A review on chemical castration methods to control stray dog population

Abstract

About 75% of dogs worldwide are free to roam and reproduce, thus creating locally overabundant populations. Problems caused by roaming dogs include diseases transmission to livestock and humans, predation on livestock, attacks on humans, road traffic accidents, and nuisance behavior. Nonsurgical fertility control is increasingly advocated as more cost-effective than surgical sterilization to manage dog populations and their impact. The aim of this review was to illustrate the spectrum of fertility inhibitors available for dogs. Although surgery is the most effective and safe procedure, it is also expensive to use of non-surgical, sterilization methods that would make male sterilization inexpensive, easy and fast for sterilization of large number of male dogs within short period of time to effectively contribute in curbing the growth of the stray dog population were introduced. Chemical sterilization methods so far employed included hormonal methods, immunocontraceptives and inorganic chemo-sterilants (chemo-sterilants such as CaCl2, zinc gluconate neutralized by arginine (Neutersol) and hypertonic sodium chloride-NaCl solution. Intratesticular injection of calcium chloride, Zinc gluconate and 20% NaCl hypertonic solution showed a promising result as chemical sterilants. The review concluded that the main challenges for the future are evaluating the feasibility, effectiveness, sustainability, and effects of mass non-surgical sterilization campaigns on dog population size and impact as well as integrating nonsurgical fertility control with disease vaccination and public education programs. The review also showed the relative lack of research or knowledge related to fertility inhibitors in developing country as Ethiopia and suggested that more works is required in this country.