Aussiedoodle 4monthes old- hernia

I have a 4 month old Aussiedoodle that was diagnosed with a hernia at his first vet visit. They also said only one testicle has dropped. I was wondering if this is very common and what is the prognosis for him. Is there still time for the testicle to drop on it’s on or not? Is the problem he’s having with his testicle related to his hernia?

Hello   I have seen this.  Let me waffle around the background first.  Undescended testicles are a concern, because they tend to lead to testicular cancer in the undescended side (the internal body temperature is too hot for testicles and perhaps as a result, retained testicles seems to be very prone to cancer).  It is generally thought of as irresponsible to remove only the external testicle from an animal with an undescended one, because even though the undescended testicle can't lead to pregnancy, it can lead to cancer - and if the dog is sold on or the op becomes forgotten, the existence of a possible-cancer-time-bomb would not necessarily be obvious from the outside.  Furthermore, if the retained testicle only is removed, then the genetic component of a retained testicle will be available to be passed on.  Vets therefore usually recommend that dogs with an undescended testicle are fully castrated relatively young, but (depending on the breed, which might change the likelihood of the second testicle dropping on its own accord) may sometimes wait as long as up to twelve months before doing so. Here are our thoughts about choosing an appropriate age to have a dog with only one testicle neutered. https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2013/11/26/ask-a-vet-online-my-dog-only-has-one-testicle-down-what-is-the-best-age-to-have-him-neutered/ Furthermore, most vets in the UK nowadays refuse to correct a hernia without first castrating the patient, in a bid to make it less likely that herniae are passed on.  This is no comment on any particular owner, but a general blanket policy widely understood and employed by most vets.  I have never refused to resolve a hernia on grounds of age, as long as the pet could safely be castrated on both sides at the same time. https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2021/03/15/my-puppy-has-a-hernia-what-next/ Sometimes a hernia might slip and become strangulated.  If this appears to be a higher than usual risk (e.g. if there is a huge muscle defect rather than a tiny hole), vets may advise earlier castration.   Even if the hernia is relatively normal-looking, the vet may not be able to completely rule out strangulation. So I wonder if a trade-off may have occurred between waiting for the testicle to descend vs leaving some risk of strangulation of a hernia.  I think that this judgement needs to be taken an an individual basis, weighing up factors such as:  How likely a hernia seems to strangulate (sometimes a hernia goes for years and years without ever doing so - I have certainly felt them as incidental findings on old dogs), how long the undescended testicle / hernia op might take, how easy it may or may not be to find the lost testicle, and so on.  This is usually a decision best talked over with the surgeon who is responsible for the case, based on the individual animal concerned.

Here is that link again: https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2013/11/26/ask-a-vet-online-my-dog-only-has-one-testicle-down-what-is-the-best-age-to-have-him-neutered/ And the other: https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2021/03/15/my-puppy-has-a-hernia-what-next/