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testicular cancer


bccrazy
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My four-year-old border collie was just diagnosed with testicular cancer. Both of his testicals had dropped by six weeks, so I don't feel as if that was a factor. The vet mentioned that b.c. have excess testostorone & estrogen in their systems that can contribute to this. Has anybody else had problems with cancer or heard anything like this. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have him neutered in 10 days & I'm very worried about him. Please help.

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I am sorry about your dog but let it be a lesson to all that read here.

 

Any dog of any breed, not just border collies, if not neuterd before puberty, when testosterone in males and estrogen in females take a big jump and stimulate all the millons of receptors in the body for those specific hormones, especially in certain areas, will have a much greater chance of developing tumors and most will be cancerous.

Testis, prostate, anal and breast in males and ovaries, uterus, vagina and breast in females. Plus females may times succumb to pyometra and pregnancies that went wrong.

 

If we neuter all the animals that won't be used for breeding and those as soon as we won't be using them anymore, those cancers would be minimal and in the case of testicular, ovarian and uterine ones non existent.

 

Any vet's records will show that many entire dog over eight, about one in ten for some cancers, are affected.

Those records will also show that dogs living into their late teens were those neutered before six months of age.

 

There is not ethical, medical or humane reason not to neuter before the start of puberty. Even in dogs that tend to have kidney stones, the size of the urethra has not been shown to be any smaller on neutered animals as some thought.

 

Plus any dog not neutered is a problem waiting to happen as far as adding to the terrible overpopulation of dogs we have today where shelters are having to kill so many dogs per day because of the lack of homes for them.

 

The only people that should be breeding are those that spend many years training and proving their dogs in their intended use, have all the breeding animals tested for the pertinent diseases for that breed and so they know what they are breeding for.

Very few people qualify for that.

The rest of us should have all dogs neutered and enjoy the labors of those few good breeders.

 

On your dog, if it was caught in time, where not any other sites are found that have any metastatic cells, he will be ok.

Follow what the vet tells you to do and don't take any chances with any other dog you ever have. Not worth it.

 

Think positively and don't worry too much until you know where you stand on that.

Even if it has spread, depending on what kind it is and where, there are very good treatments today for animals with cancer that don't make them sick like it does people.

 

I hope for the best for you both.

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BCCrazy, I'm very sorry about your dog, but try not to worry too much. Testicular cancer in dogs rarely metastasizes, so having him neutered will in all likelihood be a total cure. Do you know what type of testicular cancer it was? There are three kinds, and knowing which kind it was would give you a little more information about the risk, but in any case it is fairly low.

 

I have never run across any reference stating that border collies as a breed have excess testosterone and estrogen in their systems. If your vet can cite you to any source for this statement I would be very interested in pursuing it.

 

The subject of spay/neuter is a very emotional and political one on both sides. Perhaps a particular dog's illness is not the best context in which to discuss it.

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Sorry to have been too preachy out of turn.

This has just been discussed in a post and here is one case that makes that point, that is why I was mentioning all the other, thinking it was appropiate to do so.

 

Hopefully he will be ok once neutered, as you say.

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I appreciate the concern ya'll have shown. I will ask the vet both about the source where he got his info & also what type of cancer it is. As far as the entry on neutering your dogs, I have bred him once and was in contact with another lady who was interested in usuing him. I am very picky about who I pick to breed my dog with. He is a wonderful working dog & I only breed him if they will be raised and sold as working dogs. I believe in spaying & neutering your pets to avoid overpopulation, I also try hard to find homes for those dogs in the pound. Espically herding breeds in general, because I feel as if they are wonderful dogs & their owners didn't realize what they were getting into. I'm not angry or defensive, I just wanted ya'll to know that I am a responsible breeder and owner. I'm not upset about the fact that he will be neutered, I'm just worried about him health-wise. He is not just livestock to me, he is my pet.

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Sorry again, Bccrazy, if that part of my post sounded directed at you.

I intended it to be to all and not at you since I don't know you or if you breed any at all.

 

I used that chance to say what sometimes can't be repeated enough.

Should not have done so there, as I was pertinently reminded.

 

Maybe your dog will be fine and you can have him many more years.

That is an early age to have that problem and so it is in his favor that you can do something sooner rather than later about it.

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