**3. Nonsurgical contraceptive options**

Lately, in most developed countries, a variety of possible contraceptive methods became available. Thus, allowing the owner of a female dog or the practitioner to adopt the plan that best suits a particular individual or situation, by weighting the owner's aims for treatment, the physiological condition of the bitch and the expected side effects of the selected method. However, in a significant number of countries, progestins may remain the option of choice, mainly due to economic constraints.

The target population or individual is an important parameter, along with the requested period of estrus suppression. The categories of dogs (owned dogs vs. community owned or ownerless, free-roaming dogs) [15] often dictate the selection, effectiveness, and feasibility of the contraceptive method, because they determine the regularity of the drug administration, the easiness of administration and the ability to survey the animal during treatment. Therefore, temporary contraception is most suitable for privately owned dogs, while for community owned or ownerless dogs, sterilization (surgical or chemical) remains the best decision.

Below the available therapeutic options for contraception of individual bitches will be discussed.
