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Greetings!
Greetings from all of us here at ACC&D! We hope you are
enjoying the summer where you are and keeping relatively cool.
I'm writing today to share several timely updates from the
field of non-surgical pet sterilization:
FeralStat™
There's been a lot of e-mail and chat room buzz this week about
FeralStat, a contraceptive being distributed by a Connecticut veterinarian. This contraceptive
food additive for feral cats sounds like a dream come true. Unfortunately, there are serious concerns. Find out why in our statement below (also available as a pdf on our web site).
Esterilsol
You've likely heard about Neutersol, the first permanent
injectable sterilant for male dogs to receive regulatory approval in the U.S.
Well, Ark Sciences, a new animal health company, recently announced the Mexico
launch of Esterilsol, the Latin American version of Neutersol. Ark Sciences has
not yet announced details on pricing or availability, but are inviting
inquiries to info@arksciences.com. 
We are excited to see this tool introduced in Latin America,
where economic challenges and cultural resistance to castration make
sterilizing male dogs particularly difficult. Ark Sciences has signed Julio
Cesar Chavez-a well-known retired Mexican boxer-as the Esterilsol spokesperson.
We'll keep you posted on progress with Esterilsol, including
potential import opportunities for other countries.
Feeling lost in the world of sterilization? You need a
Roadmap!
SPAY/USA's Road Map Conference is coming up this October 16-19
in Chicago. Topics for the basic, intermediate, and veterinary tracks include
public funding for sterilization  programs, research on effective marketing of
the spay/neuter message, programs for rural areas, efficient surgical
techniques, and non-surgical sterilization (yep, that's us!).
Please join
ACC&D and other sterilization advocates, veterinarians, and organizations
in Chicago! Learn more on the SPAY/USA Road Map Conference web site.
As always, we welcome your comments and questions. Please accept our best wishes for you and yours this summer.
Sincerely,
Joyce Briggs, President
Esterilsol image from product brochure, Copyright Ark Sciences
SPAY/USA Road Map Conference immage, Copyright SPAY/USA
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FeralStat™
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An initial statement from ACC&D
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ACC&D is eager
to support and advance safe and effective means of controlling feral cat
populations. We are always looking for new contraceptive approaches that have
promise for meeting animal welfare objectives.
When we heard recently
about a new product called FeralStat being prescribed for feral cat
contraception, we immediately began gathering information for review by our
scientific advisors. We'll share a comprehensive position in the next couple of
weeks. Until then, we offer this preliminary statement:
FeralStat sounds
like a dream come true. Remember
the old saying, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is (not
true)? Unfortunately, based on
our initial review, ACC&D has concerns about both the safety and efficacy
of FeralStat.
- The active ingredient in FeralStat is megestrol acetate. This is
the same active ingredient which was in Ovaban for dogs. In numerous studies over three decades,
this drug, like other progestins, has been found to pose serious health
risks in cats, including diabetes mellitus, mammary swelling and tumors,
uterine disease, pyometra, and skin disorders. Megestrol acetate is not
now, nor has it ever been, approved by the FDA for use in cats.
- There do not appear to be any controlled studies of FeralStat that
show that it is either safe or fully effective at the dose used. We have
no information that FeralStat has gone through any formal review process.
- Because FeralStat is given as a food additive for outdoor cat colonies,
there is no way to control the amount of the drug each cat ingests, or to
prevent wildlife or owned pets from consuming the drug.
While we continue
our thorough review, ACC&D cannot recommend the use of FeralStat because of
serious unanswered questions about safety and efficacy.
To learn more about
non-surgical pet contraception and to find out how you can help, please visit www.acc-d.org. You can also contact us at info@acc-d.org or 503-358-1438/503-310-4265 with
questions.
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Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D)
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