Pediatric Spaying - Results of Studies and Post-operative Investigations

Results of Studies and Post-operative Investigations

Controlled studies and anecdotal reports have addressed many of these issues:

1. Studies have found no significant difference in weight between cats and dogs sterilized between 6 and 14 weeks of age and those sterilized at an older age.
2. Limbs of animals sterilized at a younger age tended to continue grow for a longer period of time than those of animals sterilized later (or not at all) resulting in slightly taller individuals. There is a higher occurrence (by 2 percentage points) of dogs sterilized at an early age with hip dysplasia; however, these dogs are three times less likely to be euthanized for the condition than dogs altered at an older age so the condition suffered by the dogs sterilized at an earlier age may be less severe.
3. While external sexual organs of the animals who were sterilized at a younger age did not mature fully or to the same extent of those sterilized later, there was no significant negative impact on urinary tract health for most animals. Male cats sterilized at a younger age experienced a lower rate of urinary tract blockage than male cats sterilized at an older age. The one significant cause for concern in the studies was an increased incidence of urinary incontinence in female dogs leading to recommendations to delay spaying female dogs until 3 months of age when there is no concern about non-compliance with spay policies.
4. There was no evidence of increased risk of infection for cats. Cats sterilized at a younger age showed a lower incidence of gingivitis (a condition which may be associated with immune suppression) than those sterilized at an older age. For dogs, there was a significant increase in the risk of parvovirus during the post-operative period for younger age patients but the researchers are not convinced that this translates into long term disposition to infection or is directly related to the nature of the procedure. It may be because dogs in shelters are at a higher risk for infectious disease and any surgery increases the risk of infection.
5. While animals sterilized at younger ages were more prone to noise phobias and sexual behaviors, other behavioral issues such as separation anxiety, escaping behaviors, inappropriate elimination when frightened, and relinquishment were decreased in the population.