Non-surgical Neutering--Zeuterin. Anyone know anything about it?

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e.murphy518

I love my chinchildren!
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
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278
Location
Illinois
I am an animal science major at my university, and we have learned about zeuterin in a number of my classes. We were always learning about it being used on cats and dogs though. Basically it is a form of non-surgical neutering, which involves an injection in each testicle.

The humane society that I work at has used it on rats successfully, and someone at the humane society asked me if it would be something that could be used on chinchillas because we recently had a group of 6 chinchillas with two babies brought in (not that they are planning on doing it to those chins, they were just curious).

Does anyone know anything about this? If it is safe, it seems like it could be a much safer and inexpensive way to curb the unplanned/pet owned litters out there.

Thanks!

Here is a general link to the product: http://www.zeuterin.com
 
I don't know if it was the same brand, but SNAP in Houston, TX used that procedure on my dog back when he was a puppy. They put him under, gave him a rabies shot, attempted to stamp a tattoo on his ear, then flipped him over to sterilize the area and give him two shots. Then it was off to a kennel to wake up and we were done.
 
The difference would be that the testicles remain intact and there is no incision, just an injection into each testicle. I feel like for that reason it could be much safer for chins because it is just an injection point, it seems to me the risk of infection would be less. I believe they would also have to be under anesthesia for less time

I don't know much about it from the science side of things, I just know the basics. I hadn't heard of it being used on small animals either but according to the humane society, people have brought their rats in to have it done and it worked with no complications.

To me if this is safe it sounds like a great idea, I was just curious to see what everyone else thought about it
 
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That sounds like it could be so much safer, very interesting. Since I was hoping to pair breed in future, that could make it easier to keep retired pairs together, instead of splitting them. I don't know if it might be harder to administer in chins (due to the testes mostly staying pulled up inside the body), it sounds like it has to be quite precise.

Figured I may as well send them a message asking, anyway, I'll post any response I get. I see so many people keeping pet males and females together and refusing to split them, and neutering isn't a great option considering the risk, so even if it was US-only for now, it could potentially make a big difference.
 
That's what I was thinking. If it were available at a low cost to rescues/shelters/breeders, it could make a big dent in the number of intact males out there in the pet population
 
I've talked to a relative about this as I was interested in finding out if it could be used in chinchillas as well. But she didn't find any information on it being used in small animals.

From what I found online it's 99.6% effective. They measure the testicles with calipers to determine if they are the right size for injection. It is a blend of zinc gluconate and the amino acid arginine.
 
The obstacle I see would be the fact that all animals you've named it being successful in (dogs, cats & rats) have easily accessible testicles. Chinchillas can retract theirs up into the body...now, I'm not entirely sure if they "relax" during sedation as it's never been something I've taken note of...but if they do not relax accessibility could be an issue. Likewise, I have no experience with the drug or knowledge of it so do not know what long term effects it could have, as all drugs can have side effects.
 
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