Minoxidil : A Baldness Treatment

Minoxidil has become extremely popular due to its ability to stimulate hair regrowth on the scalp of people. It was originally marketed as Rogaine, but is now available as an over the counter generic in liquid, foam and shampoo forms.

When cats lick even a tiny amount, it causes vomiting, drooling, low blood pressure, severe illness and often death. Because the product is applied to the skin, it can easily come into contact with cats either directly, by licking the area, or even from pillows.

I first discovered this toxin one year ago after a report from the Animal Poison Control Center that you can read here. In their list of the top causes of poisoning deaths in cats, it included a drug I had never heard of.

If I didn’t know about it, it meant many other vets didn’t either, and very few cat owners.

The message is simple: if you use minoxidil in any form, be extremely careful:

• Clean up areas carefully after use, especially spills or stray drops
• Do not allow your cat to come into contact with treated areas of skin
• Prevent access to bedrooms 
• Clean sheets and pillowcases frequently

PPD: A Hair Dye Ingredient

Para-phenylenediamine (PPD) is a fixative found in many hair dyes and henna temporary tattoos. It causes a deeper, longer lasting and more intense colour. Oral ingestion leads to intravascular hemolysis, rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria and acute renal failure. 

In other words, this means massive destruction of red blood cells and muscle cells. The release of their contents into the circulation causes downstream kidney damage. This is the same process you sometimes hear about with overexercise in hot conditions. 

I only heard about this toxin last week, but I saw a case a year ago that I’m now convinced was caused by it. 

Mimi’s Acute Renal Injury

Mimi’s owners came to me for a second opinion after he was diagnosed with acute kidney failure. The interesting thing is that despite an extensive search for the toxin, it was never found. However, due to the timing, Mimi‘s owners strongly suspected that a hair dye had caused it.

At the time, I conducted a search to the best of my abilities and found no link between dyes and poisoning. The case remained a mystery. Mimi survived only thanks to heroic efforts by his owners and a number of veterinary teams.

Knowledge of the toxicity of PPD is well known in human medical circles, but no documented cases of poisoning exist in animals. It’s likely that the lack of evidence is due to a lack of recognition, not occurrence. Like in Mimi’s case, it’s near impossible to prove a particular toxin causes kidney failure due to the delay between poisoning and diagnosis.

Once again, prevention is about minimising exposure:

• Use hair dyes and hennas without PPD if possible
• Use dyes and hennas in a well-ventilated place where your cat cannot join you
• After completion, clean up any spills and splashes carefully
• Rinse basins, baths and showers thoroughly since cats often like to lick these areas after use
• Don’t allow your cat to lick the dyed areas

Diclofenac (Voltaren)

A third common cause of cat poisoning deaths is the human use of potent anti-inflammatories. Once again, the risk is mainly from products applied to the skin. Products like Voltaren gel contain diclofenac, which even in small quantities will cause kidney failure.

Cats are likely to be poisoned either by licking the treated areas, or getting spilt product on their paws or coat. In addition to the methods above, prevention should also include covering the treated areas with clothing and keeping the products in a secure place.

The Common Link

All three of these toxins show us how susceptible cats are to household poisoning. This is for three reasons:

1. Cats are naturally inquisitive and will seek out and investigate new things
2. Cat seem inherently sensitive to a wide range of chemicals
3. Anything that contacts the outside of a cat will invariably be licked off and swallowed

The third point means we should add a final form of prevention: if anything not known to be safe gets on your cat’s coat or paws, you will need to give them a bath. This is not a decision taken lightly, but it may be life-saving.

Moreover, I would be careful about any medicines, dyes or other household chemicals, regardless of whether they contain diclofenac, minoxidil or PPD*. If we are learning one thing, it’s that cats will show us just how toxic a chemical can be.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Sources

Anuradha, S., Arora, S., Mehrotra, S., Arora, A., & Kar, P. (2004). Acute renal failure following para‐phenylenediamine (PPD) poisoning: a case report and review. Renal failure, 26(3), 329-332

Tater, K. C., Gwaltney-Brant, S., & Wismer, T. (2021). Topical Minoxidil Exposures and Toxicoses in Dogs and Cats: 211 Cases (2001–2019). Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 57(5), 225-231

