# Cryptorchid buckling - NEED ADVICE/INFORMATION



## RedLotusNigerians (Dec 13, 2011)

Does anyone know if there are health problems associated with a cryptorchid buck? I've been relentlessly browsing through my goat health books and Google/goat forums, but I get conflicting information; It's a unanimous answer that the chances of cancer in the animal goes up. From what I have been reading, there don't seem to be any other associated health issues (that I can find), but there is a 50/50 chance the buckling will develop buck behavior/odor. 

I don't understand how I ended up with a buckling with this condition in the first place, I changed all the goat feed to higher quality stuff, made sure they had vitamins/minerals, all that jazz. The sire to this kid hasn't produced any offspring with this odd condition either that I know of, and yet some sources say it's genetic? I am so confused. 15+ years of breeding goats and this is the very first time I've ever run into this.

And of course it's on a kid that is 'sale pending'. :angry: 

Any information is appreciated. I need to know if I should hold the kid back for culling, or if I should still present the information (once I've attained a good amount of it!) to the buyer on what to expect if she goes through with his purchase and let her make an informed decision. I don't want to shove the kid off on her, that's just poor business :doh:


----------



## Sunny Daze (May 18, 2010)

Since it can be hereditary he shouldn't be used for breeding. In fact, I am pretty sure that is a disqualification with most registries. I ran into this problem this year. I bought a buckling from a well known breeder and didn't double check his "goods" before leaving. Didn't realize until several weeks later. Boy was I bummed! Anyway, I went ahead and banded the one he had that dropped and was going to use him for meat but he was a bottle baby so as of this point I haven't been able to do it. I might try and sell him as a buck companion. Anyway, what I am getting at is if she is looking for a herd sire it should be a no go...Plus he could potentially be infertile. If she just wanted him as a pet, well he will need surgery to wether him or he could potentially get bucky. Sorry!


----------



## ptgoats45 (Nov 28, 2011)

Cryptorchids should never be used for breeding. There is a high chance that he will be infertile as the testicles will most likely be kept too warm (inside his body instead of out), and it wouldn't look good on your farm to sell a buck with this condition. I would imagine that if he was shown he would be disqualified as I'm pretty sure it's in the standards that a buck has to have both testicles down. Not to mention he wouldn't look like a buck. I think the best thing would be to offer the buyer another buck of equal value and go from there. I would also take him to the sale right away or put him in your own freezer.


----------



## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

Not sure what happened to the long post I tried to put here. 

I would not sell him as a buck. If you have a vet do a surgical castration then you can sell him as a wether. If not freezer camp.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I too agree here...he shouldn't be a breeder....  :hug:


----------



## Mini Goat Lover (May 4, 2011)

My dad was just telling me about the situation today Alyssa. I hope it all works out for the little buckling. She is really looking forward to her new goaties


----------



## Steph (May 7, 2009)

We unknowningly purchased a cryptorchid buckling when we first got goats. Our vet told us that is was genetic and to not use him for breeding. We had to have him surgically castrated to make sure there was not a chance of the testicle inside working. We had ours castrated at 10 months old in December and he lost all his hair. He looked and acted very bucky before castration. 

I would not repeat the breeding that produced the buckling, as you might get more cryptorchid.


----------



## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

Agreed with what has been said above. It can just pop up randomly, it can be genetic, therefore he shouldnt be used for breeding (the retained testicle/s may or may not be functional). As previously mentioned it is often a cull fault. 

If you decide to have him surgically castrated for a pet, bear in mind it may be more expensive than a straightforward castration. The reason being that the vet will have to go on a search and rescue mission. It can be just in the abdomen above the scrotum, it can be up the leg a little way in the inguinal canal or it can be up near the kidney (this is where I have found the majority to be). So the time under anaesthetic and the time spent performing the surgery will differ according to the location of the testicle/s. When I had one done (a pet), it cost me a little over $AU 600, the testicle was the size of my fingernail up near his kidney. He had an incision from his scrotum to his navel but was up and bouncing and giving me heart attacks the next day. Surgical complications can include infected surgical site, hernias or ruptured stitches (my guy did the last two but not badly).


----------



## Jane (Apr 17, 2011)

The cancer risk is supposedly negligible. My vet says it would take close to 12 years for a retained testicle to become cancerous, if it was going to. I currently have a young bilateral cryptorchid because I don't have the heart to put him down. He is kept with my other two bucks and acts just like them- peeing, stinking, tongue-flicking, etc. No plans on breeding him, although I am curious how fertile he is. 

If they were looking for a pet, I would leave it up to them if they want him or not after telling them what you know.


----------



## keren (Oct 26, 2008)

no offense but i would have to disagree. if he is to be a long term animal as a pet the cancer risk is definitely there. a pet goat can easily get till at least ten or twelve and i know of some to reach fifteen or sixteen but retained testicles can become cancerous in other species within eight years.i also dont think he is a good pet candidate given that most cryptorchids as you said will display buckyy behaviour and that isnt good pet behaviour, who wants a smelly, pissy destructive and potentially aggressive pet?


----------



## cyanne (Jan 7, 2009)

We had one of these born on our farm last Spring. Thankfully it wasn't one of our registered Nigi's, he came from a pet mini-mancha doe we have. It was a shame since he would have made someone a nice buck for breeding mini-manchas (nice conformation & milky lines), but no use for breeding with that kind of fault. 

It also makes them pretty unsuitable for pets as well, since banding just the one testicle doesn't guarantee that they aren't still fertile and won't turn bucky and the cost of a surgical castration (anywhere from $150-$500 depending on how hard it is for them to find the other testicle) is not something I was willing to pay just to sell him as a $50 pet wether.

So, I banded the one testicle and put him in with my bucks to raise him up for freezer camp. We will be taking him to be processed pretty soon.


----------

