Have you ever heard of the term “prepubertal gonadectomy”? Veterinarians invented it in the belief that it would be simpler to spay and neuter puppies and kittens before they reached sexual maturity. They attempted to avoid the drawback of the traditional approach of waiting until puberty by carrying out the deed before that age. These veterinarians reasoned that surgical gonadectomy, also known as spaying and neutering, might be quicker, simpler, safer, and more affordable if done sooner. Additionally, they were absolutely certain that by sterilizing these animals earlier, they would never contribute to the issue of pet overpopulation through reproduction.
They were right to argue that if we sterilized all puppies and kittens at puberty (roughly six months of age), some would undoubtedly evade the process, aggravating the crisis we’ve been fighting since the early days of pet ownership in the US.
It’s preferable to spay a bird in the hand, don’t you think? (You understand what I mean.) ).
Lots of veterinarians seem to agree. Prepubertal gonadectomy, also known as “prepuberal gonadectomy,” is supported by a majority of US shelter veterinarians as a powerful tool in the fight against pet overpopulation. In fact, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the top veterinary organization, concurs that it’s a noble strategy:
The AVMA supports the idea of early spay/neuter in dogs and cats (prepubertal, 8 to 16 weeks of age) in an effort to decrease the number of unwanted animals of these species. Veterinarians should use their best medical judgment when deciding at what age spay/neuter should be performed on specific animals, just like with other veterinary medical and surgical procedures. â.
Thereâs the rub. While the AVMA explicitly backs the procedure in the context of preventing pet overpopulation, it deftly sidesteps the safety concern and stops well short of advocating its use in all circumstances.
Exactly. “Go ahead and use it in a shelter setting, but I’m not about to start spaying and neutering eight-week-old puppies and kittens,” declare the majority of currently practicing small animal veterinarians. Not in my OR. â.
However, over the past 20 years, prepubertal gonadectomy has become much more common in the US. Despite the fact that anesthesia and surgery seem to be relatively safe in the short term, there is actually very little data to support this. To determine the long-term effects on behavior and health, more research is required.
Early-age neutering does not stunt growth in dogs or cats (contrary to long-held belief), but it may change cats’ metabolic rates, according to a 2001 paper on the subject. Young puppies and kittens appear to be unaffected by anesthesia and surgical procedures; morbidity is lower and recovery is quicker than in adult animals. As of right now, it appears that animals who were neutered at a young age (7 weeks) had no worse side effects than those who were neutered at a later age (7 months). â.
Prepubertal gonadectomy in cats and dogs: This 1997 study of 775 cats and 1,213 dogs found that, when compared to gonadectomy performed on animals at the standard age, prepubertal gonadectomy did not increase morbidity or mortality on a short-term basis. Prepubescent animals can undergo these procedures safely if proper attention is paid to anesthetic and surgical techniques. â.
Early Spay-Neuter Clinical Considerations: This 2002 article concludes that there have been no significant short-term or long-term effects reported after listing the numerous considerations applicable to a prepubertal patient. Prepuberal gonadectomy is most helpful to humane organizations and ethical breeders who want to prevent pet dogs and cats from reproducing while keeping animals young enough to benefit from socialization and training. â.
Despite widespread agreement that early spaying and neutering are fundamentally safe, pet owners and veterinarians continue to disagree on the ideal age for these procedures. It turns out that there isn’t much information available to determine the long-term risks of very early spaying and neutering.
In fact, recent research has called into question the efficacy of age-based sterilization. And many highly intelligent veterinarians even question whether spaying and neutering of dogs should even be done as elective procedures.
As for me, I won’t think twice about summarizing this delicate subject for my clients in the following bullet points:
Weight
The studies confirmed that there is a slight increase in the risk of obesity for dogs who have undergone spaying and neutering, which has long been linked to weight gain. The age of spaying or neutering did not, however, appear to affect the risk of obesity, according to the studies. The obesity epidemic is largely caused by environmental factors, such as insufficient exercise and high calorie intake, so it’s important to keep in mind that while spaying and neutering lower metabolic rate, dogs who have undergone these procedures will still maintain a healthy weight if fed and exercised properly.
For those who may want to concentrate on one or two breeds, it is advised to first scroll through Table 1 to browse the breeds and take a quick look at the neutering recommendations for the breeds of interest. The next step could be to refer to the Results section’s summary paragraphs, which include the main findings and a suggested neutering age guideline. Then for the third step, one could refer to Appendix 1 for information on MC, PYO, and UI as well as detailed joint disorder and cancer tabular data. Our goal is to provide readers with data-based knowledge to help them decide the appropriate age of neutering in individual cases. One cannot generalize about age of neutering guidelines for all dogs, as is evident in the breed-specific data presented.
18. McGreevy PD, Wilson B, Starling MJ, Serpell JA. Desexing’s population-control advantages could be compromised by behavioral risks in male dogs with little lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones. PLoS ONE. (2018) 13:e0196284. doi: 10. 1371/journal. pone. 0196284.
