by Himanshu Mehta
(Ghaziabad, India)
This is what I have read on Rottweiler Health Foundation:
Early Spay/Neuter Linked to Osteosarcoma
Research has linked early neutering and spaying before first cycle to significant increases in the risk of osteosarcoma in Rottweilers.
“The researchers found that 14.8% of the Rottweilers studied developed appendicular bone cancer. The relative risk was 1.65 castrated males, 1.34 in spayed females and 1.03 in intact females. The risk of developing bone cancer was significantly higher in animals that were neutered at less than 1 year of age compared with intact animals.
Dr. B. C. Beranek, Purdue University”
Hi Himanshu
That is interesting information. I did try to find the relevant documentation on the RHF website but wasn’t able to. If you could let me have the url of the page where this is discussed I’d appreciate it as I’d like to read up on this more.
There are many benefits of spaying or neutering your dog in terms of a reduction in reproductive order diseases and conditions including uterine infections, mammary tumors, prostate problems, testicular cancer and more. Of course, if there is an increased risk of other diseases, such as osteosarcoma, then that would obviously need to be weighed against the benefits and it’s something you’d definitely want to consult your veterinarian about.
Thanks for the information, I’m sure many Rottie owners will appreciate it.