* Just look at the ingredient list for a non-PPD containing hair dye for example: how many of these do you think have been tested in cats? Cetearyl Alcohol, Ammonium Hydroxide, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteareth-20, Toluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate, Octyldodecanol, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Ethanolamine, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Fragrance, 2-Methylresorcinol, Resorcinol, Serine, Sodium Sulfite, Oleic Acid, Potassium Stearate, Glycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, m-Aminophenol, Carbomer, Linalool, Potassium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Ascorbic Acid, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linoleamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Sulfate, Hexyl Salicylate, 2-Amino-3-Hydroxypyridine, Hydrogen Peroxide, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Benzoate, Phosphoric Acid, Behentrimonium Chloride, Dimethicone, Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Chloride, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Polyquaternium-37, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Panthenol, Isopropyl Myristate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Isopropyl Alcohol, Sodium Methylparaben, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Sodium Hydroxide, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene, Lauryl Glucoside, Trideceth-5, Salicylic Acid.

While not all are simple to fix, after reading this you should have a good idea of what to do. I’ll rank them in rough order of frequency.

Before the list though, you need to do something unpleasant: make a close inspection of your dog’s body using both your eyes and nose. Pay particular attention to the crevices like armpits, groin, feet, ears, mouth and lips. We’ll use this information in a minute.

Skin Disease

The skin of dogs with chronic dermatitis almost always has a bad smell. You might describe it as ranging from an extreme ‘doggy’ smell to old socks. This is probably due to an overgrowth of secondary yeast and bacteria taking advantage of the skin’s weakness.

Affected skin often looks thickened or wrinkly, and may have a greasy or flaky surface. It can also become red or even black in colour.

Uncomplicated dermatitis on its own does not smell, and so an odour is a sign that the condition has progressed. The solution is never as simple as using antifungal or antibacterial shampoos. You will need to address the underlying skin problem, which you can read about here.

Ear Infections

Infections inside the ear canal are a specialised form of skin disease complicated by severe yeast or bacterial overgrowth. They nearly always smell strongly, and if you put your nose right up to the canal it there’s no mistaking the origin. Sometimes the infection is so deep that the ear canal looks normal on the outside.

Never, never just put cleaner into a smelly ear without your vet checking it first. As it’s probably infected by now, cleaning alone won’t work and it will sting harshly. Once you do this, your dog won’t trust you and treating the problem properly gets a lot harder.

Ear cleaners are great for prevention, but first read about the treatment of ear infections here.

Oral Disease

If you have identified the smell as coming from inside the mouth, there are still quite a few causes. The first is advanced periodontal disease, which is inflammation and infection of the junction between the teeth and gums. This is the most common cause of bad breath and tooth loss.

Once dental disease develops, you will need it treated under anaesthetic, but it can also be effectively prevented afterwards.

Any infection or ulceration in the mouth will also smell bad, so other causes I have seen include oral tumours, foreign material caught in the teeth or mouth ulcers from kidney disease. A smell from the mouth has never in my experience been caused by any area lower down like the stomach.

The smell from bad breath is often described as ‘fishy’ or ‘metallic’, leading to confusion with the next cause. The clue is to look at the location.

Anal Glands

Anal glands are special scent glands found just inside the anus. When a dog defaecates, they release an odour onto the poop which other dogs can detect. Anal glands malfunction when they release this scent at any other time.

The classic anal gland leakage situation is your dog sleeping on your lap and suddenly you smell a horrible rotten fishy odour. You might find a drop of brown fluid. Many of these anal glands are too full and not emptying by themselves.

If so, all you need to do is get your vet or groomer to express them every 3 months and the problem goes away. However others leak when they aren’t full, and these are much harder to fix. Some have infection inside, others just seem leaky. Read about their treatment here.

Skin Folds

Fold pyoderma is a localised infection in folded skin. It’s notorious in short-faced breeds like Bulldogs, but this is easy to see because the hair is short.

The more insidious form is found in dogs like Cocker spaniels and Golden retrievers. The lower lip often droops as they age and a fold forms which traps saliva in the hair. These can get very badly infected and smell like rotten meat.

