Hot Updates

ASPCA® Grant Funds ACC&D Feral/Free-roaming Cat Population Model
ACC&D is expanding a project to better understand and plan dog and cat population control programs, thanks to a $45,000 grant from the ASPCA. The project will engage experts to develop a computer simulation model of feral and free-roaming cat populations based on available data on dynamics of these populations. Once complete, the model will allow those planning and conducting population control programs to use the software to look at their program and better understand how many cats they need to sterilize, how often interventions need to be conducted, what portions of the population would be best for targeting (for instance, juvenile queens versus mature queens), and what changes in the population they can expect over time...

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Learn more about ACC&D's Population Dynamics Think Tank

U.S. Esterilsol Launch Planned for Early 2012
The introduction of the only permanent non-surgical sterilant on the U.S. market is exciting news, offering an alternative to castration that will save many shelters time and money, allowing them to sterilize more animals. Ark Sciences, the company behind Esterilsol, has begun talking with animal welfare organizations about the upcoming U.S. launch of Esterilsol. Training will begin this November and product is expected to be available in February. The price for Esterilsol will depend on how many orders are placed by January 31, 2012. (Learn more through our document linked to below.)

ACC&D wants to help organizations and veterinarians learn more about Esterilsol so they can explore how this product might help them reach further with their sterilization programs. Please visit our Esterilsol page and read see our Esterilsol Product Profile and Position Paper to learn more. Additional information can be found on Ark Sciences website. And please don't hesitate to contact us directly with questions or comments at info@acc-d.org. 

ACC&D Welcomes New Board Member and Two New Scientific Advisors
ACC&D's directors and advisors volunteer their time to help us achieve our goal of advance new methods of cat and dog reproductive control. We are honored to have a diverse group of experts in animal welfare, veterinary medicine, animal health drug development, population management, animal reproduction, and public health. Please join us in welcoming Drs. Hiby, Levy, and Boone!

Board member Elly Hiby, PhD is the scientific advisor to the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA), where she has focused on companion animal welfare, including population management programs. She was also a presenter at our 4th International Symposium last year.

Scientific advisor Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, ACVIM is the director of Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida and the founder of Operation Catnip. She has led several studies of cat and dog contraceptives and non-surgical sterilants and has been a participant in ACC&D's symposia and scientific think tanks.

Scientific advisor John Boone, PhD, is senior biologist at the Great Basin Bird Observatory and a board member of the SPCA of Northern Nevada. He also helped inspire, organize, and was a key participant in our recent Population Dynamics Modeling Think Tank. (Stay tuned for more on that event!)

Learn more about Drs Hiby, Levy, and Boone here.

ACC&D Announces Council of Stakeholders
ACC&D is proud to introduce you to the charter members of our new Council of Stakeholders, a group of organizations that are taking a leadership role in advancing non-surgical sterilization for cats and dogs: The ASPCA®, Best Friends Animal Society, The Humane Society of the United States, Petco Foundation, and PetSmart Charities®.

Our charter Council members represent some of the most prominent animal welfare organizations in the world. (Several were recently recognized by Philanthropedia as the "highest impact" organizations in this field. Read more here.)  

We will continue to expand the Council of Stakeholders and we welcome you to join us! Stakeholders can be organizations, foundations, or individuals interested in advancing animal welfare, animal health, or public health in a leadership role. Contact Joyce Briggs at  joyce@acc-d.org for more information on how the Council works and the associated benefits.

Behavior Study Compares Surgical Castration with Chemical Castration
One of the questions we hear most often about Esterilsol™ (the chemical sterilant for male dogs) is whether the same behavior changes can be expected with this non-surgical sterilant as with traditional surgical castration. We know that Esterilsol doesn’t reduce testosterone as much as castration, especially in adult dogs, but we don’t know how those numbers translate to actual behavior changes. And, frankly, there is a lot of misunderstanding out there about how castration changes behavior.

