ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Susan Fox

The Vet said that my little Jasper's left testical has not yet come down. Jasper has to have an operation to bring it down. Has anyone else had this problem with their Maltese? I was wondering if it is common in the breed.

DISCUSSION:

Yes my vet said the same about our Maltese he is 15 mo old. He didn't tell us about a operation though,he just said we would need to have him neutered. Which we weren't sure we wanted to do right away. So I'm not sure if this common or not!
-Laurie

The condition where one, or both, testicles fail to properly descend into the scrotum and remain there is NOT UNCOMMON in all breeds of toy dogs. naturally, this is a genetic fault and it is easily transmitted to the offspring - so these males should NEVER be used for breeding.

Additionally, most veterinarians will caution you that unless the undescended testicle(s) is removed it is highly probable that the dog will develop testicular cancer. I have been told that this increased risk is due to the higher than normal temperature that exists when the testicle is retained inside of the body as opposed to its proper place outside of the body.
-Larry Stanberry Divine Maltese

I presume your Maltese was purchased as a pet. You would be wise to have him neutered instead of putting him through an operation to bring down the testicle, which is risky and sometimes unsuccessful. Your dog would not be a candidate to use for breeding with the heredity factors involved, and you will be much happier with a healthy happy neutered pet, that will not lift his leg in the house.

To Laurie, the longer you put this off, the more difficult it will be for your dog. Wishing you many years of love and enjoyment with your maltese,
-Linda Coleman-Lin Lee Maltese

Our dog had one that failed to descend. It was visible as a small bulge on the inside portion of his rear leg. When we brought him in to the vet to be neutered, the vet told us that this was not uncommon, and the position of his, was easier to deal with than ones that were further inside the body. Hope everything goes well.
-Patti