Zeuterin

Just a couple weeks ago, Sean and I were talking about ways to mass spay and neuter in an attempt to curb the rampant overpopulation in dogs and cats in our area. Obviously there are legal issues attached to creating some type of edible sterilizer that you could slip to the neighbor's unneutered pitbull that is obviously used for breeding or chihuahua that is "so small and cute" they don't worry about him making babies (nothing against pits or chis, just look at the stats as far as them being euthanized in shelters compared to other breeds).  Also, there would be problems if one attempted to administer an edible sterilizer to feral cats: worries of under-dose or overdose, not knowing if an animal is sterilized or not, etc. Maybe it is a little too early to think about a "food" version.

However, there is a method that is actually FDA approved and currently being used. It's a chemical castration (for male dogs only) that is administered while the dog is preferably under sedation. The product is injected directly into the testicles, one at a time, and afterwards the veterinarian applies a tattoo of the letter "N" on the dog's stomach to alert others of that fact that he has been chemically neutered.

Obviously, there are problems with this method like any other. As with surgical neutering, there is no guarantee that inconvenient male behaviors will be lessened, things like marking , aggression, or running away (presumably in search of females). Also, who is to say that someone couldn't just tattoo their dogs and say they are neutered to avoid animal control fines? (In our area, it is illegal to own an unaltered pitbull without a license).

It's just interesting to me that, if accepted to vet school first cycle, I will be in the class of 2019, and by then this method might be something we learn as part of our regular curriculum! As far as I am concerned, any way to cut down on overpopulation will be a godsend. 

I was inspired to write this post as someone on SDN had written about it. They were redirected to another thread from last year which goes into great depth on the subject:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=992463 

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=968061&highlight=zeuterin 


This is a link which will lead you to more information as well as a video showing how Zeuterin works:

http://www.bendveterinaryclinic.com/zeuterin-esterilsol-sterilizations.htm