Clinical Use of Deslorelin in Companion Animals

A recent development in the field of control of reproduction in carnivores is the use of agonists of GnRH dissolved in a lipid base. Several GnRH agonists are available as human compounds, and a few of them such as deslorelin or nafarelin are already available on (or being considered as candidate for) the veterinary market. We have used deslorelin (Suprelorin™, Peptech, Australia) for various indications in the dog and cat, including treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia in the dog, treatment of anal gland adenoma in the male dog, control of reproduction in both species, control of roaming and elimination of urine odour in male cats, treatment of post-spaying urinary incontinence in the bitch and control of mammary tumor metastatic disease in the bitch, and a study on the use of deslorelin for delaying puberty in male and female cats is currently ongoing. Because of variability of the number of animals in each category (from 2-10) as well as lack of control groups when dealing with clinical cases of client owned animals, no final conclusion based on statistical evidence can be made. The following conclusions are therefore subjective assessments based on personal experience spanning over 4 years on the clinical efficacy of both the 6- and 12-month deslorelin implants. [...]