The trick to finding them is to not just look inside the mouth, but also stretch out the skin on the upper and lower lips. Treatment involves antibiotic tablets or creams, then prevention with antibacterial wash and barrier ointments. Severe cases require a small facelift!

Flatulence

Passing smelly gas from the bowel is a common noxious odour, but at least no-one has trouble identifying it. The solution is almost always to find a food that agrees better with your dog’s digestion. Or put up with it, as the dog is usually untroubled!

Urinary Incontinence

Around 2.5-5% of dogs will develop urinary incontinence. In some females it can start very early, and may be more common after desexing. It is also common with urinary tract infections.

The stale ammonia smell is usually quite distinctive, but I see many dogs whose owners have got used to the scent until I point it out. These dogs can almost always be cured by either fixing an infection, removing a bladder stone or medications to prevent leakage.

Faecal Soiling

Having poop stuck in the hair might seem like an excessively obvious cause of bad smells. However, I see it regularly, especially with new owners of Poodles and Poodle crosses. The hair can quickly get thick and long around the anus to hide the buildup of soft faeces.

If this isn’t addressed urgently with a gentle bath and dry, you often end up at an overnight emergency vet. The faeces end up blocking the anus, and the resulting rash can be terrible.

Prevention is of course all about having a good relationship with a trusted dog groomer, and starting as early as possible. It’s also about avoiding soft faeces by the use of high quality diets.

Normal Doggy Smells

The last cause is the hardest and saddest. Never assume this is what is causing your dog’s bad smell unless you have consulted a vet first: it’s very rare.

Every now and again I see a dog owner who is disgusted by their dog’s terrible odour. Except that I can’t smell it at all, and neither can anyone else in the clinic.

These dogs smell normal. Nearly all of us with dogs have tuned out the natural odour of dogs and can no longer detect it. However, for an unlucky few it remains thick and intense.

I have no solutions for these people, as a bad smell can’t just be hidden under cologne or other scents. Putting a dog outside is definitely not the answer.

But let’s not be negative. Eight of the nine causes of bad smells on dogs are fixable, and the ninth isn’t a problem to the dog. Good luck working it out!

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

You’ve read all the tips for toilet training. You understand the theory. So why does this happen?

There’s actually quite a simple explanation and a not-so-simple solution. Be prepared for some basic neurology!

Why A Puppy Holds Pee Until Inside

The explanation has everything to do with how our nervous systems work. By oversimplifying, I’ll put it into two basic categories:

1. The voluntary nervous system
2. The autonomic nervous system

The voluntary is you in control of your body, walking, talking etc. At the start, this isn’t what a puppy is using when they urinate. They’ll learn this later.

The autonomic nervous system is attending to all our basic functions. A bit like the computer I’m using, it’s chugging away in the background doing major tasks while I use a simplified interface to type. The essential fact today is that this system can be further divided into two arms: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

I have no idea why they’re named this way, but that’s not important. What matters is to know that these two arms are in opposition like a seesaw: when one is high the other is low.

The Sympathetic Nervous System

The sympathetic nervous system is our ‘fight or flight’ network. It’s activated during stress or danger. When there’s high sympathetic tone, you have:

• suppressed gut function (which is why you feel butterflies in your stomach)
• increased heart rate, dilated pupils and sweating (humans)
• increased blood supply to the brain, lungs and muscles
• shut down of rectal and bladder function

This last one is obviously the key point here. The result is either an absence of ‘feeling the need to go’ or with even higher sympathetic tone, letting it go uncontrollably.

We all know this. When you have a stressful day, you often forget to eat, drink or go to the toilet. A bad fright and you might even wet yourself.

The Parasympathetic Nervous System

A state of high parasympathetic tone is our body in ‘maintenance mode’ when we have:

• feelings of hunger and thirst
• low heart rate and blood pressure
• reproductive behaviour
• regular urination and defaecation

This is the resting state, and it’s clearly what we need puppies to be in when we want them to toilet. So hopefully you can now see the explanation as clearly as me.

Even if a puppy knows to pee outside, they physically can’t if they have high sympathetic tone.

Getting A Puppy To Pee Outside

The reason puppies hold on outside and then pee immediately once they get back in is that the house is their happy place and the yard is not. As soon as they come inside, their parasympathetic tone increases and only then do they feel the urge to urinate.

