# Suprelorin Instead of The Pill



## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

I took the kittens for their first vaccination today and enquired about the pill. Anyway, as I wanted the safest possible option, the vet suggested an impant called suprelorin. He said it has not actually been officially approved for cats (only male dogs) but in practice, it's used on female cats (males etc. also). The risk is apparently lower than the pill and basically, the cats behave like they are castrated for 6 months-1 year. 

Has anyone used this? It sounds great but of course I am wary as it hasn't been approved yet. That said, the cat pill isn't all that amazing either... 

Would be interested to hear your stories (if you have any)!


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Not used it myself and wouldn't (but I won't use the pill on them either) its been used quite a lot here with various results many finding it works well over the 6 months, in some cases 2+ years before they call again or act like boys again. I do know one boy who's still not working after 3.5 years, he was working before the implant
If implanted in the 'belly button' it can be removed


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

If you don't use the pill nor the implant, how do you stop the queen from calling? 

--
I've googled quite a bit and this implant seems to be better than the pill. The downside is indeed that you don't quite know when the cat will start calling again. My vet said anything between 6 months to a year. I wouldn't mind waiting a year or even 18 months til we breed Pip again so I think I'll go for this option!


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

This implant has authorisation for use in male dogs so, not authorised (or presumably tested) in cats and not authorised (or tested) for females of either species.

If I needed anything I think I'd stick with ovarid in the lowest possible dose.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

I suppose I go with the school of thought that you raise a litter once a year (ish) - and then you neuter after the third litter which will be at about 4 years old. If you keep putting off calls by any means then you end up with an older mother (after the age of 4 in y book) and I don't want that. I think if I only wanted a litter every 2 years I would have a litter, and keep a girl and neuter mum and breed from the girl when old enough. I don't like pills etc especially when not authorised for use in cats - you could end up with a cat that never calls again.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Well, the side effects of the pill is higher so it would seem as if the implant would be safer. Our first concern is Pip's well-being. If she only has 2-3 litters (she's already had one) instead of 3 or 4 nests, that's fine. 

My concern is that it is only approved for male dogs at this point but has apparently been widely used for cats, ferrets and zoo animals with no discernable side effects in the last 30 years. It is more expensive (about 90 pounds for one dose which lasts 6 months-1 year) than the pill but if the risk of getting cancers/tumours and what not would decrease, it would be very well worth it, I think!

I'll do more reading and if it still sounds better than the pill, Pip will be getting the implant in 3 weeks (when the kittens get their 2nd vaccination).


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

The datasheet makes interesting reading, that's for sure. It's also suggested for male ferrets and here's an extract
_The reversibility of effects and ability of treated hobs to produce offspring subsequently has not been investigated. Therefore, the use of Suprelorin should be subject to a benefit/risk assessment performed by the responsible veterinarian._
Of course there's no information or data on females of any species.

In veterinary terms these implants will be considered very safe because they presumably don't have any adverse effect on the health of the animal. That's a completely different thing to any effect they may have on a breeder's hopes. Find me the breeder who is also a vet and has used this on their cats for a few years - them I'd listen to


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## Soupie (Sep 2, 2008)

Although I know this is used in Europe on male cats I have never heard of it being used in females - I think I would prefer to use mnimal doses of Ovarid if necessary.

However I would only consider pill etc if I had an extremely prolific caller.


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## Cerridwen (Jul 26, 2008)

Suprelorin has been tested in various species, cats being one of them. It works on both females and males and so far it seems to be safer than the pill. It's only approved for use in male dogs but that hasn't much to do with that they haven't studied it on other species, it's more of a money thing. As I've understood it, it costs money to have it approved for more species so the manufacturer only apply for approving it for the animal they think they will make money on and hope for some off label use. (Works this way with many drugs).

I know many breeders here in Sweden have contacted the manufacturer for Suprelorin and they've been reassured that it's safe to use in cats. However, the effect seem to last way longer than 6 months. Over a year seems to be more common.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Here's a little more from the manufacturer's own datasheet re ferrets.

_The treated hobs may remain infertile up to four years. The product should therefore be used prudently in hobs intended for future reproduction._

I don't argue that the product is 'safe' in a veterinary sense. I question whether it is (using the manufaturer's own terminology) 'prudent' to use it as a form of temporary contraception on a breeding queen.


