Abstract
Extensive practice and knowledge of the methods and effects of castration of male livestock and even humans has been widespread since ancient times, but only a few decades ago did neutering (including spaying) become a routine part of canine husbandry. In the US, the 6-month neuter became standard practice. Only recently, however, have some of the consequences of this major physiological alteration become evident. As the data-based study on 35 breeds reveals, there are major breed differences associated with effects of neutering, especially with early neutering, including increased risks of joint disorders and some cancers. The study of mixed-breed dogs reveals that the risk of joint disorders is increased in the large dogs. Implications of breed-specific and sex-specific effects for age of neutering have prompted the consideration of a new paradigm with regard to this practice. This involves focusing on each individual dog when deciding upon the appropriate age of neutering to avoid increasing the risk of a joint disorder or cancer above that inherent for the breed. For many breeds, particularly the smaller dogs, no effects were found for the age of neutering on joint disorders and the cancers followed. In these cases, the caregiver has a wide range of choice for neutering without increasing the dog's risk for these diseases. In the future, additional research may reveal more about other increased risks for age-related cognitive dysfunction or elevated levels of luteinizing hormone caused by gonad removal, and lead to revised guidelines.
Highlights
Reviewed by: Daniel Simon Mills, University of Lincoln, United Kingdom India Frances Lane, The University of Tennessee, United States
Extensive practice and knowledge of the methods and effects of castration of male livestock and even humans has been widespread since ancient times, but only a few decades ago did neutering become a routine part of canine husbandry
As the data-based study on 35 breeds reveals, there are major breed differences associated with effects of neutering, especially with early neutering, including increased risks of joint disorders and some cancers
Summary
Having dogs as companions to humans dates back to prehistoric times: recent archeological studies of dental microwear of canine skeletons suggest that early protocols differed in their diets from wolves, were behaviorally and morphologically distinct, and already were companions to humans in the Paleolithic age, over 28,000 years ago [1]. As farming by early humans came to include husbandry of cattle, horses, sheep, and goats, castration of male livestock animals became commonplace, and was practiced at least 8,000 years ago [2]. In recent times, castrated cattle were selected to be the special display bulls of the Dinka people, as was done in ancient Egypt, and they would be the ones selected for sacrifice [15]. As closer contact increased between humans and their dogs, more people began to neuter and spay their dogs This prevented those dogs from reproducing, and somewhat reduced some of the problematic behaviors of male dogs, especially roaming [18], but some research has found more aggressive problems among neutered dogs [19]. Spaying the females avoided unplanned or unwanted puppies and eliminated estrous behavior, and the proestrous bleeding of the females which attracted males
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