into the scrotum, normally by about two months of age. At this stage, they are still quite small and usually easier to feel than see. They may descend later, but rarely do after six months of age.

Cryptorchidism is the medical term that refers to the failure of one or both testicles to descend into the scrotum. It may be presumed to be present if they cannot be felt in the scrotum after two to four months of age.

Only if both testicles are retained will the dog be infertile. The retained testicles continue to produce testosterone but generally fail to produce sperm. One of the concerns is that the risk of developing testicular cancer is estimated to be at least 10 times greater in dogs with cryptorchidism than in normal dogs.

My advice is that it is a matter you might draw to the attention of your vet. The development of the testes is something that will be included routinely within the prevaccination health check. Hopefully this will reassure you that all is well as cryptorchidism is relatively unusual, affecting about 1% to 3% of male dogs.

The condition appears to be inherited since it is commonly seen in families of dogs, although the exact cause is not fully understood.

For this reason, and particularly because of the association between cryptorchidism and testicular cancer, castration (neutering) is normally recommended.

Generally, the prognosis is excellent for dogs that undergo early surgery, before problems arise in the retained testicle(s). TB