spay & neuter weight gain a risk factor for death &

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http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/16/scien ... gewanted=2
new york times sept 15 1203
Survival of the Fattest: How Pets Got So Big

By JAMES GORMAN
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Purina recently completed a 14-year study of 48 Labrador retrievers aimed at understanding some of the effects of excess weight. Dogs who were fed 25 percent less that the standard amount lived two years longer than their counterparts.
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veterinarians and animal protection organizations all urge that cats and dogs be spayed or neutered. Those procedures are a definite contributor to weight gain. And the fatter they are the more they suffer from diabetes and arthritis and other ailments.