There has been a lot of discussion around the positives and negatives of neutering dogs, as well as the impact of age on health and behaviour outcomes for desexed dogs. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association set out to examine the risk of developing an overweight or obese body condition score in desexed versus intact dogs. which of course leads to other problems. In the same wee I have read about studies into longevity and Joint disease (Cruciate ligament disease)
First Obesity:
A large sample of 155,199 dogs were included in the retrospective cohort study that evaluated associations between obesity and sterilisation status, sex, age at sterilization, and breed size. The results revealed increased overweight and obesity for most desexed dogs compared to intact dogs, and also showed higher obesity hazard ratios among intact dogs were larger for males than females.
The data also suggested that the risk of obesity differs with body size. Sterilized small dogs face the highest risk of obesity, whilst giant-breed dogs have the lowest. Interestingly, some large breeds like labrador and golden retrievers, and German shepherds demonstrate obesity rates similar to small dogs.
The research also showed the impact of age of desexing plays an important role. Except for large dogs, sterilizing at three or six months of age was associated with a lower or equal risk of subsequent obesity than sterilizing at one year. Among large dogs, sterilizing at one year of age was associated with the lowest risk. This was true for both males and females. Among both sexes and all sizes, obesity risk was elevated for dogs sterilized after one year of age compared to dogs sterilized at one year old.
This information, in combination with other studies on benefits and risks, can help veterinarians tailor recommendations regarding desexing in individual dogs.
Read the full research article
CCL injuries are one of the most common causes of pain and arthritis in dogs. Today at 12pm ET we’re discussing how to prevent injury and available CCL treatment options.
The Cruciate study shown below the results suggested that … gonad retention during the first 24 months of life—are strongly associated with lifelong avoidance of bilateral CCL rupture…Risk for CCL rupture was not influenced when gonad removal took place after the 24-month developmental period.”
Now these are large breed dogs and you should be must less concerned if you have collie sized dog or smaller, I have seen similar studies in labradors though. Also there are many thing one can do to reduce risk in addtion to later neutering or no neutering. Read elsewhere.
Cruciate Ligament in Rotties paper
Longevity
New study on Rottweilers shows neutering prior to 4.5 years of age has a negative impact on lifespan. Male and female Rottweilers neutered before 1 year of age demonstrated an expected lifespan 1.5 years and 1 year shorter, respectively, than their intact counterparts.
This adds to the growing body of science that neutering dogs shortens their lifespan and increases the risk of diseases.
If we, the pet parents of the planet, can inspire medical professions, ie. our veterinarians, to learn newer sterilization techniques (vasectomies and hysterectomies), rather than the older model then we give our pets a better chance of living healthier and longer!
From Dr. Karen Becker and others in the Holistic veterinary world :
PLEASE SIGN/SHARE THIS PETITION to equip future veterinarians with updated and diversified sterilization techniques! Vet students needs to learn how to do vasectomies and hysterectomies while in school!
