Study Reveals Negative Effects of Sterilization in Goldens and Labs Health

Malka · Jul 17, 2014

An interesting article that found its way into my inbox:

Dog neutering is a very popular practice in the United States. In doing so, people hope to avoid overpopulation or various unwanted behaviors. But is it a good choice for dogs, health-wise?

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine conducted a study with hopes of determining whether or not neutering is detrimental to canine health, and chose Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers as their subjects. The two breeds, which have been accepted worldwide as exemplary family pets and service dogs, are very similar in behavioral disposition, body size, and conformation, and were labeled as conducive to a comparative study.

Upon finishing data collection, which spanned 13 years of veterinary records, researchers made some somber conclusions:

"…The incidence rates of both joint disorders and cancers at various neuter ages were much more pronounced in Golden Retrievers than in Labrador retrievers,” notes Benjamin Hart, DVM, Ph.D., a distinguished professor emeritus in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

The long-term effects mentioned included joint disorders like hip dysplasia and cranial cruciate ligament tears, and cancers deemed "devastating”.
A connection was also found between early sterilization—before the animal is 6 months old—and the appearance of joint disorders. About 5 percent of intact Golden and Labrador retrievers of both genders suffer from a joint disorder, the researchers determined. The rate in dogs sterilized before 6 months old jumped to 10 percent of Labs and 20 to 25 percent of Goldens.

The removal of hormone-producing organs during the first year of a dog’s life leaves the animals vulnerable to the delayed closure of long-bone growth plates, explains lead investigator Dr. Hart.

"We found in both breeds that neutering before the age of 6 months, which is common practice in the United States, significantly increased the occurrence of joint disorders, especially in the golden retrievers,” says Dr. Hart.
Click to expand...

Full article, which has a clickable link to the research in its entirety here...

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/...ation-in-golden-retrievers-and-labradors.aspx

Kitkat_ · Jul 18, 2014

This is why the most I will do is a vasectomy but ideally I wouldn't even do that. If a breeder had a spay/neuter contract then I would talk about a vasectomy on my dog, but if they wouldn't accept that then I would look for a different breeder

6JRT's · Jul 18, 2014

I do prefer my dogs neutered/spayed,
But I do think that's because of working in rescue home & seeing all the unwanted dogs coming in.

Pork1epe1 · Jul 19, 2014

Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have had Georgina spayed until she was at least two years old. But as she'd already had four operations on her eyes and was due to have a fifth one immediately after her first birthday, when my vet suggested she was spayed at the same time I agreed.

I've decided though that the "new man in our lives" will remain intact unless there's a genuine medical reason for him to be neutered.

pugluva · Jul 19, 2014

This is very interesting I've been researching joint disease and early neutering for years I lost my beautiful lab in June and she suffered severe joint disease all her life she was spayed at 6 months it's what was done 12 years ago but I truly believe that early neutering didn't help at all and contributed to her health problems.

Study Reveals Negative Effects of Sterilization in Goldens and Labs Health

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Study Reveals Negative Effects of Sterilization in Goldens and Labs

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