Effects of neutering on female dog health have been reported in previous studies, and it is suggested these relate to age at the time of neutering for some diseases. However, these studies have shown variation in their methodologies and study populations, making comparisons more difficult.
In a new scoping review, academics in the UK systematically searched the available literature on dog neutering to identify evidence on the effect of neutering timing on five health outcomes: atopy, developmental orthopaedic disease, neoplasia, obesity and urogenital disease.
The review by a team at the University of Nottingham, England, specifically looked at how neutering female dogs affects their health in these five aways, specifically when it’s done both before and after puberty.
The review—published in PLOS ONE—identified a lack of evidence relating to the impacts of neutering female dogs before or after puberty on these five areas of dog health. Few studies were identified that investigated the health implications of neutering female dogs considering their pubertal status at the time. Most of the other studies did not focus on puberty and instead just considered the dog’s age.
This information is important for veterinarians and dog owners when deciding on neutering timing, as the impact on health is still unclear.
“Conflicting information in the veterinary literature regarding the beneficial and detrimental impacts of neutering at different times makes decisions regarding the best time to neuter female dogs difficult for pet dog owners, and providing advice to owners difficult for veterinarians,” lead researcher Rachel Moxon said.
“Similar to the findings of another review by this research group that looked at the effects on behaviour, this review has identified a lack of evidence related to the impacts of neutering female dogs before or after puberty on five aspects of female dog health.”
