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My 13-week-old puppy's testicles aren't descended. Is this normal?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 30 days old

My puppy is 13 weeks today, he is a boxer and I can’t feel his balls yet. Should I be worried I spoke to someone who says he’ll have to have an operation and then castrate him!! I didn’t want to do this I wanted to leave him alone in case i want to stud him. I’m so worried and upset please help.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Linda G,  MS, DVM

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 31st, 2019

Hello. It is too early to make any judgments as to if & when Diesel's testicles may drop. You certainly can wait until he is 6 months to a year of age, but if nothing is seen or felt by this time, he probably never will drop them. This can be a trait that is passed on to future puppies, so you definitely will not want to breed him. He should also be neutered in this case because the retained testicles are maintained at a much higher temperature in the body, & this can result in the testicular tissue turning cancerous. So wait until Diesel is older to see if his testicles do eventually descend into the scrotum. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
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