| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| LesleyA |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 10:17:26 AM
Hi All, Just purely out of curiosity wondering how many breeders have had colts with a retained testicle? I have had two in the last 2 years and both were from different dams and stallions . Is it just bad luck or could it be environmental? |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kazzy |
Posted - 13 Feb 2010 : 12:33:58 PM
I was told by my vet with kazzy that I shouldnt let him cover a mare with a retained testicle!! Not that I had any intention of keeping him as a stallion anyway even he had dropped 3!!!
He said if it was heridotory he would carry it on.
Janet |
| BabsR |
Posted - 13 Feb 2010 : 08:36:09 AM
In these days of overbreeding....and literally thousands of unwanted foals/ponies and horses ending up as pet food, think it irresponsible for breed societies to no longer insist all breeding stallions have to be licenced!!
IMO no entire should be allowed to stand as a stallion, unless he had received a full vetting proving him free from all hereditary factors, and with sound conformation, action and temperament.
Stock produced by unlicenced stallions, should not be allowed breed society registration. I also think that mares should also be vetted likewise....maybe then, we will see less surplus rejects at the markets
Responsible breeders may then find it financially worthwhile, the time, effort and expense in producing good sound foals who will have a worthwhile future.
I personally have never stood a stallion at stud unless he had been fully vetted, approved,licenced and recorded as breeding stock and also would NEVER use a stallion for covering our mares, unless he was licenced...however good he looked or fashionable his pedigree!!
Finally, I think all breeding establishments should be subject to inspection and approval. All this sounds draconian.....but really feel SOMETHING needs to be done to control the irresponsible over production of foals, many thousands of which end up as dog/pet food each year
Babs
www.SunrayAngloArabianStud.co.uk |
| pintoarabian |
Posted - 13 Feb 2010 : 06:49:50 AM
Precisely, and we continue to have all of ours licensed even though they don't have to be. |
| barbara.gregory |
Posted - 13 Feb 2010 : 12:15:03 AM
Arab stallions no longer need to be licensed for breeding, they just have to be registered as breeding stock so any old thing can be registered however poor a specimen it is.
Barbara |
| Meggie-Lu |
Posted - 13 Feb 2010 : 12:07:31 AM
Poor Pudsey1 Both his r upside his body and he has got 3 have an op to bascially have them dug out! Poor lil man, he's not old enough yet so he has 2 suffer pain 4 a lil while longer b4 they r removed. |
| georgiauk |
Posted - 12 Feb 2010 : 9:41:52 PM
Because the main cause is hereditary the chances are it will breed on eventually thus producing more horses with retained testicles ! |
| pintoarabian |
Posted - 12 Feb 2010 : 5:01:07 PM
You are correct Barbara, a retained testicle will not affect fertility but it will mean a 'fail' in the vetting for licensing. |
| razberry |
Posted - 12 Feb 2010 : 4:55:58 PM
I have studied this at university and can be due to many different factors,
hereditary,
the spermatic cord could be too short not allowing the teste to descend into the scrotum,
the tubules could be too tight for the teste.
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| Jamana |
Posted - 12 Feb 2010 : 4:55:40 PM
When we sell yearling colts at the bloodstock sales in the autum we always get a 'ball cert' this is to show that both are in place but most of the time one is higher up than the other,they nearly always come down IME most vets are only to happy to go down the expensive route to remove them,I always take what they say with a pinch of salt,the best way to get one cut is to do it standing,but its amazing now so many vets want to do it when the colt is on the floor.............of course nothing to do with being able to charge more! |
| barbara.gregory |
Posted - 12 Feb 2010 : 4:33:06 PM
A retained testicle will not affect fretility if the other one is descended and produces viable sperm.
