Colty Questions

Woolly Hat n Wellies

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In early April this year, this adorable little bundle of fluff came into my life, unexpectedly (and not exactly wanted, if I'm totally honest).

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Nearly nine months later, I have this... thing...

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Dad is still a mystery, although I'm beginning to suspect he may have been a yak.

He's still drinking a little bit from Mum, who is an unbroken 8 year old companion pony, so I'm happy for her to wean him in her own time. He isn't taking any condition off her (in fact, I rather wish he would!). The EDT said his wolf teeth had already come through by 7 months, which she was rather surprised about, but I'm currently more concerned about the other end... I can only feel one ball. Sometimes it feels like it might be one sat directly in front of the other (is that possible? is that normal?), sometimes I'm pretty sure it's just one. But he's so hairy now and he has such chunky thighs, it's hard to tell what's going on! I'm hoping to geld him early next year, before the flies come out. At what point should I be worried if I can still only find one? And what will I need to do if he needs an op to extract a retained one?
 
Plenty of time yet. Anyway, he is probably keeping them tucked up in the warm. Not long since gelded one of mine and he was born in June 2014. His testicles were very small and caused the vet a bit of a problem both finding them and getting hold of them. His companion was born in 2013 and his were less of a problem. Quite a nice ball of fluff though, for a freebe! :)
 
Sometimes it feels like it might be one sat directly in front of the other (is that possible? is that normal?), sometimes I'm pretty sure it's just one. But he's so hairy now and he has such chunky thighs, it's hard to tell what's going on! I'm hoping to geld him early next year, before the flies come out. At what point should I be worried if I can still only find one? And what will I need to do if he needs an op to extract a retained one?

At that age, while SOME are well developed, others feel as if they have one - or none - they bounce up and down like yo-yos, particularly if you're trying to grope them.

I would get the vet to do the groping in the spring - while you distract him with a bit of feed. His manual dexterity should enable him to make a better guess - as in, is it 1 or 2, if it's 1 will the other drop before he's shagging all the mares in miles!

I've only had one with this problem (though I had a colt who took 2 weeks after birth to develop a sheath!!) I delayed op as I wasn't sure it would be worth the cost - he had a bad hock as well. Fortunately for him the hock improved at about the same time he became a randy little ***** - so he went for the chop. It wasn't a COMPLICATED case - just a mere £900!! Abd 2 days after surgery, the little sod broke out of his field, jumped in with a mare and shagged her all night! Aaagghh - too much pain relief obviously! So add ANOTHER £100 to the cost - for treating the mare to prevent pregnancy and THEN for an attack of colic she got 4 days after the jab (and almost certainly due to her 'aborting' a 10 day pregnancy.) Be warned - start saving now!
 
Sometimes they can be hard to find when colts are rapidly growing, the body grows but the testicles don't grow anywhere near as much in comparison, so one could just be hiding higher up into the groin but still in the scrotal sac.

Where both of his testicles 'there' at birth or shortly after?

If he actually does have a retained testicle he will require in-patient surgery, there isn't anything you need to do and your Vets will talk you through everything.

Next time Vet is out, ask them to have a feel. Try not to worry at this stage. :)
 
wait until the spring comes and get the vet to have a grope withe warm hands and it will probably be there. he should be fine to wait for a while yet :)
 
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