Dog Daycare? / Contraceptive Implant for Dogs In Switzerland?

I heard about the contraceptive implant for dogs and done some reading online, but am unaware if this is available or possible in Switzerland?

I am a bit against having my dog castrated as, well I see no real reason. He is not humping everything that moves, he doesnt pester bitches, he has no aggressive tendencies.

But it looks like I have to find new dog day care for my boy as my current sitters are unable to offer the full day care I require going forwards, and castration for males seems to be a necessity for some of the sitters.

Was wondering if went the route of implant it might be ok.

Otherwise, anyone got any suggestions for dog daycare thats not going to cost me over a 1000chf a month. I currently pay 660chf and at bit of a loss over what to do.

I think the contraceptive is available, but is only effective for a limited time. Best to ask the vet. The question is whether the kennel/sitter would be happy with this solution.

If kennels take males who are not castrated they must separate them from the females who are not spayed and this is complicated for kennels where dogs share space.

Have you looked for other dog daycare? How old is your dog? Do you think a dog walker a few times a day might be adequate?

As one might guess given my involvement with rescue, I am a firm advocate of spaying and neutering pet companion animals - not only for population control, but also for health reasons*. That said, I have some experience with chemical castration, which is reversible.

Melon (one of the few lucky dogs to make it out of a Spanish killing station alive - see the population control comment) was put on Tardak when he came into rescue, because his grossly enlarged prostate and general poor health made surgery too risky for him at the time.

All the males in this rescue (and most rescues) are neutered or chemically castrated, as the dogs exercise in an open group. In such large groups of possibly untrained dogs where the pack is always changing and supervision is limited, uncastrated males tended to cause social problems - and of course there was always the danger of unwanted pregnancies. This is also why some kennels and doggie day care facilities here require males to be neutered.

Back to chemical castration:

If you go for this option, please research the various drugs available, especially look at the side effects.

Tardak works by adding the female hormone progesterone. Surgical castration obviously reduces testosterone, so while infertility is the end result in each case the chemical changes are very different, and one is not really a replacement of the other.

A reported - but somewhat uncommon - side effect of Tardak use is increased aggression or increased fear behaviors in some dogs. I took Melon off the Tardak immediately when I adopted him and had him neutered (as by this time due to his enlarged prostrate he was urinating blood and couldn't stand for the pain) so I can't speak to any personal experience with long-term Tardak behavioral effects. Certainly the Tardak didn't help his enlarged prostate. A colleague's dog became severely aggressive on Tardak.

Most vets here have switched to newer drugs, but some still use Tardak. If you opt for chemical castration, do make sure you understand which drug the vet recommends, and why - and again, do your research before giving the go ahead.

The newer implant, Supralorin, suppresses testosterone, more closely mimicking surgical castration. I only know of one person who has used it - the owner had not had any problems so far, reports no behavior changes.

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Virb...gs/-48969.html

Do make sure you speak with the vet as to how long a dog should be on chemical castration drugs.

Some info on chemical castration:

From the European Veterinary Society For Small Animal reproduction:

http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/iscfr/2012/36.pdf?LA=1

From the University of Utrecht, a study of chemical castration and behavior:

http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/...7/UUindex.html

http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/...ief%5B1%5D.pdf

There is also another drug, Neutrasol, but I don't know if it is available here. Some info - do especially read about administration issues (it's injected directly into the testicles) and side effects:

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/chemica...sol/page1.aspx

http://www.vetinfo.com/chemical-cast...or-dogs.html#b

Be aware that the effects of any chemical castration on fertility - just like surgical castration - are not immediate. Generally 6 weeks is the 'safety period'.

As to whether a doggie daycare center would accept chemical castration as an alternative to surgical... you really need to speak to the management at each facility. I would imagine proof of on-going treatment would be needed, at a minimum.

Hope you find a dog care solution. Have you considered hiring a sitter to care for your dog at home?

* Health issues of remaining entire: I've had two dogs with severe prostate enlargement, two with testicular cancer. One died far too young, one easily survived the testicular cancer, but it led to hyperestrogenism. He later developed other cancers; we now wonder whether the estrogens released might have played a part in his later cancers. But that is pure speculation. All these dogs could have been spared the pain and related illnesses had they been surgically castrated at earlier ages. Prostate problems and testicular cancers generally surface in older dogs.

That said, any elective surgery should be considered very carefully if the dog is at increased anesthesia risk - and since your guy is a brachycephalic breed there might be anesthesia concerns. Speak to your vet about this. (If unneutered for health concerns, this decision should be reviewed regularly.) Also, some dogs with fear-related behavior problems might not be candidates for neutering until such time as the behaviors have been addressed. Always speak with a qualified behaviorist in such cases.

The important thing, though, is that you make all decisions with your own dog's best interest at heart.

Just found this article, about the implant:

http://www.spezialistenklinik.ch/dow...Kastration.pdf

So yes, the implant is available in Switzerland.

(By the way, I go to the Spezialistenklinik (in Hünenberg, ZG) often - given that they have posted the article in their website library, I'd assume that they have experience with the drug. If your own vet doesn't have experience with the implant, you could always speak with the folks there. )

Thanks for all the info meloncollie.

Funnily enough, the dogsitters were the one who suggested an implant when I queried it's necessity.

I am going to discuss it through with the vet and see what they recommend. My aunt in the UK has implants in her dogs too, and they have no issues with it.

I would happily have someone house sit, its just a case of how much money they would want for it. Though I have had a helpful PM from a member offering a 2 month solution, which could tie me over, as my current dog sitters are saying they only have a two month lay off before they can resume normal service. So might work.

Just weighing up the options.

Thanks

JBZ, may I be cheeky and ask that you update this thread if you decide to go ahead with the implant?

I would be very interested in learning more, most especially 'real life' experiences.

Thks.

Sure, no problem at all.

I spoke with the vet today, to enquire about the implant.

They use Suprelorin, this website was useful for some reading http://www.peptech.com/HTML/Animal_H...n_general.html

It is a procedure that lasts 6 months, costs 110chf for implant and 57 chf for consulation.

The vet asked why I was getting it done, for aggressive behavioural reasons and/or whether he was running away to find a mate, and I said no merely for dog daycare reasons.

I asked her why she posed those questions, and she said it can make aggressive or horny (she didnt use that word) dogs more so for the first two weeks. So I did ask even though he is neither, could it make him so, and she said not likely.

I am going to do bit more reading on it, and will ask more questions at the vet if/when I go for procedure.

Will keep you posted.