Early Neutering Poses Health Risks

A new study in the journal Veterinary Medicine and Science finds that neutering or spaying these dogs before 1 year of age triples the risk of one or more joint disorders--particularly for cranial cruciate ligament, or CCL, tear.

7% of intact males were diagnosed with one or more joint disorders, compared to 21% of males neutered before a year of age. In intact females, 5% were diagnosed with joint disorders. While in females neutered before 1 year of age this measure was significantly increased to 16%.

Read more here: Early neutering health risks for German Shepherd Dogs