Moment of sterilization related to increased risk of obesity and orthopedic injuries in dogs

Sterilization or sterilization of large breed dogs can increase the risk of obesity and, if the dog is young, non-traumatic orthopedic injuries, reports a new study based on data from the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study . The spay / neutral study was published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

"For years, we have been taught that sterilizing your dog is part of the responsible ownership process, but the pros and cons of this decision must be considered," said Dr. Morris Morris epidemiologist Dr. Morris Morris. Foundation. lead author on paper. "The results of our study provide dog owners and veterinarians with new information to consider when choosing when to sterilize or neuter their dog, especially when it comes to health." in the long term of their animal. "

In the general dog population, it is estimated that one-third to one-half of large-breed dogs are overweight or obese. About 2% of the same population suffer from non-traumatic orthopedic injuries, such as cruciate ligament rupture.

Dr. Simpson has studied the health data collected over the last six years from the entire cohort of the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, which has more than 3,000 gold diggers. About half had undergone sterilization or sterilization.

She discovered that neutered or neutered dogs had between 50% and 100% more risk of becoming overweight or obese, and the risk did not seem to be affected by the dog's age at the time of surgery. Whether the dog undergoes surgery at 6 months or 6 years, the risk of weight gain has remained relatively constant.

However, age at the time of surgery appears to be an important factor for nontraumatic orthopedic injuries. Dr. Simpson found that dogs sterilized or sterilized before the age of 6 months were at a 300% higher risk of suffering these injuries.

Although the paper focuses on gold diggers, Dr. Simpson notes that the results can probably be applied to other breeds, especially other large and giant breed dogs.

"Different owners have different concerns for their dogs and the decision to sterilize or neuter your dog is very complex," said Dr. Janet Patterson-Kane, chief scientific officer of the Morris Animal Foundation. "It's a balance in managing the risks of sterilization or non-sterilization for owners concerned about their dog's health."

The Golden Retriever's life-long study of the Morris Animal Foundation is the most comprehensive prospective study ever undertaken in veterinary medicine. Launched in 2012 and reaching full registration in 2015, it gathers information on more than 3,000 US gold lifters, throughout their lives, to identify nutritional risk factors, environmental, lifestyle and genetic cancer and other diseases in dogs.

Owners and veterinarians complete annual online questionnaires on the health status and lifestyle of dogs. Biological samples are also collected and each dog undergoes a physical examination each year.

Provided by
Morris Animal Foundation