Abstract: arlier this year, a study out of the University of California-Davis showed higher rates of certain cancers and musculoskeletal disorders among neutered Golden Retrievers, compared with rates among sexually intact Goldens.The findings challenge what is essentially an article of faith within the U.S. veterinary profession: Thou shalt spay or castrate cats and dogs.Unlike in many parts of Europe, where elective gonadectomy is seen as unethical and the procedure is rare, most owned cats and dogs in the United States are spayed or castrated before 1 year of age."Spaying and neutering is the most common surgery performed in Banfield hospitals," said Dr. Karen Faunt, vice president of medical quality for Banfield's more than 830 hospitals.Veterinarians and humane organizations alike support neutering as a population management tool that can also improve pet health and curb unwanted behaviors.Spayed cats and dogs, for example, are known to have lower incidences of mastitis; castrated dogs have a lower risk of developing prostate disease and are less likely to roam than are sexually intact dogs.Spay Day USA, World Spay Day, and the U.S. Postal Service's 2002 "Neuter or spay" commemorative stamps have reinforced the importance of neutering pets.Belief in the advisability of spaying and neutering was called into question this past February when the online journal PLOS ONE published the UC-Davis study linking neutering to the increased occurrence of certain adverse health conditions in Golden Retrievers.While it isn't the first study to challenge widely held assumptions about neutering, it garnered a great deal of attention, possibly because of the Golden Retriever's standing as one of America's most popular dog breeds.