Zeuterin now FDA approved and being used more widely

[SplitDik (imported)]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/0 ... -Cdz0qwL8s

‘Zeutering’ offers neutering for dogs without surgery

By Emma Baccellieri

ebaccellieri@charlotteobserver.com

Posted: Friday, Jul. 18, 2014

A new method of neutering male dogs without surgery is gaining popularity, but some local veterinarians have concerns about its effectiveness.

In June, the Spay Neuter Assistance Program of North Carolina became the first organization in the state to practice “zeutering,” or neutering dogs by injecting the testicles with a zinc compound called Zeuterin.

The procedure does not require anesthesia and can be done in less than 10 minutes. Zeuterin is an appealing option for shelters looking to curb overpopulation, as well as for pet owners who take issue with traditional castration, said Laureen Bartfield, president and executive director of SNAP-NC.

Several local vets, however, say that they are uneasy about the new technique because they feel that it is too early to know the full range of effects Zeuterin could have.

With Zeuterin, the dogs’ testosterone production drops to 40 or 50 percent rather than zero. Testosterone is linked to certain behavioral patterns, such as roaming and showing aggression toward other dogs, and neutering is often encouraged not only to sterilize dogs but also to change these patterns. Because Zeuterin does not cut off testosterone production completely, the behavioral change may not be as pronounced. For some dog owners, this might be preferable, Bartfield noted.

“This is attractive to some people that, for whatever reason, whether it’s cultural, whether it’s machismo, want male dogs to have testicles and have testosterone,” Bartfield said.

For most dog owners, however, maintaining this level of testosterone is likely not ideal, noted Michelle Hayes, a veterinarian at Spay Neuter Clinic of the Carolinas on Providence Road, which does not use Zeuterin.

“In my mind, you’re not reducing the major behavior that you want to get rid of,” Hayes said.

Veterinarians must be specially trained to administer Zeuterin, which became commercially available in February after being approved by the FDA. Vets from more than 70 clinics and animal hospitals across the country have been trained to perform the injection since it was introduced.

There are currently two North Carolina organizations with veterinarians licensed to offer the injection, according to the Zeuterin Network website. In addition to being offered at SNAP-NC, which maintains mobile clinics at 19 locations in the Triangle area, Zeuterin can be found at Total Bond Veterinary Hospital, which has five locations in and around Charlotte.

“Any alternative to surgical sterilization deserves attention,” said Mark Epstein, medical director of Total Bond. A complete absence of testosterone has been linked to health problems, he noted, and so Zeuterin’s capacity to neuter while allowing testosterone production could be a positive step forward.

Cary Bernstein, executive director of Spay Neuter Charlotte, said the drug has not been in the marketplace long enough for her to feel comfortable recommending it.

The fact that Zeuterin leaves dogs open to testicular cancer later in life, a possibility that is eliminated by traditional castration, is also a concern, Bernstein said.

But for older dogs or dogs with certain medical conditions, Zeuterin offers a chance to be neutered that otherwise would not be possible, Bartfield said. Anesthesia, which is used in traditional surgical neutering, is often unsafe for these dogs, and Zeuterin allows them to be neutered without the risk.

[wannabe (imported)]

Is it a permanent affect?

Or is it being made out to be preferable and convenient purely because the convenience is really that you have to get it done every so many years which means repeat business for vets?

[butterflyjack (imported)]

I'm wondering what it will do for humans??Perhaps two, or maybe three injections would leave us castrated?? Unfortunately, it would seem the problems would still be there(testes)...Interesting though..Thanks Jackie

[gandalf (imported)]

Sounds like someone or some peoples have read some of the stories where Nutersol is used. (Nutrisol?)

[SplitDik (imported)]

Yes, this is basically Neutersol. The zinc-based injections do reduce testosterone, but seems to be a somewhat incomplete effect. However, for some people that might be preferable -- since many castrated guys end up going back on mild HRT to avoid hot flashes and other undesirable effects.

I think I did read it is somewhat dose dependent and that multiple injections would have some cumulative effect. Not clear that it would easily fully castrate though.

[ZeuterMe (imported)]

I'm wondering what it will do for humans??Perhaps two, or maybe three injections would leave us castrated?? Unfortunately, it would seem the problems would still be there(testes)...Interesting though..Thanks Jackie

Quite a while back, someone here whipped up a batch of homebrew neutersol and injected it in the hope of curing some really rip-snorting testicle pain. He had a whole week of blissful remission, but it returned with a vengeance, and after that his urologist realized just how much the fella was suffering and finished what he started.

Having leafed through as much of the literature as I could find in open-access journals, or otherwise beg borrow or steal, the effect seems to be sterility like a vasectomy, caused by sclerosis - blocking by scar tissue - of semineferous tubules, combined with an approximately 50% reduction in testosterone production. These seem to kick in far faster than CaCl based solutions, which interfere with the cell cycle, only ablating tissue when the cell goes to divide. Zinc, on the other hand, seems to do its dirt immediately, since it's flushed from the system in about three days and can't linger long enough to act on the biological clock.

Gandalf, Zeuterin is essentially a third-generation Neutersol. The biggest change was the addition of DMSO, to mitigate inflammation (and any pain and discomfort secondary to it) and ensure thorough perfusion of the testicle by the zinc salt.

If my pain continues to worsen, and we can take cancer off the table, I'll probably try to find a urologist willing to go to a Zeuterin training and do me, in order to get a journal article out of it. Not because I expect it to solve all my problems, but because how much worse can I make things, if I'm willing to resort to a surgical fix? It also means that they can be popped out a month later and sectioned for high-resolution microscopy, and evidence about the claimed painlessness of the procedure can be either supported or refuted.

Like, for science.