Vaccine Developed to Prevent Dog Pregnancy

Chilean scientists have successfully developed a vaccine to prevent pregnancy in dogs. This vaccine, applicable to both male and female dogs, could serve as a cost-effective alternative to current sterilization methods. According to Reuters, veterinary scientists at the University of Chile extracted the formula for this vaccine from a drug currently used for sterilizing pigs. Dr. Leonardo Shinz, one of the researchers involved, states that the origins of this project date back to Australia in 1989: "What we did was utilize the current sterilization formula for pets, particularly dogs, and also created a better alternative for sterilizing pigs. In previous vaccines, two doses of the drug were required for each animal, whereas our drug only requires one dose." Dr. Shinz explains that the effect of this vaccine is equivalent to that of surgical sterilization without the need for surgery (and all the facilities required for surgery, as well as the subsequent care). Moreover, this type of birth control is reversible since it works by controlling hormones. This vaccine is a protein that has been recombined in the space of Escherichia coli (a type of bacillus present in animal bodies). Veterinary specialists hope this new discovery will help control the increasing population of dogs in Chile, where surgical sterilization is rarely performed. Their goal is for this vaccine to assist a group equivalent to four times the number currently helped through surgical sterilization. Another advantage of this vaccine is that it will not have the side effects of surgery—such as common post-operative infections—and the side effects of other birth control methods in dogs. This vaccine has been registered in Chile, the United States, and Europe, but further testing phases must be completed in each region before mass production can begin.