I can't find his testicles...

[larryj]

I need some help.

 

[austin]

I'm not sure....anyone else had to deal with this before?

 

[cowz]

How old is your calf??  Is the "nut sak" empty or can you feel one testicle.  Sometimes those testicles dont come down by themselves.  If the calf is over a month old, you may have to take him to the vet for castration.  If this is a good steer prospect, you will need to spend the $$$ to do this (at weaning) because if you do not remove the undecended testicles, the steer will have that "Staggy" look.  (Long, ugly face, high flanks, etc.) 

 

[larryj]

How old is your calf??  Is the "nut sak" empty or can you feel one testicle.  Sometimes those testicles dont come down by themselves.  If the calf is over a month old, you may have to take him to the vet for castration.  If this is a good steer prospect, you will need to spend the $$$ to do this (at weaning) because if you do not remove the undecended testicles, the steer will have that "Staggy" look.  (Long, ugly face, high flanks, etc.) 

I checked him again today. I can feel one now. What do i do? Take him in?

Oh he's a very good prospect. He's nearin two months now.  ???

 

[cowz]

Is it cold where you are?  Sometimes cold is hard on those little guys!    What breed is he?  Personally, I would give him some more time.  One nut up there will not hurt him for a while.  If his other testicle does not come down by the time you would normally castrate, then that is the time to talk to your vet.  My opinion only.    Anyone else out there got any ideas?

 

[gocalves]

Take him in! See your vet! You said he was a good prospect? 

This can get very pricey, trust me!!!

 

[larryj]

Is it cold where you are?   Sometimes cold is hard on those little guys!    What breed is he?   Personally, I would give him some more time.  One nut up there will not hurt him for a while.  If his other testicle does not come down by the time you would normally castrate, then that is the time to talk to your vet.   My opinion only.     Anyone else out there got any ideas?

I live in bama, but has been chilly. He's an angus. I'll give him about two weeks, and then I'm going to take him in. I only have a few steers this year, and man, he's my best. Is there some procedure?

 

[cowz]

Hi Larry,  Yup, we have had to do this before.  Call and ask your vet at what age he feels comfortable doing this.  We do a lot of our vet work ourselves, because vets that will work on cattle ranches are hard to come by in our area.  We put the calf on a chute that tips over.  We normally knife cut our steers.  To do this we cut the tip off the scrotum, and pull the testicles down and cut the cords.  Most of the time, the undesended testicle is sitting right above the scrotum.  We have been able to pull it down using a sterilized spoon.    If you dont have experience in the knife cut method of castration - DO NOT ATTEMPT this yourself.  You can cause severe bleeding and loose the calf.  We have had a few that we were not able to find and have taken them to a vet to do.  Personally, I would wait until the calf is a couple months older before you have this "surgical procedure" done,  but please talk to your vet about it.  Good Luck!!!

 

[larryj]

thankyou cowz. that has really helped. I may be able to do it myself--i know a fellow who can help me-- just got to call thim up. It's still not showing, but I'll still give it some time. i'll try to keep you posted. 

 

[larryj]

It's starting to show up!!!! Checked him this morning, and I think he's going to be fine!

 

[calfman]

Good to hear LARRY!

 

[DL]

The case of the missing testicle (a recurring story

Just a word of caution re castrating your steer - (OK maybe 2 words) - make sure both testicles are in the sac and that you can feel all of them (I  mean top bottom side etc)

If the testicle remains undescended and the calf is a good prospect I would call your vet to get it - sometimes they get lodged in the canal - it is a fairly simple procedure - likely he or she will knowk the cal fout with drugs (I sure would!) and make an incision over the missing testicle and pop the sucker out - this takes longer to heal than regular knife castration so I would do it sooner than later. In our neck of the woods the going rate is around 50 bucks or so

If you find both and intend to cut you will have the proof that you have all the golden nuggets

If you are banding be cautious that the band is above both testicles - it is a drag to sell a good steer who starts acting like a bull because he has a titch of testicular tissue lift -

Good luck and I hope they both end up where they belong!  ;D DL