 New!! Just in!!
Just got this information from Dr.Becker, Healthy Pets site....nothing I would jump on immediately, but definately an option for consideration.....I am a bit leary about these injectible streilization things...I had a little Chi bleed to death when I was a kid...she had been getting a shot that kept her from coming into season....it messed up her clotting mechanism and she just started bleeding and bled out...this was back in 1966...they were not doing a whole lot of aggressive care for dogs at that time...we took her to A&M, but there was nothing they could do for her.... So, with that in mind, I very cautiously watch and wait for trials on this.....
~~An injectable chemical sterilization drug will be available for use in the U.S. by the end of this year. It is currently FDA-approved only for dogs from 3 to 10 months, but the manufacturer believes it will be approved as safe for all dogs 3 months and older by the time it is released.
The drug, brand name Zeuterin, contains zinc gluconate neutralized by arginine. It acts as a spermicide and causes irreversible fibrosis of the testicles, which eventually atrophy and shrink in size, but remain visible.
Upon its initial release, Zeuterin will be made available primarily to shelters and spay-neuter clinics. The drug can only be sold to licensed veterinarians who have been trained in the injection procedure by the manufacturer.
The drug is highly effective at sterilizing male dogs with a single injection in each testicle. There are some side effects which seem primarily related to the injection technique.
It’s important to understand no sterilization procedure is completely risk-free, short or long-term. Once Zeuterin is widely available to private veterinary practitioners, we encourage dog owners to discuss with their vet the pros and cons of the procedure vs. traditional spaying or neutering. |