ArticlePloS one2019
Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The association between gonadectomy and timing of gonadectomy, and the risk of canine cranial cruciate ligament disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Veterinary surgery : VS · 2025Pooled it
- Cumulative gonadal hormone exposure is nonlinearly associated with risk of canine cranial cruciate ligament disease: a generalised additive model analysis of 20,590 dogs (1988-2023).The Journal of small animal practice · 2026Article
- When - and whether - should we spay/neuter companion dogs.The Journal of small animal practice · 2025Review
- A Prospective Study Investigating the Health Outcomes of Bitches Neutered Prepubertally or Post-Pubertally.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Comparison of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Rupture Incidence among Parous and Nulliparous Rottweiler Bitches: Evidence from a Lifetime Cohort Study Supporting a Paradigm of Pregnancy-Associated Protection against Subsequent Non-Reproductive Disease Outcomes.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Nutritional needs and health outcomes of ageing cats and dogs: is it time for updated nutrient guidelines?Animal frontiers : the review magazine of animal agriculture · 2024Article
- Effect of neutering timing in relation to puberty on health in the female dog-a scoping review.PloS one · 2024Article
- Correlates of estimated lifetime cruciate ligament survival inform potential rupture risk reduction strategies: findings from the Exceptional Aging in Rottweilers Study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- The MARS PETCARE BIOBANK protocol: establishing a longitudinal study of health and disease in dogs and cats.BMC veterinary research · 2023Article
- A Prospective Cohort Study Investigating the Impact of Neutering Bitches Prepubertally or Post-Pubertally on Physical Development.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Effect of Different Fiber Sources as Additives to Wet Food for Beagle Dogs on Diet Acceptance, Digestibility, and Fecal Quality.Veterinary sciences · 2023Article
- Body weight, gonadectomy, and other risk factors for diagnosis of osteoarthritis in companion dogs.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2023Article
- Dog-human translational genomics: state of the art and genomic resources.Journal of applied genetics · 2022Review
- Once-daily feeding is associated with better health in companion dogs: results from the Dog Aging Project.GeroScience · 2022Article
- Weight loss and high-protein, high-fiber diet consumption impact blood metabolite profiles, body composition, voluntary physical activity, fecal microbiota, and fecal metabolites of adult dogs.Journal of animal science · 2022Article
- Environmental risk factors in puppies and kittens for developing chronic disorders in adulthood: A call for research on developmental programming.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Review
- Cohort profile: The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study (GRLS).PloS one · 2022Article
- Demographic factors associated with joint supplement use in dogs from the Dog Aging Project.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Article
- Development of infrastructure for a systemic multidisciplinary approach to study aging in retired sled dogs.Aging · 2021Article
- Veterinary Big Data: When Data Goes to the Dogs.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionIn the United States, gonadectomy is common and widely promoted as a component of responsible pet ownership. The recent publication of several studies examining the effect of gonadectomy on future health has challenged long-held assumptions and recommendations for gonadectomy in companion animals. The purpose of this study was to characterize the associations between gonadectomy and two outcomes: overweight/obesity and orthopedic injuries, in a large prospective study of Golden Retrievers.
methodsAge at gonadectomy was divided into four categories: intact (reference), ≤ 6 months, > 6 months ‒ ≤ 12 months, and > 12 months. Dogs with a Purina Body Condition Score of 7 or greater were classified as overweight or obese. Orthopedic injuries considered were the first instance of veterinary-reported cranial cruciate ligament injury and clinically evident osteoarthritis. We performed survival analyses on a cohort of Golden Retrievers to estimate the associations of interest using proportional hazards. We adjusted for age at study enrollment, owner-reported activity level, and dog's sex.
resultsCompared to intact dogs, all gonadectomy age categories showed increased risk for the development of overweight/obesity. (≤ 6 months, HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.36-2.40), p-value: <0.0001; 6 months to ≤ 12 months, HR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.77-2.73, p-value: < 0.0001; > 12 months, HR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.24-1.96, p-value: 0.0001). Compared to intact dogs, dogs who were ≤ 6 months at gonadectomy had increased risk for orthopedic injury (HR: 4.06, 95% CI: 2.15-7.67, p-value: <0.00001). DISCUSSION: This study presents prospectively acquired data demonstrating that gonadectomy is a risk factor for both overweight/obesity and chronic non-traumatic orthopedic injuries in a prospective cohort of Golden Retrievers. Our data suggest that gonadectomy at any age is a risk factor for overweight or obesity, but delaying gonadectomy until dogs are at least 6-12 months of age may help to decrease the risk for orthopedic injury.
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