Audio Summary Transcript

Hello, my name is Daniel and I'm a veterinary surgeon working in small animal first opinion and referral practice. This is an Audio Summary of my Knowledge Summary titled ‘Does early neutering increase the risk of cranial cruciate ligament rupture?’. Cranial cruciate ligament disease is one of the most common causes of pelvic limb lameness and disability in dogs. Neutering at any age, but also at a young age, has previously been associated with an elevated risk of various diseases, such as cranial cruciate ligament disease.

Early neutering, in this summary, was defined as neutering performed at less than 1 year of age. This summary also only considered the effect on bitches.

Eight studies pertaining to early neutering in bitches and the risk of cranial cruciate ligament rupture were reviewed. Four studies were retrospective cohort studies, two studies were prospective longitudinal cohort studies, one study was a retrospective case-control study, and the final study was a prospective case-control study.

The evidence was mixed. However, the majority of studies reported an increased risk of cranial cruciate ligament disease in bitches after early neutering. Most studies only assess a narrow range of breeds, and methodological limitations did not allow direct comparison between studies.

Overall, the evidence was of moderate quality, that early neutering in Golden Retriever, German Shepherd dog, and Rottweiler bitches increased the risk of cranial cruciate ligament disease. In other breeds, there is limited evidence to draw conclusions.