Your job is simple in theory: make outside a happy place too.

In practice this is not so simple. They need to spend enough positive time out there to make it no longer stressful. There are issues like:

• wet grass
• bad weather
• unusual noises
• the sky above
• impatient (or absent) people

You certainly can’t just shove them out and wait for them to pee. Your task is to get them to relax and enjoy it instead of wishing they were safe and sound inside. You’ll need treats, protection from wet, cold or heat, and fun stuff to do.

The older a puppy is acquired, the harder it will be. You want them to be able to adjust quickly, which is often best between 8 and 12 weeks. But you can do it for all ages, it just takes longer.

Once they start going, it gets easier and easier. Eventually you can just open the door, they run out to pee, and then run back for their reward.

This is your reward too, for all the hard work!

You might also like: Simplified Toilet Training Advice

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

I have always been reassured that there is strong scientific evidence for its effectiveness. So it took until 2021 for me to do a thorough literature review of my own. I was shocked by what I found.

It’s not that Feliway doesn’t work at all. It’s just that it probably doesn’t work for most of the things it’s been promoted for.

What Is Feliway?

Although its exact composition is a trade secret, Feliway is said to be a synthetic analog of the substances that cats release from their chin glands. It’s supposed to produce a sense of security and calm when released.

Feliway is available both as a plug-in room diffuser that lasts around a month, and a spray for short term immediate effect.

Let’s now go through each of its three main indications and look at the evidence with a critical eye.

Urine Spraying & Cystitis

Urine marking in cats is often a sign of stress or anxiety, as you can read here. It’s also an incredibly frustrating condition to treat. So it’s no surprise that four published Feliway studies address this topic.

Two should be immediately rejected due to the lack of a placebo group (you’ll see why in a minute).

Of the two remaining, one⁶ looked at the effect of Feliway on cystitis. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they found no benefit.

The other⁸ is the only placebo-controlled study to find that the use of Feliway was associated with a reduction in urine spraying. Sounds great, right? Actually no.

You’re about to see why it’s not good enough to just look at any study’s summary – you have to look inside.

Problems With The Study

These findings were based on only 10 treated cats, But it gets worse. If you read the paper you quickly discover that the treatment group and the placebo group were not equal, something that’s essential for comparison.

In the group receiving Feliway, urine samples were obtained from nine of the 10 cats and two of these contained blood. In the 12 control cats, only five cats had urine taken and two of these contained blood. We have no idea about the other seven.

This matters, because as outlined above, cats with cystitis would probably not respond to treatment.

A third issue is transparency of data. 25 cats were enrolled into the study but three of them were excluded from the final analysis with no explanation as to why. Drop outs from any drug trial always need to be watched closely as these are often treatment failures. Especially when you’re down to ten cats.

I also want to share their data in a graphical form to show you the caregiver placebo effect in action. There’s actually a significant improvement from baseline in the group treated with placebo!

Veterinary Visits & Travel

Hands up who enjoys taking the cat to the vet. Nobody? How surprising.

Kittens usually have a wow of a time whatever they do, but once cats grow up they become territorial and don’t like leaving familiar spaces. A trip to the vet or cattery at this age is usually a highly stressful experience. Anything we can do to help is a good thing.

Four published placebo-controlled studies look at stress in cats at the vet.

Kronen et al⁷found that cats who were sedated and exposed to Feliway had head positions and positions in the cage suggesting lower stress than cats sedated without Feliway. There was no difference in how easy they were to handle.

Griffith et al⁵ claim to show that Feliway is associated with reduced veterinary stress but I beg to differ.

They state that observing more grooming and interest in food indicates lower stress, despite the Feliway cats having slept significantly less and eaten no more. I regard sleeping as a much more important sign of low stress and wonder why they don’t.

By the way, actual food intake (which is a good measure) was significantly greater when they put a cat carrier in the cage for the cats to hide in. It just goes to show that reducing stress isn’t all about pharmaceuticals.

Conti et al³ measured parameters including respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and behaviour such as struggling, crying and agitation during handling both at home and at the veterinary hospital. They found that exposure to Feliway did not reduce the effects of stress.

