Is a Better ‘Fix’ On the Way?
Sterilizing pets may be cheaper, quicker in the future
Birth-control methods that last a lifetime and require no surgery may be available soon for pets.
Animal contraceptives are already being used in a limited way in Europe and Australia, and some experts believe that a contraceptive for male dogs could be on the market in the United States by next year.
Because a contraceptive or sterilant – most likely a shot or an implant – would be cheaper and faster than surgical procedures. Advocates believe it would appeal to millions of animal owners who have neglected to get their animals sterilized.
“We support all the spay and neuter initiatives across the country and it’s clear they’re having an impact on reducing the homeless animal population in this country,” says Joyce Briggs, executive director of the non-profit Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs, Portland, Ore. “But it’s also clear they’re affecting certain strata and missing others. We still, in this country, are not making a big enough dent in the problem.”
Millions of unwanted kittens and puppies continue to be born every year because owners haven’t had their pets spayed or neutered. There are a variety of reasons, experts say, but much of it tracks to time and money. Some pet owners say they can’t take on the expense of the surgery; some say they can’t spare the time to travel to the vet to drop off and later pick up the animal; and in some areas of the country veterinarian clinics are so few and far between it can require a more than 100-mile journey to reach one. Further, some people have reservations about the ethics of surgically altering their animals or subjecting them to anesthesia.
“Clearly we need to reinvent the way we do this, or at least provide additional options,” Briggs says. A non-surgical approach can be accomplished in a fraction of the time it takes to do a surgery.
“Think about how many more animals could be reached in an hour or a day with this approach than with surgery,” she says.
Current spay-neuter initiatives across the country that provide free or low-cost sterilizations to animals (to find one in your area click here, a national referral service operated by North Shore Animal League America, Long Island, N.Y.) are sometimes booked weeks in advance and they require the mobile unit or the clinic to provide recovery containment spaces for the animals after surgery. Both are realities that make the process unappealing to some people and inefficient to the sterilization teams. An implant or shot method would take minutes, require little or no recovery time or space and would likely be more attractive to pet owners who can accomplish sterilization with one quick visit.
“We think this will make a dramatic difference in the pet overpopulation problem worldwide,” says Briggs, who helped form the ACC&D 2000 to push pharmaceutical companies to bring animal contraceptives to the market. Progress has been slow for a variety of reasons, chief of which is that there’s more profit in bringing human drugs to the marketplace, Briggs says.
Other countries have already developed, tested and marketed animal contraceptives, but some are effective for only a year or so. “The challenge is in extending their duration,” says Briggs.
A permanent contraceptive for male dogs and cats called Neutersol was available briefly in the U.S. a few years back but floundered. Abbott Animal Health Laboratories, Abbott Park, Ill., has pledged to produce and distribute that product in the near future, Briggs says. And, by year’s end Briggs’ group expects to present a petition with at least 30,000 signatures to drug companies requesting a concerted effort to create and market animal contraceptive drugs or products.
And while Neutersol seems to be on a forward trajectory, Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs is attempting to raise $10 million for research and development of additional non-surgical treatments. “There are several promising avenues under investigation,” Briggs says, and her group will take steps to “expedite getting these life-saving tools to the market.”
What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, training and loving your pet. E-mail Sharon@Pets2008.com.
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