After adjusting for the variations in the length of time at risk for a disease, survival analysis was used to test for differences between the neutered and intact groups in terms of the risk of a disease. Initially, a Kaplan Meier life table analysis was used to compare the groups. Based on the hazard within each subgroup’s least squares means, post-hoc comparisons were made among the subgroups. For contrasts where the Kaplan-Meier test indicated significance at the p 0 Further analysis was conducted using the log-rank and Wilcoxon tests at the.05 level. The log-rank test was first applied to joint disorders because it is anticipated that they will be seen at a similar risk throughout a dog’s lifespan, regardless of age. For joint disorders, the Wilcoxon test result was reported with a significance level and an asterisk if the log-rank test did not reveal significance. Since the risk of cancer is anticipated to be higher in older dogs, the reverse rule of thumb was applied to cancers where the Wilcoxon test was the initial test investigated. For cancers, the log-rank test result was reported with a significance level and an asterisk if the Wilcoxon test did not demonstrate significance but the latter did. The two-tailed statistical level of significance was set at p 0 for all statistical tests. 05 and reported as either p < . 05 or p <0. 01. There were no statistical comparisons between breeds because each breed was examined independently. Nevertheless, the overall results for each breed enable some broad comparisons.
For a total sample of 275 cases, the study population consisted of 47 intact males, 88 neutered males, 53 intact females, and 87 spayed females. The Toy, Miniature, and Standard Poodles are all recognized as Poodles by the AKC. The varieties of Poodles are, however, treated separately here due to size differences. Joint disorders occurred 2% of the time in both intact males and females. In males neutered at <6 mo. , there was a non-significant increase to 8%, and there were no joint disorders in females who had undergone spaying. Males and females who were in good health had cancer rates of 4 and 2 percent, respectively. When males were neutered at one year of age, the likelihood of developing one or more cancers increased to a significant 27% (p 0). 01), all due to the increased risk of LSA. Spaying did not significantly increase the number of cancers in females. In the females who were left intact, MC occurred in 4% of cases and PYO in 2% of cases. Just one female spayed beyond 2 years later developed UI. Based on the likelihood of one or more cancers developing after neutering at age one in males, it is advised to wait until age two before neutering males. Those who want to neuter should choose the right age because there isn’t any evidence that neutered females have an increased risk of cancer or joint disorders.
A total of 440 cases—93 intact males, 135 neutered males, 76 intact females, and 136 spayed females—were included in the study population. Three percent of intact males and four percent of intact females in this sample had one or more joint disorders, respectively. There was no clear evidence that neutering males and females increased the risk of joint disorders. In contrast, only about 1% of intact females developed cancer, compared to 9% of intact males. Male neutering did not seem to be linked to a generalized increase in cancer risk above the already high level of intact males. However, spaying females at 6–11 mo. and between 2 and 8 years was linked to a 7-8% risk of cancer, which could have been statistically significant with a larger sample size. Females who were spayed between the ages of 2 and 8 years had an MC incidence of 0% compared to 8% in intact females. For females left intact, 5 percent were reported with PYO. UI was reported in just 1 percent of early-spayed females. Those who want to neuter should choose the right age because there isn’t any evidence that neutered males have an increased risk of cancer or joint disorders. The recommendation for females is the same while also being cautious about the cancers that may be brought on by spaying after six months, or else leaving the female intact and being cautious about MC.
However, over the past 20 years, prepubertal gonadectomy has become much more common in the US. Despite the fact that anesthesia and surgery seem to be relatively safe in the short term, there is actually very little data to support this. To determine the long-term effects on behavior and health, more research is required.
Thereâs the rub. While the AVMA explicitly backs the procedure in the context of preventing pet overpopulation, it deftly sidesteps the safety concern and stops well short of advocating its use in all circumstances.
It’s preferable to spay a bird in the hand, don’t you think? (You understand what I mean.) ).
Have you ever heard of the term “prepubertal gonadectomy”? Veterinarians invented it in the belief that it would be simpler to spay and neuter puppies and kittens before they reached sexual maturity. They attempted to avoid the drawback of the traditional approach of waiting until puberty by carrying out the deed before that age. These veterinarians reasoned that surgical gonadectomy, also known as spaying and neutering, might be quicker, simpler, safer, and more affordable if done sooner. Additionally, they were absolutely certain that by sterilizing these animals earlier, they would never contribute to the issue of pet overpopulation through reproduction.
According to a 2001 paper on the subject, âEarly-age neutering does not stunt growth in dogs or cats (a once-held belief), but may alter metabolic rates in cats. The anesthetic and surgical procedures are apparently safe for young puppies and kittens; morbidity is lower and recovery is faster than in adult animals. To date, adverse side effects are apparently no greater in animals neutered at early ages (7 weeks) than in those neutered at the conventional age (7 months).â
FAQ
Is 6 months a good age to neuter a dog?
Male dogs should be neutered between the ages of six and nine months. Nevertheless, some pet owners elect to undergo this procedure at four months. Smaller dogs experience puberty earlier and frequently require surgery earlier.
What is the best age to neuter a male dog?
The traditional age for neutering is six to nine months. But if there are no other health issues, puppies as young as eight weeks old can be neutered. Although it is possible to neuter an adult dog at any time, there is a higher chance of complications.
Will neutering a 6 month old puppy calm him down?
The short answer is no, having your dog spayed or neutered isn’t going to make them less hyperactive. It won’t change their personality much, if at all.
Does neutering at 6 months stunt growth?
Contrary to popular belief, early age neutering does not prevent dogs or cats from growing, but it may affect cats’ metabolic rates. Young puppies and kittens appear to be unaffected by anesthesia and surgical procedures; morbidity is lower and recovery is quicker than in adult animals.