The Spay/Neuter Dilemma and The Hidden Cost to Canine Health

My dog Pax was two years old when I neutered him. He was a young, athletic dog — strong, eager, full of life — and I made the decision for all the reasons we, veterinarians, have given pet owners for decades: it was the responsible thing to do. “Dogs are better off, healthier and less frustrated when neutered.” What I did not expect was what came next. Within months, Pax started getting injured. First, it was an occasional lameness, which developed into one injury after another. Eventually, a young dog who should have been in peak condition became chronically lame. He also began overheating at night, abandoning his bed for the cool bathroom tiles, panting more often than before. His muscles diminished and softened. His coat dulled and became shorter. The joy and spark that had defined him, that eagerness to work, to play, to engage faded unexpectedly. I did what any veterinarian would do. I did my best and treated what I could see. I pursued rehabilitation, anti-inflammatory protocols. I tried, everything in my clinical toolkit. None of it worked in any lasting way. Pax would improve briefly and then break down again. I was just about to scheduling platelet-rich plasma therapy when...