Testicular Tumors in the Dog

By Dr. Susan Muller Esneault

Filed Under: Dogs, Diseases

Have you noticed recently that one of your dog’s testicles looks larger than the other or does a portion of the testicle appear swollen? Is your dog middle-aged or older? If so, your dog may be suffering from a testicular tumor.

Testicular tumors are one of the more prevalent tumors seen in male dogs and comprise 0.9% of all tumors seen in the male. Testicular tumors are more commonly seen in retained testicles, which is also referred to as cryptorchid. For some as yet unknown reason the right testicle is more commonly affected. The average age at which testicular tumors develop is at 10 years in the dog.

Thankfully most testicular tumors are benign. Castration is the treatment of choice and is typically curative.

References:

Kustritz, Margaret, “Determining the Optimal Age for Gonedectomy of Dogs and Cats.” JAVMA, Vol 231, No. 11, December 1, 2007. Pp. 1665-1675.

Maxie, Grant Ed. Pathology of Domestic Animals. Vol. 3. 5th Edition. Saunders/Elsevier. 2007. P. 609-610.

Topics: cancer, tumors

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