**Author details**

**Figure 5.** SWOT analysis to the use of antiGnRH vaccines as a contraceptive in dogs.

undiagnosed, pregnancy, nor trigger or aggravate an existing disease.

drawal of the treatment.

150 Canine Medicine - Recent Topics and Advanced Research

**4. Final comments**

Immunocontraception holds great promise for canine contraception; still, several drawbacks need to be overcome before being widely introduced into the veterinary practice. The need for regular revaccination may not be an issue in owned dogs but important questions needing answers respect the maintenance of fertility and the time to fertility restoration at the with-

In this chapter, we have discussed that different methods are available for contraception in domestic dogs. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, which should be taken into consideration when discussing with the owner the best therapeutic option available for a particular bitch. When selecting the contraceptive treatment(s) to discuss with the owner, it is important to establish the purpose for the treatment (short- or long-term treatments vs. sterilization), the schedule of drug administration and the costs of the therapeutics, as well as the expected length of treatment and the objectives for the female fertility at the end of the treatment. It is also important to ascertain the dog category (ownerless or community vs. owned dog), the compliance of the owner with the schedule and its expectations toward the meaning of "chemical spaying." And, most of all, it is important to be confident that the selected treatment is adequate to the age of female and neither compromise an existing, Rita Payan-Carreira1\*, Paulo Borges2 and Alain Fontbonne2

\*Address all correspondence to: rtpayan@gmail.com

1 CECAV (Animal and Veterinary Sciences Research Centre), Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

2 CERCA, ENVA, Maisons Alfort, France
