|
 
Neutersol is the first FDA-approved drug for puppies.
Studies have shown that the drug is 99.6-percent effective
and is a more convenient way for pet owners to neuter
their puppies.
|
New
Injection Neuters Animals Without Surgery
By Sarah Casey Newman
of the Post-Dispatch
Note: This June 14, 2003 article has been
republished with permission from the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch.
It may look like a puppy’s nightmare,
but it sounds like the proverbial dream come true for animal
lovers hoping to stop the killing of society’s unwanted
pets.
Neutersol, the world’s first chemical
neutering procedure for dogs, has been approved by the federal
Food and Drug Administration
and is now on the market.
In the world of pet news, the story is a
big one – international in scope – yet it comes
in part from a small laboratory in a small town in central Missouri.
Mostly, it comes from the University of Missouri at Columbia,
but even the St. Louis Animal Control and Adoption Center has
played a part.
After more than 12 years of research and
testing, Neutersol was approved for use in puppies 3 to 10 months
of age. Company spokesman Don Polley of St. Charles says that
its maker is already in the process of obtaining FDA approval
for use in older dogs, as well as in cats, with horses and other
equines also targeted.
Marketed by Addison
Biological Laboratory Inc. in Fayette, Mo., Neutersol was
developed by the late Dr. Mostafa Fahim, director of the Center
of Reproductive Science and Technology at MU’s School
of Medicine.
Polley, who spent 25 years in private practice
before becoming director of veterinary services for Addison
labs, called Neutersol “the greatest improvement in animal
care that I’ve seen in the 30 years that I’ve been
a veterinarian.”
What makes it even more ground-breaking,
he said, is that “it wasn’t stolen from human medicine,”
as other veterinary advancements have been. The goal from the
beginning was a safe alternative to surgical neutering of animals.
The final field studies on Neutersol were
conducted at five sites around the country, including Miami,
New York, Phoenix – and Jefferson City. Polley said that
of the 224 puppies that completed the study, 223 were rendered
completely sterile by the drug, a success rate of 99.6 percent.
The worst side effect was an inflammatory
response resulting from an improper injection, and it occurred
in less than 1 percent of the dogs, Polley said.
The only other side effects were listlessness,
lethargy and nausea, and they occurred in only a small percentage
of the dogs. “The symptoms were very temporary, and they’re
minor compared to the complications of surgical castration,”
Polley said. “There’s no cutting, no stitches, no
post-op discomfort.”
The procedure can sound scary – Neutersol
must be injected directly into a puppy’s testicles. “But,”
Polley said, “because there are no sensory nerves in the
testicles, only pressure receptors, and because you give the
solution at a very slow rate, you don’t have to use anesthesia.
With most puppies, you need no sedation or tranquilization at
all.”
Also, the injection is given with the tiniest
of needles – 28-gauge, compared to the larger 21- and
22-gauge needles normally used for vaccinations, he said.
“It’s difficult to comprehend,
I know,” Polley said. “You have to see it to believe
it.”
Rich Stevson, manager of the St. Louis animal-control
and adoption center, has seen it, and he was impressed. “It’s
really pretty amazing,” he said.
After the drug was approved by the FDA in
March, but before the official announcement in May, Polley practiced
demonstrating the procedure on puppies from several shelters,
including the city’s animal center. “I injected
a total of 23 puppies, and 17 didn’t move at all. The
other six flinched, but only a little,” he said.
Stevson noted that the procedures were done
in the kennel, not in a veterinary setting. “To be able
to do that right here and not have to put the animal through
major surgery is a big advantage. There’s no anesthesia,
no cutting, and you’re done in a matter of minutes,”
he said.
Polley estimates the total time at six minutes:
three to position the puppy, which can be done by an assistant,
and a maximum of three minutes of the veterinarian’s time
to complete the injection.
“Compare that to the 15 to 30 minutes
of vet time and 45 to 60 minutes total time for a surgical procedure,
and the savings is tremendous,” Polley said.
Because neutering fees vary from one geographic
area to another, it’s difficult to make a general cost
comparison, Polley said. But he expects the fee to be about
the same for Neutersol as for a surgical neuter. Plus, Veterinary
Pet Insurance has already approved Neutersol under its vaccination
and routine-care coverage.
Jim Howard, owner of Howard Veterinary Hospital
in Jefferson City, which participated in the clinical trials,
agrees. He believes the clinical cost “will be slightly
less expensive than the cost for surgical neutering. The cost
of the drug is the big factor,” he said. “But it
saves so much time. And everything can be done on an outpatient
basis.”
Howard, who has begun incorporating Neutersol
into his practice, noted that the procedure is “incredibly
easy to learn, and the technique is very easy to master. It’s
certainly easier than shots in other areas,” he said.
Polley believes some veterinarians will
be reluctant to offer Neutersol because “the majority
of them recommend neutering for health and behavior concerns,
not population control,” and Neutersol has been approved
and is marketed only for sterilization, not for stemming aggression.
“That’s why we targeted humane
organizations and animal shelters to begin with,” Polley
said, ‘because their main interest in spay/neuter is in
controlling pet overpopulation.”
Theresa Williams, director of the Division
of Humane Services for St. Charles County, is not yet sold
on Neutersol. She said, “I would really like to know the
behavioral effects of chemical neutering before committing to
it.”
Polley said that two large animal shelters,
one in Chicago and one in Miami, are already using the drug,
and one of the large shelters in New York “is very interested.”
So is Stevson, who said that “if they
can continue the process with older animals and cats, it will
be a wonderful breakthrough in the field of veterinary medicine.
We’re hoping that all of our vets will eventually go to
this.”
Howard agrees that “the jury is still
out on the behavioral benefits” of Neutersol. But he said
that in the four years since the clinical trials, he has seen
no health or behavior problems that he could associate with
the drug. That includes his own French bulldog, Yoda.
Howard also said that the drug’s development
“has some really cool implications internationally. I
think when you get into pet overpopulation in Third World countries,
for example, the ramifications could be major. All you need
is a set of calipers (the size of the testicles determines the
dosage), syringes and the drug, and a team walking door-to-door
can cover an entire village. It’s really pretty exciting.”
So is being able to offer his clients a
choice between surgery and an injection that takes only a matter
of minutes, he said.
And, said Stevson, so is preventing unwanted
litters. An estimated 20,000 animals are killed every day in
the nation’s shelters. Anything that can help bring down
that number, and with less risk to the animal than surgery entails,
he said, “is a major step in the right direction”
©2003 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Archives
| Comments | Home SUBSCRIPTIONS
Subscribe
| Change Your
Address | Unsubscribe
Copyright © 2007 — Curators of the University of Missouri
DMCA and other copyright information.
All rights reserved.
An equal opportunity/ADA institution.
Published by the Mizzou Alumni Association
Questions? Comments? E-mail comments@mizzoualumni.org
Last Update:
November 15, 2007
|
