Determining the optimal age for gonadectomy of dogs and cats

Margaret V. Root Kustritz
J Am Vet Med Assoc 2007;231:1665-1675. 

December 1, 2007.

Elective gonadectomy of dogs and cats, most commonly performed as an OHE of females and castration of males, is one of the most common veterinary  procedures performed in the United States. Increasingly, dog owners and members of the veterinary profession throughout the world have questioned the optimal age for performance of these surgeries or whether they  should even be performed as elective surgeries. The objective for the information reported here was to provide  a review of the scientific evidence, which could be used  by veterinarians to counsel clients appropriately on this issue