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## Cerridwen (Jul 26, 2008)

There are some studies for anyone who's interested (good to know is that the active ingrediens in Suprelorin is deslorerin and it's available in 4,7 and 9,4 mg):

Ackermann, C. L. _et al._ () Ovarian activity reversibility after the use of deslorelin acetate as a short-term contraceptive in domestic queens. _Theriogenology_ 78;4:817-22

Goericke-Pesch, S et al. (2011). Clinical efficacy of a GnRH-agonist implant containing 4.7 mg deslorelin, Suprelorin®, regarding suppression of reproductive function in tomcats. _Theriogenology_ 75;5: 803-10

Munson _et al._ (2001). Efficacy of the GnRH analogue deslorelin for suppression of oestrous cycles in cats. _J Reprod Fertil Suppl_;57:269-73

Pisu, M. C. and S. Romagnoli (2011). Application of a single deslorelin implant in cats. _Veterinaria (Cremona)_ 26;1:9-15

Toydemir, T.S.F, M.R. Kılıçarslan and V. Olgaç (2012). Effects of the GnRH analogue deslorelin implants on reproduction in female domestic cats. _Theriogenology_ 77;3:662-74

If implanting a tomcat with the 4,7 mg implant you should expect it to be sterile for about 18 months. A queen should be expected to be sterile for at least 2 years. For this (and other) reason, the implant should preferably be placed somewhere where a vet easily can remove it. Once the implant has been removed, the cat goes back to normal.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> A queen should be expected to be sterile for at least 2 years


Do you use it Cerridwen? I'm more and more drawn to Spid's comment that it's better to keep a kitten and spay the mum.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

pipje said:


> If you don't use the pill nor the implant, how do you stop the queen from calling?


Acupressure (a pressure point under the tail) or a vasectomised boy


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## Cerridwen (Jul 26, 2008)

havoc said:


> Do you use it Cerridwen? I'm more and more drawn to Spid's comment that it's better to keep a kitten and spay the mum.


No, I don't but I'm considering it. I'm in the situation where I have mum and daughter at home and I don't have the possibility to breed them any time soon. Since the mum only has had one litter I don't quite like the thought of spaying her yet. I don't like the thought on having her on the pill any longer either. The possibilities I have are:

1. Spaying mum and hoping the daughter passes health checks and leave offspring
2. Putting mum on Suprelorin and try the daughter for breeding
3. Letting mum continue eating the pill, hoping for no side-effects and try the daughter for breeding

I'm leaning towards #2. Spaying mum seems like a real bad idea before I know her daughter passes the health checks and leaves offspring. I don't wanna lose this blood line.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

I can understand your thinking when you have a daughter in the wings. I'm less inclined towards it because someone just doesn't want a cat to call. Prolific callers need attention, they lose condition - and so do I  I do use ovarid for them BUT only as needed, one quarter of a 5mg tablet when they show the first signs of being in that pre-call state. Hit it right and it can knock mine off call for three to six weeks. Most cats have an extended period when they don't call so if used carefully, the very worst of my callers may be on the minimum necessary dose of ovarid for about three months in any year. It actually works out to be around one 5mg pill in total per year.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

I have no problems with my queen calling and wouldn't mind kittens. I mean, sure calling can be annoying but we could deal with it if it were the safest option. However, you also hear that queens who call continuously but are not mated will get pyometra etc. This is a risk. The pill is also a risk for the cat. The risk for suprelorin however seems to be more about oh maybe she will not be fertile for a year or 18 months. Hmm, well, I could handle that since breeding is a hobby for me. In The Netherlands, queens generally have litters once a year. Any more and you get the reputation of being a backyard breeder (max is 3 litters per 2 years if you want your kittens to have a pedigree). I don't think Pip would mind the rest. 

Back to the topic: I still have not heard of a really negative effect (negative in the sense of hurting the cat's health) of suprelorin yet. I am more and more inclined to try it out. Is this implant unheard of in the UK?


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

I have no idea if it's available here or not. I guess it suits if you don't mind losing fine control over when your cat has kittens. With Ovarid I can decide whether or not to use it e.g. if the cat if isn't in superb condition I can wait or I'll mate her next month because I don't want her kittens to be ready at a bad time of year. There isn't that flexibility with an implant.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Pip got the implant last week. I forgot to ask what dosage she had. It was about the size of a rice pellet, most likely the 4.7mg one then and was injected in her neck. The vet (another one from before) said that it will last 6months-1 year but I'm assuming it'll last anything between 1-2 years. If anyone's interested, I'll be happy to update you when Pip gets into heat again.


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## silverbubble (Mar 17, 2014)

Hi Pipje, just wondered if you could give an update on how long your queen stopped calling when you gave her the implant? Thanks.


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Actually she's only recently started calling (March). She's had 2 calls so far and they were immediately proper calls. I will be mating her first week of May (if she cooperates). 

All in all, it was almost 19 months before she called again. I don't mind as this gives me more certainty in regards to HCM but I was getting really impatient; )


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Would you use it again? I know this time round it was for a specific reason involving health checks and has done exactly what you wanted but in general would you use it just to take a break from breeding a girl?


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## pipje (Jun 29, 2011)

Yes, I would. My queen is a loud and strong caller so calling that many times wouldn't be good for her (and us). I don't like the idea of the pill and she really enjoyed her temporary retirement. Take note that having nests is not a priority for me so I don't mind the resting period in between. She is only 3 now so far from old. After this nest in June, I'll give her another chip, she'll have a nest approx 2 years after that. She'll be 5-6 years old and will be spayed. Edited to add: depending on time and condition, I might consider one more best but it all depends.


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