Long-term risks and benefits of early-age gonadectomy in dogs

Abstract

Because early-age gonadectomy appears to offer more benefits than risks for male dogs, animal shelters can safely gonadectomize male dogs at a young age and veterinary practitioners should consider recommending routine gonadectomy for client-owned male dogs before the traditional age of 6 to 8 months. For female dogs, however, increased urinary incontinence suggests that delaying gonadectomy until at least 3 months of age may be beneficial.

Acoustic Feature of Barks of Ovariohysterectomized and Intact German Shepherd Bitches

“…The risk of post ovariohysterectomy aggression is higher if the bitches had already exhibited aggression before their first birthday or if they were from a predominantly male litter [5,14]. A recent study indicated no difference in aggressiveness between bitches ovariohysterectomized before or after 5.5 months of age [12].…”

A literature review on the welfare implications of gonadectomy of dogs

“…A few dogs developed hip dysplasia, but they did not require surgical or prolonged medical management. 3 A similar study 4 for which follow-up monitoring was available for as long as 11 years after gonadectomy revealed a significant increase in the incidence of hip dysplasia among dogs gonadectomized before 5.5 months of age, compared with the incidence for those gonadectomized after 5.5 months of age. However, there was a lower rate for euthanasia among the early-age gonadectomized dogs with hip dysplasia.…”

“…14,15,28,34 The effect of sex hormones on orthopedic disease has also been explored via comparisons between gonadectomy performed at early and traditional ages. 3,4 Comparison of outcomes for shelter dogs gonadectomized before or after 24 weeks of age revealed no association between age at gonadectomy and frequency of musculoskeletal problems during the 4 Small Animals years after gonadectomy. A few dogs developed hip dysplasia, but they did not require surgical or prolonged medical management.…”

“…However, there was a lower rate for euthanasia among the early-age gonadectomized dogs with hip dysplasia. 4 Although neither of these studies included a comparison with sexually intact animals and it was unclear as to the diagnostic tests used to diagnose hip dysplasia, the low incidence and severity of orthopedic problems in prepubertally gonadectomized dogs makes it worthwhile to consider early-age neutering. 3,34 Behavior Inappropriate or unacceptable behaviors disrupt the human-animal bond and are one of the most common reasons for relinquishment or rehoming of dogs.…”

“…Depending on the study, early gonadectomy can be defined in a variety of ways, including surgery prior to 5.5 months of age 3,4 or before 1 year of age. [5][6][7] Age at gonadectomy was unavailable for other studies [8][9][10] that differentiated only between sexually intact and neutered dogs.…”