Would a birth control pill for dogs be more effective than surgery in curbing the unwanted pet population? That’s a possibility, according to SenesTech, a biotech company based in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The company, which devotes itself to “humane animal population management, is developing Chemspay, a new contraceptive which can be administered orally or by injection. Chemspay induces menopause in female dogs, which significantly reduces the number of eggs.
The company plans to conduct testing in India with a project intended to curb the country’s feral dog population. The current plan includes FDA trials to begin in the United States in about 3 years.
SenesTech is also working on ContraPest, a drug to sterilizes female mice and rats, which have a significant impact on Indonesia’s rice fields. ContraPest is seen as a more humane alternative to poisoning. “I would really like to see us do things that improve our environment and are compassionate to other beings,” Dr. Loretta Mayer, a scientist working to develop both products is quoted as saying. “My passion, without question, is to stop killing animals, however we might do that.”
The original article appeared in The Week.
With the amount of abandoned dogs in shelters and rescues, a birth control pill might just be the answer to the out of control pet population. It is sad that there are so many abandoned dogs. Anything that might keep the pet population down would be helpful.
Absolutely. That’s the goal of this project. Let’s hope things work out the way the developers expect.
I don’t understand why this has not been made availabe for street dogs. I also read where back some 20 years ago, Carnation was trying to get a dog food with birth control on the market.
It was to use MIBOLERONE, in the food. Whe watching so many animals being destroyed everyday, it is really UNACCEPTABLE to allow political agendas to get in the way.
The advantages to this food, FAR outweigh the disadvantages. JMO
Thanks for your thoughts, Joni. I had not heard of the Carnation project. That bears a bit of research.
As for the ChemSpray product, it is indeed being developed for street dogs. The idea behind the product is to help get the feral population under control in a more humane way than is currently used.
I would love to be kept in the loop with this and would promote it’s,s uses
Thanks, Joni. I’ve not followed up on this since the original posting 5 years ago. I’ll do some research and post an update if it has become more widely available.