The last vet visit study is so problematic it needs heading all of its own…

The Pereira Study

I must apologise to my poor wife for the number of times I incredulously read out choice sections from this study⁹. It is one of the most influential works on the treatment of stress with Feliway, but it is fatally flawed.

Firstly I would like a good explanation for why one of the study authors was employed by the pharmaceutical company. And this: “Ceva Santé Animale was secondarily contacted for advice into the study design and contributed to the writing of the paper”. Huh??

Secondly, I would ask why their introductory literature review relies so heavily on non-peer reviewed sources that few others can read.

But most importantly, I would ask why their treatment and placebo groups are so strikingly different. Median age in the 29 Feliway spray cats was 1.5 years versus 4.5 years in the 25 placebo cats. This is such a complete failure of randomisation it makes me wonder how they did it.

Now any fool knows that a median age of 1.5 years will include plenty of kittens, and that kittens don’t get nearly as stressed at the vet as adults. But if you don’t believe me look at this data from a large behavioural study¹.

What you see here are two different peaks: the dark bars are regular cats going to the vet for any reason, and the light bars are cats going for behavioural reasons. This isn’t quite the same thing, but it shows that you can’t compare cats of different ages on a behavioural basis.

As much as I think the results are meaningless, the study found lower stress scores in the Feliway treated cats, and owners who described their cat as ‘easier to handle/more relaxed’ more often.

I’m not the only one who finds this puzzling. Another paper linked below⁴, though by no means perfect, provides some additional critiques and even attempts to re-run the study.

Shelter Stress

Lastly, two studies have looked at measures of stress in cats at rescue shelters.

No evidence was found that Feliway had any effect on stress scores or upper respiratory diseases in shelter-housed cats². No difference in the stress hormone cortisol was observed before and after exposure to Feliway¹⁰.

So out of all of this, we have one study that showed possibly positive behavioural changes in sedated cats in a vet hospital. That’s it. Hardly a solid evidence base for treating such an important welfare issue.

The crux of the matter is this: there is insufficient evidence for the use of Feliway in treating distress in cats. Obviously this is just my opinion and you’re welcome to differ, but all I ask is that if you use it, don’t rely on it. Keep an open mind, and talk to your vet about other ways of treating feline anxiety.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

References

1. Bamberger, M., & Houpt, K. A. (2006). Signalment factors, comorbidity, and trends in behavior diagnoses in cats: 736 cases (1991–2001). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 229(10), 1602-1606
2. Chadwin, R. M., Bain, M. J., & Kass, P. H. (2017). Effect of a synthetic feline facial pheromone product on stress scores and incidence of upper respiratory tract infection in shelter cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 251(4), 413-420
3. Conti, L. M., Champion, T., Guberman, Ú. C., Mathias, C. H., Fernandes, S. L., Silva, E. G., … & Fortunato, V. R. (2017). Evaluation of environment and a feline facial pheromone analogue on physiologic and behavioral measures in cats. Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 19(2), 165-170 
4. Doonan, C. (2018). The effects of Feliway on the stress of cats during veterinary examination. [PDF] wmich.edu
5. Griffith, C. A., Steigerwald, E. S., & Buffington, C. T. (2000). Effects of a synthetic facial pheromone on behavior of cats. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 217(8), 1154-1156
6. Gunn-Moore, D. A., & Cameron, M. E. (2004). A pilot study using synthetic feline facial pheromone for the management of feline idiopathic cystitis. Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 6(3), 133-138
7. Kronen, P. W., Ludders, J. W., Erb, H. N., Moon, P. F., Gleed, R. D., & Koski, S. (2006). A synthetic fraction of feline facial pheromones calms but does not reduce struggling in cats before venous catheterization. Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia, 33(4), 258-265
8. Mills, D. S., & Mills, C. B. (2001). Evaluation of a novel method for delivering a synthetic analogue of feline facial pheromone to control urine spraying by cats. Veterinary Record, 149(7), 197-199
9. Pereira, J. S., Fragoso, S., Beck, A., Lavigne, S., Varejão, A. S., & da Graça Pereira, G. (2016). Improving the feline veterinary consultation: the usefulness of Feliway spray in reducing cats’ stress. Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 18(12), 959-964
10. da Silva, B. P., Knackfuss, F. B., Labarthe, N., & Mendes-de-Almeida, F. (2017). Effect of a synthetic analogue of the feline facial pheromone on salivary cortisol levels in the domestic cat. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira, 37(3), 287-290

No Placebo

Frank, D. F., Erb, H. N., & Houpt, K. A. (1999). Urine spraying in cats: presence of concurrent disease and effects of a pheromone treatment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 61(3), 263-272

Ogata, N., & Takeuchi, Y. (2001). Clinical trial of a feline pheromone analogue for feline urine marking. Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 63(2), 157-161

The study actually looked at 0-9kg crossbreeds but this data should be the closest match to a Cavoodle currently available.

