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      Information Resources on Spaying and Neutering Cats, Dogs and Related WildlifeAWIC Resource Series No. 28
        January 2005
          **Compiled and edited by:**Kristina M. Adams, M.S.
        Animal Welfare Information Center
        National Agricultural Library
        U.S. Department of Agriculture**Published by:**
          U. S. Department of Agriculture
      Agricultural Research Service
      National Agricultural Library**Animal Welfare Information Center**
      Beltsville, Maryland 20705
      Contact us: http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/contact.php Website:http://awic.nal.usda.govPolicies and Links     Table of Contents   Publication Information | Introduction
| General | Surgical Techniques | Anesthesia and Analgesia General
Alternatives to Surgical Techniques | Chemical Sterilization | Hormonal
Methods of ContraceptionImmunological Approaches to
Contraception | Complications Resulting from Sterilization/Contraception
Techniques Related Behavior Topics | Early
Spay-Neuter | Pet Population Control
 | Wildlife
Contraception | Teaching Spay-Neuter
 Proceedings
 | Audiovisuals
 | Selected Web
Sites


Publication
Information   Introduction
  This publication is
  divided into 16 sections.The first 14
  sections are comprehensive bibliographies containing citations about subjects
  related to the spaying and neutering of dogs, cats and related wildlife.Section 15 lists audiovisuals relating to
  spaying and neutering that may be particularly helpful in educational
  settings.Section 16 is a list of
  website resources, current as of November 2004.  Bibliography
  Background
  The bibliographic
      chapters are divided into subject areas that cover
  
  ·surgical
  techniques,
  ·anesthesia and
  analgesia used during sterilization procedures,
  ·alternatives
  to surgical techniques,
  ·chemical
  sterilization,
  ·hormonal and
  immunological approaches to contraception,
  ·complications
  that might arise from spaying or neutering dogs and cats,
  ·behavior
  information relating to spaying and neutering,
  ·prepubertal
  spay-neuter,
  ·discussions
  about pet population control,
  ·wildlife
  contraception,
  ·teaching
  spay-neuter to veterinary students, and
  ·proceedings
  from conferences focused on population control in cats and dogs.
  
  Citations included in these
  chapters were published between 1955 and 2004 and selected from searches
  conducted using a variety of agricultural, medical and life science
  databases.They are arranged
  alphabetically according to the last name of the primary author. 
 Citation
  Information
  Each citation in the
  bibliographies contains descriptor terms, an abstract when available and the
  NAL call number if the particular source is available at the National
  Agricultural Library (NAL). 
 How to
  Obtain Materials from NAL
  Information on how to
  request materials that are included in the collection of the NAL may be found
  on the Collection Services   at http://www.nal.usda.gov/services/request.shtml.Please read the information carefully as
  there are certain restrictions on media and document types. 
 Web
  Site Resources
  There are more than 30
  annotated web site resources relating to pet population control and
  spaying/neutering dogs and cats contained in the section called Selected Web
  Sites.The web sites are listed
  alphabetically for convenience.Readers are cautioned as to the dynamic nature of the internet and the
  fact that addresses and content are subject to change.    Introduction  This information resource began as a literature search for alternatives
request from a veterinarian who teaches spay/neuter in a veterinary college.In accordance with the requirements of the
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the veterinarian was performing a
3 year review of the literature to look for alternatives to the traditional way
in which students are taught how to spay and neuter cats and dogs.During the search, I located information
about oral contraceptives for pets, chemical sterilization options, and the
development of a contraceptive vaccine using porcine zona pellucidae.In addition, discussions about the need to
curb the growing pet population continuously appeared in the literature, with
similar points being raised in the past five years as they had been in the
1960s and 1970s.Clearly, the
overpopulation of cats and dogs continues to be an animal welfare concern.Furthermore, methods of contraception and
sterilization are also being developed for exotic carnivores to control the
timing of reproduction in zoos and to curb burgeoning populations of pest
species in the wild.   As a resource, this publication
provides a comprehensive view of the literature published on the broad topic of
spaying and neutering cats and dogs.It
is hoped that this resource will be helpful to researchers, animal managers,
shelter officials, veterinarians, teachers, and students.In addition, the resource will provide
additional sources of information to pet owners about the impact of spaying or
neutering on their own pet’s physiological and behavioral health.


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  January 24, 2005