If you’re thinking about adding a puppy to the family, in addition to deciding what type of dog is right for you, you’ll also be making lots of lifestyle choices for the long-term health and happiness of your new best furry friend. Many of the decisions you make over the next few months will affect your dog for a lifetime: the diet you choose, the vaccine protocol, socialization and training, and decisions about when to sterilize.
Sterilization is what I want to discuss today and why it is not a good idea before 1 1/2 years of age.
Abnormal Bone Growth
Back in the 1990s, studies showed that dogs spayed or neutered before one year of age grew significantly taller than dogs not spayed/neutered until after puberty. And the earlier the spay/neuter procedure, the taller the dog.
A study published in 2000 in the Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism explains:
The hormone estrogen, which is no longer produced in spayed or neutered dogs, plays a crucial role in bone growth and development. The removal of estrogen-producing organs in immature dogs can cause growth plates to remain open. The dogs continue to grow and wind up with abnormal growth patterns and bone structure, which can result in irregular body proportions.
Hip Dysplasia
In a retrospective cohort study conducted at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and published over 10 years ago in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, results showed that both male and female dogs desexed at an early age were more prone to hip dysplasia.
Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) Injuries
Sciences Center on canine cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injuries researcher concude that spayed and neutered dogs had a significantly higher incidence of CCL rupture than their intact counterparts. And while large breed dogs had more CCL injuries, sterilized dogs of all breeds and sizes had increased rupture rates.
Bone Cancer
In a study published in 2002, it was established that the risk for bone sarcoma was significantly influenced by the age at which the dogs were desexed. For both male and female spayed or neutered before one year of age, there was a one-in-four lifetime risk of bone cancer.
Other Health Concerns
Early gonad removal is commonly associated with urinary incontinence in female dogs and has been linked to increased incidence of urethral sphincter incontinence in males. Spayed and neutered dogs are more likely to develop hypothyroidism.
Look at the dogs before. One was spayed or neutered under 1 year of age at the other at 1 1/2 of age. Big difference.