This paper provides the first evidence for small dog breeds on choosing a time of desexing with the fewest health problems. The study compared the dogs neutered at different ages for their rates of:

• joint disorders: hip dysplasia (HD), cruciate ligament injury (CCL) and elbow dysplasia (ED)
• cancers: lymphoma (LSA), mast cell tumour (MCT), haemangiosarcoma (HSA), osteosarcoma (OSA)
• urinary incontinence (UI)

All of these have been suspected to be linked with the age of neutering. Here’s what they found (only bold values are significant, my summary to follow):

UI was not reported in early spayed females.

If this table makes no sense, it’s mostly because there are no abnormal findings. Have a look at this one for Golden retrievers as a comparison. 

Summary: The Best Cavoodle Spay & Neuter Times

As you can see, there is minimal evidence that health problems in small dogs like Cavoodles are influenced by the age of neutering. Owners of either sex are therefore free to choose the age of desexing that suits them best.

Recommendation: 6 months for both males and females.

This is so far the only science we have for the best desexing age in small dogs. Your vet, breeder or online group may have a different opinion based on their experience or personal beliefs. It’s perfectly reasonable to take their advice into consideration as well.

The study authors are to be applauded to bringing into focus one of the most common questions from dog owners. For the Staffy at least, they’ve made the decision a lot easier.

Related: Best Desexing Age For 39 Breeds | Desexing Choices For Dogs | Costs Of Desexing

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

English Staffordshire Terriers would probably be most similar to Kelpie desexing times.

This paper provides the first evidence for larger dog breeds on choosing a time of desexing with the fewest health problems. The study compared the dogs neutered at different ages for their rates of:

• joint disorders: hip dysplasia (HD), cruciate ligament injury (CCL) and elbow dysplasia (ED)
• cancers: lymphoma (LSA), mast cell tumour (MCT), haemangiosarcoma (HSA), osteosarcoma (OSA)
• urinary incontinence (UI)

All of these have been suspected to be linked with the age of neutering. Here’s what they found (only bold values are significant, my summary to follow):

UI was diagnosed in 3 percent of females spayed at less than 11 months.

Summary: The Best Staffy Spay & Neuter Times

Joint problems were more common in 20-29kg dogs desexed under 1 year of age. UI was also more common in females.

Recommendation: 1 year for both sexes, but the decision may be based on other factors such as:

• local neutering legislation
• risk of male dog aggression to children or unpleasant male behaviour such as urine marking
• risk of pregnancy or reluctance to manage a female in heat
• health problems associated with intact dogs

This is so far the only science we have for the best desexing age in dogs of this size. Your vet, breeder or online group may have a different opinion based on their experience or personal beliefs. It’s perfectly reasonable to take their advice into consideration as well.

The study authors are to be applauded to bringing into focus one of the most common questions from dog owners. For the Staffy at least, they’ve made the decision a lot easier.

Related: Best Desexing Age For 39 Breeds | Desexing Choices For Dogs | Costs Of Desexing

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

The study actually looked at 30+ kg crossbreeds but this data should be the closest match to a large breed currently available if it isn’t in covered this list.

While the paper isn’t perfect (more on that later), it does provide the first evidence for large-sized dog breeds on choosing a time of desexing with the fewest health problems. The study compared the dogs neutered at different ages for their rates of:

• joint disorders: hip dysplasia (HD), cruciate ligament injury (CCL) and elbow dysplasia (ED)
• cancers: lymphoma (LSA), mast cell tumour (MCT), haemangiosarcoma (HSA), osteosarcoma (OSA)
• urinary incontinence (UI)

All of these have been suspected to be linked with the age of neutering. Here’s what they found (only bold values are significant, after the four tables you will find my summary):

Dogs 30-39kg

Dogs 40+ kg

UI was only documented in females spayed under 6 months of age.

