Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How age at spay or neuter affects obesity and injuries in Golden
By Simpson, Melissa et al.·Published in PloS one·2019·Morris Animal Foundation, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Golden Retrievers was studied to see how the age at which they were neutered or spayed (gonadectomy) affected their risk of becoming overweight or suffering from joint injuries. The findings showed that dogs neutered before 6 months had a significantly higher chance of being overweight and were more likely to experience orthopedic injuries, like knee problems. In contrast, delaying the procedure until the dog was at least 6 months old appeared to lower the risk of these issues. Pet owners should consider these factors when deciding the timing of their dog's gonadectomy.
People also search for: Golden Retriever overweight risk · dog joint injury after neutering · when to spay a Golden Retriever
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In the United States, gonadectomy is common and widely promoted as a component of responsible pet ownership. The recent publication of several studies examining the effect of gonadectomy on future health has challenged long-held assumptions and recommendations for gonadectomy in companion animals. The purpose of this study was to characterize the associations between gonadectomy and two outcomes: overweight/obesity and orthopedic injuries, in a large prospective study of Golden Retrievers. METHODS: Age at gonadectomy was divided into four categories: intact (reference), ≤ 6 months, > 6 months ‒ ≤ 12 months, and > 12 months. Dogs with a Purina Body Condition Score of 7 or greater were classified as overweight or obese. Orthopedic injuries considered were the first instance of veterinary-reported cranial cruciate ligament injury and clinically evident osteoarthritis. We performed survival analyses on a cohort of Golden Retrievers to estimate the associations of interest using proportional hazards. We adjusted for age at study enrollment, owner-reported activity level, and dog's sex. RESULTS: Compared to intact dogs, all gonadectomy age categories showed increased risk for the development of overweight/obesity. (≤ 6 months, HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.36-2.40), p-value: <0.0001; 6 months to ≤ 12 months, HR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.77-2.73, p-value: < 0.0001; > 12 months, HR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.24-1.96, p-value: 0.0001). Compared to intact dogs, dogs who were ≤ 6 months at gonadectomy had increased risk for orthopedic injury (HR: 4.06, 95% CI: 2.15-7.67, p-value: <0.00001). DISCUSSION: This study presents prospectively acquired data demonstrating that gonadectomy is a risk factor for both overweight/obesity and chronic non-traumatic orthopedic injuries in a prospective cohort of Golden Retrievers. Our data suggest that gonadectomy at any age is a risk factor for overweight or obesity, but delaying gonadectomy until dogs are at least 6-12 months of age may help to decrease the risk for orthopedic injury.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31314808/