Hello Katy,
Would you say more about whether he has an existing diagnosis of arthritis, and if so which joint(s) are affected?
There have been some studies that suggest an increased incidence of clinical hip dysplasia and cranial cruciate disease (that predisposes the stifle joint to developing arthritis) in dogs that have been neutered. There are also many benefits associated with neutering such as reduction in unwanted puppies, reduced drive to stray to look for bitches on heat, protection against testicular neoplasia and prostate disease, potential behavioural calming. At 2 years old he would be classed as a late-neutering and as such his body will have had the influence of his gonadal hormones throughout his growing period into adulthood.
The benefits of neutering for females are generally greater than for males. Neutered male dogs may live longer overall than entire male dogs, on average. There will, of course, be individual variation with this.
We generally need a greater quantity and quality of research and data as current evidence is complex and often inconclusive. It is also impossible to predict how neutering will affect an individual dog. An overview review of evidence up to 2010 can be found at http://skeptvet.com/Blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/PAV045web.pdf
Warm regards,
Shona (CAM team vet)
