Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Veterinary Medical Terminology 101: Crypto-

Photo via maplegirlie
It's been awhile since I did a veterinary medical terminology 101 post, so here we are today. I recently thought up another interesting terminology word. The word is "crypt-" or "crypto-". I'm not talking about a scary cemetery or Superman's weakness. Here is the definition of today's word, crypto-:

"A combining form meaning secret or hidden. It is used in the formation of compound words."
Basically, it's something called a "prefix". A piece of a word you place with another word to make a completely new word. Hopefully, you followed all of that. The most common way this prefix is used in veterinary medicine is to describe a condition in male dogs called cryptorchidism. This is pronounced "kript - or - kid - iz - m".


So what does that mean? Here's the definition of cryptorchidism:
"Failure of one of both testes to descend into the scrotum." 
Sometimes, in male dogs one (or even both) of the testicles will remain stuck in the abdomen. The testicle never descended as it should have when the dog was a puppy. This can be harmful for male dogs because if left intact, it can become cancerous later on in life.

We like to recommend spaying and neutering dogs anyways, but especially for cryptorchid dogs. Due to the testicle being in the abdomen of the dog, a veterinarian will need to perform an abdominal procedure that is very similar to that of a female dog spay. Most doctor's shouldn't have a problem finding the hidden testicle, but it is possible that they could be "hiding" in some tricky places.

If you suspect or know that your dog is cryptorchid, please consult with a veterinarian and discuss your options of having the "secret" testicle removed.

16 comments:

  1. Yikes lucky we are both girlies. Have a terrific Tuesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  2. Same as Molly Yikes.. bawaahawaawaaaw xx00xx

    Mollie and Alfie

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  3. Interesting. I know males are checked in the show ring to makes sure they have both testicles. :)

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    1. Yes, they are! You probably know more about showing than I do though. These dogs do still have two testicles, but sometimes they just don't "drop".

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  4. I have all things on the right place. They proved it last year at the dog show. I was frightened to death as the dog show guy grasped me...

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    1. Oh my Easy, that would have been shocking! I didn't know that you went to dog shows! How cool!

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  5. My boy has been neutered but when he gets excited or he has to pee really bad, he gets internal nuts. Ever seen that happen? It's kinda crazy! I tease him about it all the time :)

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    1. Lol I think I know what you're talking about. I think it's part of their penis.

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  6. Brychwyn was cryptorchid. The vet had a hard time finding his one hidden testicle. He looked like frankenweenie when he came out if surgery, sutures all over his belly. Poor little guy. The testicular cancer rate is much, much higher in cryptorchid dogs so it is very, very important they be neutered. Thanks for spreading the word!

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    1. Aw poor Brychwyn! I've seen some dogs come out with a few incisions too. It's not always easy to find it.

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  7. hmm, crypto, it sounds spooky! But glad I learned the definition

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  8. Great information! Thankfully, Beamer came fixed, so no issues there :)

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  9. Max was fixed too but I would have had it done immediately anyway as I am a big believer in that :)

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  10. I have never heard of this condition. Thanks for the great information.And thank you for always commenting on my posts.


    Pet lovers please check out my homeless cat blog archives for some informative posts and archived stories about the cat abandoned/feral colony I manage.

    Debby in Arizona
    http://homelesscatcare.blogspot.com/

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  11. I'm glad I'm study homeopathy, so I know about the terminology.. Phew.. ;)

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