Undescended testicle and wethering

[gbr]

I'm considering buying a great little pygora guy (recently weaned), but he apparently has just one palpable testicle. The current owners plan to "wether" him there before he comes here, but I don't believe they have any plan to deal with the undescended testicle. I really don't want or need a buck, so want to be sure that both testicles are gone. Does this always require expensive surgery? Any advice? I'm just starting a very small fiber herd, so have little goat experience.

[Jim S.]

Take a scalpel or new single edge razor blade, heat it in fire to sterilize it, let it cool, the cut the scrotum. You can slice off the bottom third, or make a long cut in the middle. Use your fingers to push out both testicles, grab them and pull them off. The tearing of the sperm cords is necessary, so resist cutting them off. Put iodine on it, leave the wound open to drain, and let him go.

My vet does this, too, for $5 a head. But it's easy to do yourself.

[jen74145]

But... what if the testicle is still up in his abdominal cavity? I know that's how it sometimes goes with dogs and cats, not sure about goats though.

[topside1]

Massage it down into the scrotum, hold it there and either cut or band. Have another person to help would be ideal.

[Jim S.]

Yep, like I wrote, use your fingers to push them out. Banding usually will not work in this situation, at least it hasn't for me, and I prefer banding.

[SDjulieinSC]

I have often wonderd if my guy was a CO. He was cut by the breeder prior to my bringing him home but he acts so "bucky" that I often wonder. He is an obnoxious, tongue waggin', hearding, humpin' machine.....poor Trix. He does not, however, have any of the outward physical male traits, no beard, no ruff etc. What's up with that? Could it be that he has an undecended testicle?
If he doesn't straighten up I'm going to kick him in the rear end so hard it will drop!!

[Jim S.]

SDjulieinSC, it is my experience that when they are wethered makes a difference in personality. Later wethered goats can retain some "bucky" traits. That's one big reason I do mine in the first week of life, the other being it is so much easier on them.

In the cow biz, they have "gomer" bulls which are vasectomized rather than castrated, so they retain their sex drive. These are used as heat detectors on the cows.

It's entirely possible your buck has a testicle up there yet, especially so if he was banded. You can usually feel it up there, tight against the belly, and it may be visible on close inspection as a lump...if you can get him still long enough to feel around!

[Gailann Schrader]

strange question for ya... can goats have three? Just like all other sport males?

[Filas are Prima]

No, in my opinion, that little male goat is BBQ material, for sure.
I have had a couple of cryptorchid colts gelded, and it can be a very difficult surgery if the undecended testicle is tiny, and way up in there. And sometimes they have a rough time healing from the surgery.
Should you REALLY be able to palpate the undecended testicle, then the surgical whethering operation won't be as bad, but still not a project for the inexperienced.
Testicles can be withdrawn at will, and he may suck it up way high during the proceedure, making it next to impossible to get to.

[keithil53]

Before you do anything,lay him down and palpate for the other testicle.If you can feel it you can proceed with normal castration ,if you can't it is in the abdomen and would need an operation by a vet which would cost more than the animal is worth.Definitley don't use him for breeding because it is probably inherited

[Tracy in Idaho]

You definitely don't want him. I have one here -- same thing. He had one descended testicle -- the other, no matter how much I palpated -- couldn't be brought down. I cut the one visible testicle, but now that he is close to 6 months old, he is doing all the usual buck stuff -- urinating all over himself, etc.

So much for my salami, cause I'm not eating him now. Ugh. He is either going to be sold to the rehab guy for wolf food or used for dog food here on the place.


Tracy