Those of us with responsibility for the health of canine
athletes need to continually read and evaluate new scientific
studies to ensure that we are taking the most appropriate care
of our performance dogs. This article provides evidence through
a number of recent studies to suggest that veterinarians and
owners working with canine athletes should revisit the standard
protocol in which all dogs that are not intended for breeding
are spayed and neutered at or before 6 months of age. A study by
Salmeri et al in 1991 found that bitches spayed at 7 weeks grew
significantly taller than those spayed at 7 months, who were
taller than those not spayed (or presumably spayed after the
growth plates had closed).(1) A study of 1444 Golden Retrievers
performed in 1998 and 1999 also found bitches and dogs spayed
and neutered at less than a year of age were significantly
taller than those spayed or neutered at more than a year of
age.(2) The sex hormones, by communicating with a number of
other growth-related hormones, prom