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Questions about herniated testicle

5K views 38 replies 8 participants last post by  smrobs 
#1 ·
I am considering a 2yr old QH colt but there is a catch to him.He has a herniated testicle.I have never heard or dealt with this so I am lost.. My questions to you guys are: What is it? How is it going to affect the horse? Would the horse need surgery? and if yes,how much do you think it would cost? Thank you ahead of time :D
 
#4 ·
I think what you may be talking about is a scrotal hernia, where a loop of intestines drops from the abdomen through a canal into the scrotum where the testicles are. The canal is there so that the testicles can drop in a young colt from inside the abdomen to the scrotum where they belong. If that's what you are dealing with, it might need surgery and if I were buying the colt, I would assume that surgery would be needed at some point. If the intestine gets caught and pinched, it loses blood supply and the tissue can die. It's called a strangulated hernia at that point and it is a life-threatening condition. Sometimes in young animals the muscle will grow stronger and the 'canal' will get smaller but at 2, I would assume that if he's still having trouble with it, it might not completely close.
 
#5 ·
Thank you!! :) I have never heard nor dealt with anything like this before so to be brutally honest I don't even know what the technical term for this was..The owner called it a herniated testicle so I called it the same *blush*.. I'm waiting to hear back from the owner on more info about it all. Monday I will call around to the vets in my area and see what they say about the cost for surgery to fix something like that..Ladytrails,thank you for that wonderful easy to understand explanation! :)
 
#6 ·
*UPDATE*

I just heard back from the owner and from what they were saying it really sounds like he is a crypt. If I do purchase him I would have him gelded no matter what,but with him most likely being a crypt there would be no if's,and's or butt's about it..his jewels would have to go.
 
#8 ·
Ok,thank you again :) I actually wrote that down so I wont forget:oops: I'm hoping to go and look at him within the next week.Do you think my vet would be able to check when he does the PPE(horse is local)?
 
#10 ·
Very true.They aren't asking anything for him because of this issue and just want to find him a good home.So if he vet checks out fine then the money that I would have spent on buying him would just go towards the cost of surgery..IF I decide that he is truly what I am looking for. Things like this make me glad that I started a savings account a while ago just for any "horsey emergencies".:wink:
 
#12 ·
yep, the vets in this area you are looking at $1500 bucks or so. A friend got it done at a college by students and it was still about $700.
LOts of good 2yo healthy QH;s out there for less. I am making assumptions but I would assume a show, or rodeo level breeder would know the proper terminology. So I am gonna assume this is just an average run of the mill QH, probably not registered, with little to no training, After he is gelded/ fixed. you have a $500 horse. Doesnt make alot of sense to put 1500 into him, I wouldnt even pay for the vet check. Keep looking you'll find something better.
 
#13 ·
In my area there isn't lots of good 2yo healthy QH's.The few that don't have major conformation flaws and/or health issues are WAY out of my price range. Seller is not a breeder and the colt is registered.All ground work is done but he just needs to be started under saddle.I know what gelded means ;) I am not into showing or anything like that and just trail ride.I had put well over $1500 into 8yo my Paint/QH gelding and he turned out to be my heart horse and was well worth the investment.Unfortunately he passed away after a freak trail riding accident this past June..I have seen too often how a crypt horse gets passed from owner to owner to owner.Its sad IMO and if there is nothing else wrong with this boy(other than this obvious issue I am asking questions about) I wouldn't mind investing in him and giving him a good loving home. It is interesting to see how prices vary depending on location. In the meantime I still am keeping an eye out on whats for sale. Thank you for the advice.
 
#14 ·
Cowgirl, you've gotten a lot of good advice in these posts. Yes, the vet would be able to tell if it was dropped. He might not be able to tell if it had dropped and slid back up, vs never dropped, if it's not down when he checks. He could tell you what the low end of the surgery cost would be, but as far as the high end, that depends on how deep into the abdomen the hiding testicle is. I've read other posts on this forum where they've paid for surgery and still not been able to find and remove the crypt testicle.

As far as thinking about the costs, don't forget the cost of providing the post-op care. If you're a boarder, don't forget to include the cost of a private stall and/or run and the twice daily care he'll need for a while. He won't be able to be pasture boarded until those belly muscles are healed and he will need handwalking for a while after surgery because he needs to be able to walk to keep the swelling down and help circulation/healing. For an abdominal surgery, he will probably be restricted for several weeks. I would guess 2-3 weeks for severe restrictions and TLC for another month or two. (The vet could tell you that, too.)
 
#15 ·
I know :) I do appreciate the advice.I'm trying to keep a clear head about this and not let my heart over rule it.I would be boarding him where I had boarded my previous horse and they said that since it would be for medical reasons they won't charge me for using a stall during the recovery time(if I decide to get him).I don't work so time isn't an issue for me and it won't be a problem to go to the barn to take care of him.Barn is about 5-8 minutes away from my house :) Thank you for the info. I do apologize if I came off snappy to anyone :(
 
#18 ·
Oh ok,thats good.I was re-reading a couple of my responses and to myself it "sounded" like I was being snappy. Ya know I keep telling my DH that we should move south.lol :wink: Hearing that makes me wish that I lived there and not here in Wisconsin *sigh*
 
#17 ·
when I said "fixed" I meant the hernia or rupture repaired, It doesnt seem to be real clear what he needs surgically yet. I can only go by what I see around me and evidently the rest of the country. I would factor in the cost of surgery and recovery to see if he is worth what you have spent. Sounds like you have already decided to look get him as a rescue project.
 
