A study by VetCompass Australia on Rottweilers discovered that neutering before one year of age lowers lifespan by approximately one-and-a-half years in males and one year in females compared to intact dogs.Owners of a popular pet type are being encouraged to keep their animal pooch in good condition after a James Cook University research study discovered Rottweilers could struggle with reduced life expectancy after the snip.A recent analysis of available scientific records collected by VetCompass Australia of 3085 undamaged and 4100 neutered Rottweilers from July 1994 to June 2021 discovered those canines neutered before one year of age had a shortened life expectancy of one-and-a-half years in males and one year in women when compared to their intact counterparts.Dogs sterilized before the age of four-and-a-half years produced comparable results.Surprising Findings on Neutering”Most other studies have actually found that neutering dogs increases their longevity however ours is among the first that went against that,” research study lead author and JCU Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Reproduction Dr. Carolynne Joone stated.”It was a bit of a shock when that wasnt what we found. Due to the fact that we could figure out when a pet was desexed and when they died, we were lucky with the data we had.”Despite the findings, Dr. Joone highly motivated owners to desex their dog, suggesting that owners must focus on managing their dogs weight gain which was common after the treatment.”There are severe consequences for not neutering a dog, such as the threat of a lethal uterus infection referred to as Pyometra, mammary growths, and undesirable pups,” she stated.”Theres a strong suspicion that the lowered life-span is more to do with weight problems than the sterilizing itself, so I would motivate owners to go on and neuter their pet dog however make sure you keep it at a good, healthy weight.”Further Research and Health ConsiderationsWhile it is currently unknown if there is an optimal age to sterilize a Rottweiler that does not affect their lifespan, the research study noted several elements that could influence the lifespan of a pet, including genetic predisposition, nutrition, workout, health care, and ecological factors.Screening for congenital diseases and choosing healthy breeding pairs might also help lower the occurrence of hereditary health conditions in Rottweilers and assist increase their longevity.Dr. Joone said she now wanted to expand her study to other popular dog types, such as Greyhounds and Golden Retrievers, to see if the results could be replicated.Reference: “The result of neuter status on longevity in the Rottweiler pet dog” by Carolynne J. Joonè, and Dmitry A. Konovalov, 19 October 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-45128-wJCU Senior Lecturer in Information Technology Dr Dmitry Konovalov was a co-author on the research study.