• Hero Banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Buying or Selling a Practice
Hospital Design
Leadership & Personal Growth
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Technology
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Live Conferences
Conference News
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Contraceptive implant targets feral dog population

April 1, 2010
Rachael Zimlich, BSN, RN

Bragg Creek, Alberta - A pilot study using deslorelin contraceptive implants in 15 semi-feral dogs is showing promise as a way to control feral dog populations.

Bragg Creek, Alberta — A pilot study using deslorelin contraceptive implants in 15 semi-feral female dogs is showing promise as a way to control feral dog populations.

The study was conducted on the Tsuu T'ina Nation reserve near Calgary and is providing hope to a Bragg Creek veterinarian that more unwanted births can be prevented.

"Many of these dogs freeze to death. They give birth in winter, with no water to nurse their puppies," says Dr. Judith Samson-French, owner of Banded Peaks Veterinary Hospital. "They are bred every heat cycle, and we're having females out here with 16 puppies per little. A lot of them live miserable lives."

Advertisement

At least 700 dogs roam free on the 109-acre reserve, and about 80 percent are unnamed and unwanted, Samson-French says. Cold winters present enough hardship for the dogs, which also fall victim to heavy parasite infestation, starvation, dehydration and cannibalism. Spay/neuter programs have been in place for several years on the reserve but have not been very effective. Plus, no one is tracking how long the dogs that are sterilized survive, since feral and semi-feral dogs only live an estimated two to three years in the far north.

"It's too difficult to catch the feral dogs," adds Samson-French. "In northern climates, feral dogs can not hunt. They do not know how to hunt. So feral dogs have to scavenge. They end up at the dump, and by January and February, they form packs. They don't live very long."

So Samson-French, with the help of the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) and an animal health technologist at the Calgary Zoo, sought a new plan for controlling the population of unwanted dogs on the reserve.

About nine months ago, Samson-French, Julie Felber of ARF and Lori Rogers of the Calgary Zoo implanted 15 semi-feral female dogs on the reserve with a contraceptive called deslorelin, introduced in 2004 by Peptech Animal Health of Australia. The contraceptive suppresses reproductive hormones in animals for 12 to 18 months and is used by several zoos. But the product is labeled for use in male dogs, and the women had to get special permission to conduct the pilot study. The project marks the first time the device ever has been used in female dogs.

Along with each implant, the dogs received rabies vaccinations, were dewormed and were microchipped. They will be implanted again in the fall, and a new batch of dogs were to get implants in mid-March. The implants cost $68 each, which Samson-French and ARF paid for. Samson-French said she hopes their program's success will result in wider use and lower cost for the contraceptive implant.

She will present a poster on her project at the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs non-surgical contraceptive symposium in Dallas this month and is working on starting another pilot study in Mexico.

Related Content:

Medical
Integrative approach to treating Giardia lamblia infections
Integrative approach to treating Giardia lamblia infections
Innovative digital microscopy platform is launched
Innovative digital microscopy platform is launched
Drug for acute onset of canine pancreatitis is launched on the US market
Drug for acute onset of canine pancreatitis is launched on the US market

Advertisement

Latest News

Oldest aardvark in Europe passes away

Integrative approach to treating Giardia lamblia infections

Innovative digital microscopy platform is launched

Enhanced pet health and wellness app now available

View More Latest News
Advertisement