BVA and BSAVA unveil new neutering policy

A newly published policy document has urged veterinary professionals to resist adopting a “one-size-fits-all” approach to neutering dogs and cats.

Feline advice is unchanged in the BVA and BSAVA paper, recommending cats are neutered at around four months old unless intended for breeding or where there are “clinical reasons” not to.

But it warned common ground was limited in relation to dogs, with the only “point of consensus” indicating animals should not be neutered until after puberty.

‘Evidence gaps’

BVA senior vice-president Elizabeth Mullineaux said: “Given the complexities around neutering dogs, we are calling for more comprehensive research that summarises evidence gaps and risk factors of neutering for common breeds to further help vets in advising owners.

“More studies are also needed into the impacts of neutering on male and female cats.”

The topic has been revisited in response to new evidence compiled since the BVA’s most recent policy paper was published in 2019.

The associations stressed they were not seeking to address ethical questions around neutering, but focusing purely on the health and welfare of individual animals, their potential offspring and the wider population.

After puberty

For dogs, the document said the consensus suggesting neutering “should wait until after puberty, at around 12 months, or later for larger breeds”.

But while spaying appeared to be favoured for females, the groups argued the treatment of male dogs “appears to come down to a case-by-case assessment of whether neutering” would benefit an individual animal or not.

Data from the BSAVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey indicated many clinicians are already adopting a contextualised approach, with 55% and 48% of respondents indicating they did so for male and female dogs respectively.

Around a third also reported carrying out neutering between 12 and 24 months with the proportion doing so for females (36%) slightly higher than for males (31%).

‘Tools that help’

BSAVA president Julian Hoad said “ambiguities still exist” around the issue despite the document considering a range of research outputs.

He added: “The resulting aim of the policy is to support veterinary professionals in clinical practice by equipping them with the tools that help them in offering tailored neutering advice to pet owners.”

The full document is available via the BVA’s website.