This week Snoopy was brought to the clinic to be neutered. In itself, that should have been simple enough. But Snoopy had only one testicle and his owners had heard all sorts of scary stories regarding this condition.

One of the most common defects male dogs can be born with is a condition where one or both testicles are not in place in the scrotal sac

True to character, Snoopy can, of course, only be a Beagle… and I say this because Snoopy is the name of the cute Beagle from the comic Peanuts strip. Most of us have imprinted in our mind the image of Snoopy lying face-up atop his kennel next to his friends Woodstock and Charlie Brown.

There is nothing to dislike about Beagles. This medium-sized dog was bred in England many years ago from a selection of hound dogs. Apart from looking good and being highly intelligent, Beagles are usually gentle and very sociable. Our Snoopy was no different.

One of the most common defects male dogs can be born with is a condition where one or both testicles are not in place in the scrotal sac or scrotum. This condition is known as cryptorchidism, which comes from the Greek word Kryptos, mean-ing hidden, and orchis meaning testicle.

As cryptorchidism is known to be also affected by genetics, it is classified as a genetic birth defect. It is for this reason that cryptorchid dogs are not eligible for dog shows and should not be used for breeding purposes.

During the development of male sexual organs in the foetal stage, the cells which will form testi-cular tissue originate from deep within the abdomen and descend through the inguinal canal, which is in the inner thigh or groin area, along a path from there into the scrotum.

In many different breeds of male dogs, it could be the case that one or both testicles do not descend all the way to the scrotum and may stop at any point along the path of descent.

This is known as a retained testicle and it is always a good idea to have your new puppy checked by your vet as soon as possible to verify whether the testicles are in place. Most puppies would have their testicles dropped by the time they are due for their first vaccination at six to eight weeks.

Medically, it is important to be aware that a retained testicle has a tendency to turn into a tumour later in life. Therefore, whenever possible and whenever it can be located, the retained testicle should be removed.

This is not always easy, as a testicle which has not dropped into the scrotum does not grow to its regular size, thus making it more difficult to find. One should also consider that if the retained testicle is in the abdominal cavity, it is debatable whether surgical exploration is an option due to the difficulty in locating such testicles. However, with the help of improved imaging using ultrasound, surgical success can be better forecast.

Cryptorchidism also occurs in other animals, including cats. I have come across tomcats that have retained their aggressive and urinating behaviour even though the owners were convinced that the cat was neutered, only to find upon examination that a retained testicle was still present in the inguinal area.

Snoopy was lucky. His owners chose to get advice from a veterinarian, after which they then opted for castration of the dropped testes since the dog was not intended for breeding.

While under general anaesthetic, we did manage to locate the retained testicle deep under the skin in the inguinal area and it was removed, thus preventing a potential tumour later on.

Snoopy can now live a very normal life and his owners have one (or two) less things to worry about.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.