ACC&D has long been interested in seeing a study done to explore this issue, and we were thrilled to hear that Veterinarians Without Borders- Canada is working with leading dog behavior and population management experts to conduct a study and finally get some reliable data. The study will be conducted in Puerto Natales, Chile with the support and participation of local officials. It will include three groups of dogs: one surgical castration group, one Esterilsol group, and one control group. Behavior will be tracked before and after sterilization through three methods: dogs will be observed by members of the study team to understand their  behavior (i.e. their interactions with other dogs and humans, aggression, mating behavior, etc.); dogs will be fitted with GPS tracking collars so that their roaming patterns can be observed; and dog owners will be surveyed at several points throughout the project about their dogs' behavior. Then researchers will compile and analyze the data to compare behavior changes between the three groups.

ACC&D has provided funds and in-kind support for this project and is seeking additional support for this Veterinarians Without Borders- Canada project. If you are interested in supporting this study or getting further involved, please contact us at info@acc-d.org.

As updates and data become available, we will share them on this website and through our e-mail updates.

ACC&D 2009-2010 Bi-annual Report Now Available

Please join us in reflecting on the milestones of these two exciting years. Financial information, major donor acknowledgments, and list of our directors, scientific advisors, and Organizational Partners are all included.

Click here to view the report

SenesTech severs ties with 600 Million Stray Dogs Need You

On April 4, 2011, SenesTech notified ACC&D that they have severed ties with the organization 600 Million Stray Dogs Need You (“600 Million”) and its founder, Alex Pacheco, and that “neither 600 Million nor Mr. Pacheco have any claim, right, title, license or interest in our ChemSpay™ product or any other [SenesTech] product.” (Although the separation is official, content on the 600 Million website still seems to refer to this technology in fundraising appeals.)  

Read the update

The Science (lags) Behind the Story: Data supporting claims of a “Super Birth Control Pill” leaves much to be desired
Animal advocates around the world are eager for safe, effective, affordable, non-surgical ways to prevent the births of unwanted puppies. So when 600 Million Stray Dogs Need You (founded by Alex Pacheco, co-founder of PETA) announced early this year that they’ve found a birth control biscuit that causes sterility and is completely safe and effective, it sounded like a dream come true. So is it a dream, or is it true? ACC&D president, Joyce Briggs, attended a briefing held by 600 Million Stray Dogs in Los Angeles on December 2, 2010, eager to find that this dog sterilization pill was indeed a reality. Unfortunately, it appears that the scientific data lags far behind the story being told by 600 Million Stray Dogs Need You.

ACC&D Vice-Chair Reports on Campaign in the Dominican Republic using Chemical Sterilization
Dr. Bob Weedon, vice-chair of ACC&D’s board (and director of veterinary outreach for the Alliance for Rabies Control), recently spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic working on a vaccination and sterilization campaign with the nonprofit, Animal Balance. They vaccinated almost 500 dogs for rabies, spayed over 150 female dogs, and sterilized 55 male dogs with EsterilSol, an injectable sterilant. In meetings with officials, Dr. Weedon and Animal Balance had tremendous success advocating for humane population control, including chemical sterilization of male dogs, as an alternative to culling. Other outcomes include a new plan for a national rabies prevention program. All in all, it was a great success!

Dr. Weedon will be returning to the Dominican Republic in August to train other veterinarians in the use of EsterilSol and to assist with the rabies control plan.

Click here to read Dr. Weedon’s report on the trip

4th International Symposium Proceedings Now Available!
ACC&D's 4th International Symposium on Non-Surgical Methods of Pet Population Control was held April 8-10, 2010, in Dallas, Texas, U.S. Over 185 participants from 25 countries came together to explore the latest science and to learn more about existing products. Complete proceedings are now available, including a report on highlights and outcomes, written abstracts, PowerPoint presentations, scientific posters, PowerPoint presentations with presenter's audio recorded onto them, videos, audio recordings, speaker biographies, attendee list, and more.

Click here to access the full proceedings library