Dog Neuter, Yes or No? A Summary of the Motivations, Benefits, and Harms, with Special Emphasis on the Behavioral Aspect.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of animal health and behavioral literature
PubMed 40218456 · doi:10.3390/ani15071063
What was done
The authors conducted a review examining the motivations, benefits, and harms of surgical neutering in pet dogs, focusing on physical health outcomes and behavioral consequences associated with sex hormone removal.
What was found
The abstract provides no quantitative data or effect sizes. It notes that existing research remains inconclusive and contradictory: while neutering is often pursued to manage behavior, studies report potential increases in post-neutering stress, fear, anxiety, and certain types of aggression, as well as elevated risks for reproductive, urinary, metabolic, and musculoskeletal disorders.
Why it matters
This review highlights that routine canine neutering carries nuanced trade-offs rather than uniform behavioral or health benefits, supporting individualized clinical evaluations over blanket recommendations.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review without explicit systematic search or meta-analytic criteria. The underlying primary literature is heavily constrained by subjective owner-reported behavioral assessments, demographic confounding, and conflicting study designs.