Early Spaying or Neutering Often Leads to Frail Older Dogs

Early Spaying or Neutering Often Leads to Frail Older Dogs

Briefly

"The focus of this newest research is on "frailty" in older dogs. Here frailty is defined as it is in humans, namely as a broad complex of conditions that include physical weakness, reduced stamina, poorer cognitive performance, weakened hearing and vision and increased sensitivity to stressors. The results indicate that dogs who underwent sterilization procedures in their early developmental stages exhibit significant declines in their robustness later in life, when compared to intact dogs or those with late sterilization."

"At least 8,000 years ago, when farming came to include husbandry of cattle, horses, sheep and goats, castration of livestock became commonplace. Gonadectomized male livestock were strong enough to work and easier to control than unaltered bulls, and such oxen or gelded horses became the preferred draft animals. Spaying females did not become a popular practice until much later because of the surgical complexity and risks."

"Spaying and neutering of young dogs has become a common practice in North America and parts of Europe. Evidence suggests that dogs that have been spayed or neutered may become more aggressive and fearful. A new study suggests that sterilization of young dogs can lead to negative health consequences later in life. The spaying and neutering of dogs became more common in the US when there was a movement toward having dogs live inside homes where they came to be considered members of the family."