Not fully neutered or something else?

 I had an emergency call earlier this year from someone whose neutered male was accidentally let out with their female in heat (family member mistakenly thought the male was indoors and let the female out). He tied and, with them being unaware, they called the dogs and he ripped his bits.

 He had surgery and did fine, (and they spayed the female) but ewww

ThePack

The HCG stimulation test ran around $250-$300 so it's out of reach of most rescues but owners might be able to pursue testing.  I wonder if there might be a more affordable test?

If there isn't a cheaper test, I sure hope they develop one!!

ThePack

There are surely other dogs out there like mine and your sister's... either the dog has two retained testicles or the vet doing the surgery left a retained one behind.  It can leave a family with a lovely dog with obnoxious behavior and a high cancer risk later on.

My sister's dog, Brody, was a very timid little rescue when my sister first got him.  There was either abuse or very little socialization.  At first we could only reach way out and scratch him under the chin.  He was afraid to get any closer but was never fear aggressive.

Gradually he gained more confidence and eventually he would even lay with his head in your lap to be petted.  It was such a shame that the excess estrogen had already destroyed his bone marrow by the time the problem was discovered.  That left him unable to heal after his neuter surgery (started out as exploratory surgery to investigate a mass and the shocked vet turned it into neuter surgery). 

Since he was in pain and unable to heal after the surgery, PTS was the only possible decision.  He might have recovered if his immune system had not been so far gone.

ThePack

I can just about guarantee people thought I was foolish pursing testing since there was proof in both vet receipts and a photograph that this boy had been properly altered.

Such people obviously didn't understand how difficult a neuter can be when the testicles have not descended.  The vet has to play hide-and-seek with the testicles.  Cryptorchid plus unneutered-type behaviors can easily mean a testicle still present after a "neuter".  An HCG test several months after a neuter on a cryptorchoid dog should be encouraged by vets IMO.

I'm so sorry to be this late in posting, Janet Rose.  I forgot to come back to check for posts...

Sweet Brody... he sounded like a great boy. It's so sad this prevented him from living a long life.  Your sister did make it a better one though for the time he had. 

As for my boy, if someone would have told me that in a matter of 2-3 weeks of his surgery his inappropriate and obsessive behaviors would subside, I never would have believed it.  We had already come a good distance with constant supervision and correction/redirection... he had better control of himself but the urge was still there.  Within a few weeks of his second neuter, the profuse drooling over urine in the yard simply stopped... he now empties his bladder in one place and doesn't mark in different places with small amounts of urine... no humping... no more trying to lick the other dogs privates or shadowing them in order to do so. He's able to focus on other things now.  He's a different dog than the one we brought in in late July and the change has been nothing short of profound.  Note: This is just one experience with one cryptorchid dog.

There's an informational website I came across on cryptrochid dogs when I was searching for ways to help him.  Note that it might be a little too graphic for some people- http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/cryptorchidism.html

ThePack

There's an informational website I came across on cryptrochid dogs when I was searching for ways to help him.  Note that it might be a little too graphic for some people- http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-advice-online.com/cryptorchidism.html 

That is a very informative site!!  However, I agree that the surgical pictures may be too much for some people.  Personally, I have never had a problem with that.