Summary: The Best Large Dog Spay & Neuter Times

Joint problems were more common in large dogs desexed under 1 year of age.

Recommendation: 1 year for both males and females.

This is so far the only science we have for the best desexing age in large breeds. Your vet, breeder or online group may have a different opinion based on their experience or personal beliefs. It’s perfectly reasonable to take their advice into consideration as well.

The decision may be based on other factors such as:

• local neutering legislation
• risk of male dog aggression to children
• risk of pregnancy or reluctance to manage a female in heat
• health problems associated with intact dogs

Problems With This Study

In the original paper, the authors appear to make some recommendations based on very limited evidence. I have published the original study data so you can see the actual numbers involved and decide for yourself.

The authors do not mention the well-known increase in lifespan associated with desexing male and female dogs, which tends to counteract most concerns about specific cancers.

The study tries to also look at the rates of mammary cancer & pyometra in females, but cannot give an accurate assessment for two reasons:

1. the mean ages listed above are far too young to pick up most cases
2. pyometra and mammary cancer are rarely referred to university hospitals

Regardless of any concerns, the authors are to be applauded to bringing into focus one of the most common questions from dog owners. For large breed dogs, they’ve made the decision a lot easier.

Related: Best Desexing Age For 39 Breeds | Desexing Choices For Dogs | Costs Of Desexing

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

The study actually looked at 10-19kg crossbreeds but this data should be the closest match to a Kelpie currently available.

This paper provides the first evidence for medium-sized dog breeds on choosing a time of desexing with the fewest health problems. The study compared the dogs neutered at different ages for their rates of:

• joint disorders: hip dysplasia (HD), cruciate ligament injury (CCL) and elbow dysplasia (ED)
• cancers: lymphoma (LSA), mast cell tumour (MCT), haemangiosarcoma (HSA), osteosarcoma (OSA)
• urinary incontinence (UI)

All of these have been suspected to be linked with the age of neutering. Here’s what they found (only bold values are significant, my summary to follow):

UI was higher in dogs under 1 year of age, but the difference was not significant.

If this table makes no sense, it’s mostly because there are no abnormal findings. Have a look at this one for Golden retrievers as a comparison. 

Summary: The Best Kelpie Spay & Neuter Times

As you can see, there is minimal evidence that health problems in medium-sized dogs like Kelpies are influenced by the age of neutering. Owners of either sex are therefore free to choose the age of desexing that suits them best.

Recommendation: 9 months for males and one year for females.

This allows for the general trend of later times with higher body weights. It is older with females as they will come into season at 7-9 months, and we want this to settle down completely before surgery.

This is so far the only science we have for the best desexing age in medium sized dogs. Your vet, breeder or online group may have a different opinion based on their experience or personal beliefs. It’s perfectly reasonable to take their advice into consideration as well.

The decision may also be based on other factors such as:

• local neutering legislation
• risk of male dog aggression to children
• risk of pregnancy or reluctance to manage a female in heat
• health problems associated with intact dogs

The study authors are to be applauded to bringing into focus one of the most common questions from dog owners. For Kelpies and other medium-sized dogs, they’ve made the decision a lot easier.

Related: Best Desexing Age For 39 Breeds | Desexing Choices For Dogs | Costs Of Desexing

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

While the paper isn’t perfect (more on that later), it does provide the first evidence for the Saint Bernard on choosing a time of desexing with the fewest health problems. The study compared dogs neutered at different ages for their rates of:

• joint disorders: hip dysplasia (HD), cruciate ligament injury (CCL) and elbow dysplasia (ED)
• cancers: lymphoma (LSA), mast cell tumour (MCT), haemangiosarcoma (HSA), osteosarcoma (OSA)
• urinary incontinence (UI)

All of these have been suspected to be linked with the age of neutering. Here’s what they found (only bold values are significant, my summary to follow):

UI was not reported in any of the spayed females.

Summary: The Best St Bernard Spay & Neuter Times

There is minimal evidence that St Bernard health problems are influenced by the age of neutering, other than joint diseases in females desexed under 6 months. However, it’s possible that greater effects would have been detected had more individuals been studied. In the meantime, owners of either sex are free to choose the age of desexing that suits them best.

