Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers.
<h4>Introduction</h4>In 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 go...
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doaj-6b16e46296ae4d508f3f5a4db9eedce82021-03-04T10:27:52ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032019-01-01147e020913110.1371/journal.pone.0209131Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers.Melissa SimpsonSharon AlbrightBarbara WolfeErin SearfossKatie StreetKelly DiehlRodney Page<h4>Introduction</h4>In 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.<h4>Methods</h4>Age 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.<h4>Results</h4>Compared 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).<h4>Discussion</h4>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.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209131 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Melissa Simpson Sharon Albright Barbara Wolfe Erin Searfoss Katie Street Kelly Diehl Rodney Page |
spellingShingle |
Melissa Simpson Sharon Albright Barbara Wolfe Erin Searfoss Katie Street Kelly Diehl Rodney Page Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers. PLoS ONE |
author_facet |
Melissa Simpson Sharon Albright Barbara Wolfe Erin Searfoss Katie Street Kelly Diehl Rodney Page |
author_sort |
Melissa Simpson |
title |
Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers. |
title_short |
Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers. |
title_full |
Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers. |
title_fullStr |
Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of Golden Retrievers. |
title_sort |
age at gonadectomy and risk of overweight/obesity and orthopedic injury in a cohort of golden retrievers. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS ONE |
issn |
1932-6203 |
publishDate |
2019-01-01 |
description |
<h4>Introduction</h4>In 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.<h4>Methods</h4>Age 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.<h4>Results</h4>Compared 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).<h4>Discussion</h4>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. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209131 |
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