Barbara |
| abz87 |
Posted - 12 Feb 2010 : 08:26:42 AM
Ive had the same problem with one of the colts when I purchased him. The vet couldnt feel anything and I was told it would cost about £1500 to remove it. He was 2 at the time. This wasnt covered by my insurance as its a castration. I took the risk and covered a mare and luckily it started to drop, smaller at first but now you wouldnt tell nearly 12months on. The foal is due April so doesnt seem to have effected his fertility as she took first time.
Abz x |
| jaj |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 10:38:33 PM
Would the cost of the op not be covered by your insurance? Sounds expensive otherwise  !
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| pintoarabian |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 8:35:47 PM
Only one of our boys looked as if he might have a retained testicle but it appeared when he was about 28 months. Initially, it was much smaller than the other one but within a couple of months they were the same size. So far, he has a 100% success rate with his mares. |
| LesleyA |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 2:24:13 PM
Thanks for the replies. When we had the yearling colt cut last year in September the testicle was just in the tube so they didn't need to go through the abdomen but this cost me almost £800 at the Dick Vet near Edinburgh. I hope this boys is only in the tube as well as was told it could cost as much as £1500 if they need to go higher up to find it. Intersting that ponies have a higher frequency as both were by pony stallions. |
| angel2002 |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 12:37:23 PM
This explanation might be helpful.... 
Cryptorchidism means "hidden testes" (crypt = hidden, orchid = testes), and is used to describe the condition in which one (unilateral) or both (bilateral) testicles do not descend normally. Common terms for animals with this condition include rig, ridgling, original, or high flanker. In a cryptorchid horse, one or both testicles, which form in the body, do not migrate into the scrotum. It may be retained anywhere from the abdomen to the inguinal canal, the normal passage route into the scrotum. Prevalence of left and right testicular retention is nearly equal, though retained left testes are more often in the abdomen while the right retained testicle is more often in the inguinal canal. Although a testicle is undescended, it still produces male hormones leading to characteristic stallion behavior. Unilateral cryptorchids are usually fertile; while bilateral cryptorchids are generally sterile. All breeds of horses may be exhibit cryptorchidism, but there is a higher frequency in Quarter Horses, Saddlebreds, Percherons, and ponies. The condition is considered heritable, so affected animals should be castrated to help prevent continuation of this congenital defect as well as for safety reasons.
A single cause of equine cryptorchidism has not been established, and contributing causes remain obscure. Based on available information, the condition is likely the result of a complex combination of genetic, hormonal, and mechanical factors. As indicated above, the condition is over-represented in some breeds, supporting heritability of the condition, and many breed associations do not allow registration of cryptorchids.
Personally I have never bred a colt with a retained testicle but I did buy a Welsh Sec A colt who turned out to be a rig, he had to have surgery in the Vet College in Hatfield and as I agreed to let the students do the op they didn't charge the full price, I'm sure it was £250 BUT this was about 18 or so years ago
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| cammarch |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 12:31:46 PM
Gig my stallion didnt drop his until he covered his first mare as a 3 year old, some people say covering will help them drop depends how high up they are though. if not expensive business getting them cut. Also depends on how well developed they are as youngsters. None of his foals have had this problem |
| Kazzy |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 10:52:47 AM
Hi, I am not a breeder as such but I did breed my gelding and he had a retained testicle.
I was told it could be a number of things by the vet and a common one was that it could be heridotory and I know one of his half brothers from the same sire had a retained testicle aswell.
Janet |
| Meggie-Lu |
Posted - 11 Feb 2010 : 10:42:48 AM
Merlin's feild mate Pudsey is arab x tb he is now a year old hand reared. He has this problem, he gets it very badly and he gets extreme pain. This is the 1st tym i have ever seen it in a horse i no that dogs get it. In dogs it's mostly enviromental is most common in large litters to prevent inbreeding (as the testicles are still up inside the body wich kills the sperm) i think it's just luck with horses, this theroy wuldnt work in Pudsey's case as he lives with 2 geldings and a castrated donkey.
We do look into this on my college course and it's intresting to see how this condition is diffrent depending on the animal. |