#21 ·
I'm sorry if I was rude.Stupid me has a nasty habit of reading through things too fast and end up missing the point of what is said..Here is what i have gathered from going over my conversation with the seller: Farrier was the one who "found" that one testicle is MIA.Seller then went and talked with someone who is a vet tech and that person told the seller that it sounded like the colt had a 'herniated testicle".Nothing has been mentioned about a vet confirming this at all during any of the conversations. I didn't think it would hurt to go see him since he isn't that far away and see what he is like in person and go from there.Tomorrow I will be calling my vet to see what if he can give me an idea as to what the surgery could cost and then I will go from there.
 
#19 ·
Wow the prices for a cryptorchids out there! I am looking at my bill right now. When I took my colt in to have him cut, the vet examine him and asked me if I was sure he wasn't gelded already. I am sure dr he is not gelded. He finally felt around and found one. My colt was a cryp and the vet said it's a bad thing when the other testicle was one and a half size smaller than the one that dropped. He said it was up near his stomach. Any how here is what the surgery cost me in my part of Texas.

Tetanus Antitoxin $10.00
Phenylbutazone $10.00
Penicillian $10.00
Castration Cryptorchid $150.00
Gen Anesth Induction $90.00

Total of $270.00
 
#22 ·
Oh wow,that is a darn good deal that you got. Knowing my luck it probably won't be that cheap here but if he has the potential that it sounds like he has any money spent on him would be well worth it.






I think it's a good thing that you're considering him. Sure there are many out there without this problem but they are more likely to find homes.
Wisconsin doesn't seem to have the same glut of quality, cheaply priced horses that we hear about in other parts of the Country. Here most well bred horses still can demand a nice price, comparatively. The really cheap or free ones are usually not as well bred. That's not saying they couldn't be good horses.
I'd take a chance doing surgery on a nice horse especially if I got him free.
You nailed the horse market in WI right on the head and you said it better than I could have. Your right and like I said earlier I would hate to see him passed from owner to owner and give him a loving home.Thats why the seller isn't asking anything for him..they said the money that would have been spent on the asking price can be put towards his surgery.
 
#20 ·
I think it's a good thing that you're considering him. Sure there are many out there without this problem but they are more likely to find homes.
Wisconsin doesn't seem to have the same glut of quality, cheaply priced horses that we hear about in other parts of the Country. Here most well bred horses still can demand a nice price, comparatively. The really cheap or free ones are usually not as well bred. That's not saying they couldn't be good horses.
I'd take a chance doing surgery on a nice horse especially if I got him free.
 
#23 ·
My vet charges similiar to what Hobbyhorse quoted. I have seen him do them at the clinic.The horse is standing sedated,incision is made through the flank.They recover quick & go home when they awake & stable enough to go on the trailer home. My vet is older & experienced so he makes it look easy:wink: not all vets have the same skill to find & remove them "berries":lol:
 
#24 ·
Oh wow that is awesome. Wish I could clone your vet and bring his clone here ;) lol Unfortunately the only work my vet does with horses anymore is pulling blood for coggins and vaccinations :( So I wouldn't have a clue as to where(again if I got him) I would take him to get the procedure done.Also I would assume that the best time to get it done would be in the spring?(can't remember if someone already mentioned this)
 
#25 ·
IMHO, the best time for any kind of surgery is when there are no flies out. Flies can easily cause infection so the most popular time around here is the winter. Matter of fact, I just got my 18 month old gelded and had a hernia fixed the day before yesterday because up until about 3 weeks ago, we still had flies all over the place.
 
#26 ·
Thats what I was thinking.Here in Wisconsin we have already had a pretty seemingly solid streak of very cold temps and if I remember correctly that isn't good either?
 
#30 ·
No,not really. They are one of the breeds I really like though..My preferences are Paint, QH and Appaloosa's and open to a mix of any of them.
 
#35 ·
Well here is the estimate/quote that I got from a somewhat local vet. $656 if everything goes as planned and they require that the horse stays overnight for observation..$1,223+ if things are complicated and they have to really search for that missing testicle...
 
#36 ·
I know this thread is old but I thought it wouldn't hurt to update it. I went and picked up the colt in late December. Not long later he went in to an amazing vets office and I about fell over in complete shock when the vet checked him over before the surgery...He had absolutely NOTHING wrong with his uh..boy parts..:D The vet said that one testicle was larger than the other and he figures that since the smaller testicle was hiding behind(vets words) the larger one the previous owner assumed he only had one. So in the end the total cost of his gelding,overnight stay.vaccinations and coggins was $326!
 
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#38 ·
Lol you got that right! With the Wolfman I feel like I have hit the jackpot :) He totally had everyone at the vet clinic wrapped around his hoof and they were upset when we came to bring him home. lol I'm so glad that I was able to get great advice from people on here and educate myself before I had made the decision to get him and take him in to get the surgery done..I stressed out way less! :lol:
 
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