Recommendation: between 6 and 12 months for males and one year for females.

This allows for the general trend of later times with higher body weights. It is older with females as they will come into season at 7-9 months, and we want this to settle down completely before surgery.

This is so far the only science we have for the best desexing age in St Bernards. Your vet, breeder or online group may have a different opinion based on their experience or personal beliefs. It’s perfectly reasonable to take their advice into consideration as well.

The decision may also be based on other factors such as:

• local neutering legislation
• risk of male dog aggression to children
• risk of pregnancy or reluctance to manage a female in heat
• health problems associated with intact dogs

Problems With This Study

In the original paper, the authors appear to make some recommendations based on very limited evidence. I have published the original study data so you can see the actual numbers involved and decide for yourself.

The authors also do not mention the well-known increase in lifespan associated with desexing male and female dogs, which tends to counteract most concerns about specific cancers. The following comment in the paper is a clue that it might also have been true for this population:

Across all breeds the mean age of last entry in the record for neutered males was 5.5 years (range 3.71–6.54), for neutered females 5.7 years (range 4.21–6.97), for intact males 4.9 (range 4.15–7.11), and intact females 4.7 (range 3.41–6.32)

The study tries to also look at the rates of mammary cancer & pyometra in females, but cannot give an accurate assessment for two reasons:

1. the mean ages listed above are far too young to pick up most cases
2. pyometra and mammary cancer are rarely referred to university hospitals

Regardless of any concerns, the authors are to be applauded to bringing into focus one of the most common questions from dog owners. For the Saint Bernard at least, they’ve made the decision a lot easier.

Related: Best Desexing Age For 35 Breeds | Desexing Choices For Dogs | Costs Of Desexing

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

While the paper isn’t perfect (more on that later), it does provide the first evidence for Rottweilers on choosing a time of desexing with the fewest health problems. The study compared dogs neutered at different ages for their rates of:

• joint disorders: hip dysplasia (HD), cruciate ligament injury (CCL) and elbow dysplasia (ED)
• cancers: lymphoma (LSA), mast cell tumour (MCT), haemangiosarcoma (HSA), osteosarcoma (OSA)
• urinary incontinence (UI)

All of these have been suspected to be linked with the age of neutering. Here’s what they found (only bold values are significant, my summary to follow):

UI was at rates of 4% and 6% in Rotties spayed under 6 months or 6-12 months respectively. This compares with 1% in intact females.

Summary: The Best Rottweiler Spay & Neuter Times

Joint problems were more common in Rottweilers desexed under 1 year of age. UI was also more common in females.

Recommendation: 1 year for both sexes

This is so far the only science we have for the best desexing age in Great Danes. Your vet, breeder or online group may have a different opinion based on their experience or personal beliefs. It’s perfectly reasonable to take their advice into consideration as well.

The decision may be based on other factors such as:

• local neutering legislation
• risk of male dog aggression to children
• risk of pregnancy or reluctance to manage a female in heat
• health problems associated with intact dogs

Problems With This Study

In the original paper, the authors appear to make some recommendations based on very limited evidence. I have published the original study data so you can see the actual numbers involved and decide for yourself.

The authors also do not mention the well-known increase in lifespan associated with desexing male and female dogs, which tends to counteract most concerns about specific cancers. The following comment in the paper is a clue that it might also have been true for this population:

Across all breeds the mean age of last entry in the record for neutered males was 5.5 years (range 3.71–6.54), for neutered females 5.7 years (range 4.21–6.97), for intact males 4.9 (range 4.15–7.11), and intact females 4.7 (range 3.41–6.32)

The study tries to also look at the rates of mammary cancer & pyometra in females, but cannot give an accurate assessment for two reasons:

1. the mean ages listed above are far too young to pick up most cases
2. pyometra and mammary cancer are rarely referred to university hospitals

Regardless of any concerns, the authors are to be applauded to bringing into focus one of the most common questions from dog owners. For the Rottweiler at least, they’ve made the decision a lot easier.

Related: Best Desexing Age For 35 Breeds | Desexing Choices For Dogs | Costs Of Desexing

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.