Zeuterin, An Injectable Sterilant for Dogs

I read a very interesting article about a new drug called Zeuterin, by Ark Sciences of New York.

It was available many years ago as an injectable sterilant for male dogs, but it went on a hiatus for about a decade (something about marketing and production), and has now returned with a new name and a new marketing strategy.

I find this new drug very interesting for a few reasons;

There has long been a demand for an inexpensive, easy to use, effective way to reduce the over breeding and consequential pet over population. But, this is at odds with what many of us vets are comfortable with offering. Spaying and neutering has been for the last few decades the cornerstone of our surgical livelihood. Asking a veterinarian to try a new option after we have spent our careers doing something else is challenging. Asking us to try a new method for a smaller income might be reason enough to cause stagnation of this new drug.

The drug has been used for a few years internationally, so a population of dogs is out there. None of us feel comfortable being the proverbial guinea pigs for a new product.

The manufacturer is requiring veterinarians who chose to try Zeuterin be trained on how to correctly administer it. The drug needs to be injected into each testes. The dog will still have testes in the scrotum and therefore grossly appear to be an intact dog, but over time the testes will shrink and change in texture.

Veterinarians that pass the training program will then be allowed to purchase the drug and begin dispensing it.

The article goes on to mention that the injection only takes a few minutes to administer and does not require anesthesia, sutures, or cost like the traditional canine neuter does.

Could this be the new era of sterilization? Could the ease and cost savings of Zeuterin be the answer to the pet over population problem? No, I don't think so, but I suppose time will tell.

Link to article;
http://mydigitalpublication.com/display_article.php?id=12354955