A veterinary blog for pet lovers, vet voyeurs and the medically curious...
Support Dolittler: Subscribe!
Search
MAY 22th, 2008

No…not yet. But I'm sure the folks over at Texas A&M wish they’d hit the big time with...
READ MORE

Related Blog Entries

Comments
[Add Comment]
The lack of stopping cycles would be a drawback, but if only Cheque drops were safer- I'd LOVE not to put my spitz girl through the stress of seasons while she matures (poor baby got out of girl-jail yesterday and was THRILLED to be able to go to the park again), and it'd allow us a LOT more flexibility about trialling in our various sports, since I wouldn't have to stress so much about "OMG is she going to go into season and we'll forfeit that weekend of entries?" It used to be that clubs would usually refund them, but most have stopped doing that.
# Posted By Cait | 5/22/08 12:55 PM
What about the use of Lupron in these animals?
I don't really know what the effects would be for animals such as cougars, dogs, etc. But I know it is frequently used in Humans to effectively cause menopause, Birds to prevent egg laying and Ferrets with tumors.

Would Lupron not cause the same sort of menopause/anovulatory effect in other animals? Why would it not be effective/efficent as a form of "birth control"?
# Posted By Spazzy | 5/22/08 1:07 PM
Supposedly, there's work being done in Europe on the use of GnRH agonists (such as Lupron) on dogs. Dunno much about its effectiveness/safety beyond that.

Cheque drops? didn't know that was still available. Lots of endometrial issues with that product (as with (depo Provera) so we don't tend to recommend it.
# Posted By Dr. Patty Khuly | 5/22/08 1:40 PM
I don't know about using Lupron in dogs and cats, but in birds and in ferrets we use it monthly and it is REALLY expensive. I think that it would be cost prohibitive in a dog (especially a large breed!) or cat.
# Posted By DrSteggy | 5/22/08 2:26 PM
Good grief. This seems like a swing-and-a-miss to me.

We have enough excess birth control hormones being dumped in our public & private waterways from humans, now we can pet birth control hormones? Yikes.
# Posted By Creature of Habit | 5/22/08 5:06 PM
I don't think we should use these on wild animals. Except the feral cats, but wolves?? Aren't they still endangered?? And if it's going to be given to white-tail deer, then would we still hunt them? I grew up in a rural area, and EVERYONE and their grandma hunts deer.
# Posted By ashleigh | 5/22/08 6:02 PM
I don't get it. Spay and neuter is not effective enough for pets?
# Posted By yoonamaniac | 5/22/08 11:17 PM
Spay and neuter is effective. It's not a safe option or an optimal solution in every single case.

Some animals that should not bred have health problems that make surgery too risky. Some animals, especially large and giant breed dogs, that will be spayed or neutered eventually, should be allowed to reach their full growth and full maturity first (18-24 months). Animals that _will_ be bred eventually, need to reach full maturity first.

These are all cases where having a _safe_, _effective_ alternative to spay and neuter would be extremely beneficial.
# Posted By Lis | 5/23/08 3:44 PM
[Add Comment]
VIRTUAL VET HOSPITAL
Got a sick pet? Visit our Virtual Vet Hospital and admit your own pets as patients in Dolittler's unique pet healthcare forum.
PODCASTS
New! Download our latest podcasts:
ARCHIVES
FAVORITE POSTS
RECOMMENDED
CAREERISTS
Did you always want to be a vet or vet technician? Thinking about it? Working on it? Need some Help?
VetInfo.com
AVMA
Miami Vet Specialist
Penn Vet School
DVM.com
VIN
Vet News Network
Vet Practice News
Vetstoria
"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
- Mohandas Gandhi
This blog is running version 5.003.