The Impact of Pediatric Neutering in Dogs and Cats—A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Surgical sterilization is a common procedure in veterinary practice; yet, the age at which to perform said procedure is still a controversial topic since the common practice of performing this surgery at the “conventional” age of 6 months is not supported by concrete scientific data. Therefore, it leaves space for veterinary professionals to opt for pediatric neutering, especially in the context of shelter medicine, since it allows the adoption of younger animals and is an important tool used to combat the overpopulation of stray animals by preventing their reproduction, even though some of the studies regarding the long-term effects of this approach seem to have contradictory results. Consequently, the present study aims to evaluate the impact of pediatric neutering on the occurrence of obesity, behavioral changes and urinary and joint diseases by posing an inquiry by means of telephone questionnaire to 105 owners of cats and dogs neutered and adopted from Coimbra Municipal Animal Shelter. The analysis of the gathered data did not show any statistically significant relationship between age of neutering and the presence of any of the aforementioned conditions in the animals under study.

WSAVAguidelines for the control of reproduction in dogs and cats

“…Each of the laparotomy procedures can be performed in paediatric (6‐ to 16‐week‐old) patients, provided several precautions are taken (Faggella & Aronsohn, 1994; Kustritz, 2002; Looney et al., 2008; Oliveira‐Martins et al., 2023; Olson et al., 2001; Porters et al., 2015; Kustritz, 2002). Patients should be healthy, properly immunised for their age and have normal hydration status.…”