THE
THE CONTRACEPTION ADVISORY GROUP IN COLLABORATION
WITH
THE ZOOPHARM DIVISION OF WILDLIFE PHARMACEUTICALS
ANNOUNCE A NEW CONTRACEPTIVE METHOD: MGA IN LIQUID
SOLUTION FOR ORAL DELIVERY
The Product
The progestin melengestrol
acetate (MGA) is dissolved in a special propylene glycol formulation for orally
delivered contraception.
Recommended Use
This product is considered suitable for species in
which MGA has been shown to be safe and effective (see
Information on Safety to Humans
When used as directed, this product poses no health
risk to humans. Domestic cattle are 240
times more sensitive to MGA than are humans, that is, a human would have to
ingest a dose 240 times higher than that ingested by cattle to have the same
effect. The doses being recommended for
exotic ungulates are within the range used for cattle, and those being
recommended for small mammals such as bats and rodents are much smaller.
ZooPharm believes this MGA formulation is not a
hazardous material according to the OSHA Hazard Communications Standard, 29 CFR
1910.1200 or the EPA Community Right-to-Know regulations. Therefore, no Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS) have been produced. If you have
any questions, call Dr. Bill Lance at 970-484-6267.
Information on Safety to Treated Animals
As with all contraceptives used for exotic species,
the oral administration of MGA must be considered experimental. MGA has been fed to domestic cattle for
decades without untoward effects, which suggests that it should be generally
safe for ruminants. However, exotic
ruminants have not been treated orally with MGA for more than 10 years, so
possible long-term effects are unknown.
Also, as with most drugs, species differences apply. In particular, MGA liquid is not recommended
for carnivores, since synthetic progestins have been shown to be associated
with deleterious effects in this group.
For these reasons, it is critical that records be kept on the dose
delivered per day, date started, date ended, presence of male(s) when
administered to social groups or herds, signs of estrous behavior, birth dates
of any offspring born, abortions, date of death if an individual dies and any
other pertinent observations. These
include results of any reproductive tract examinations or abnormal blood
chemistries from both MGA-treated and untreated animals, including males that
ingest MGA during group feeding. Cases of dominant animals ingesting large
doses (if group fed) should be noted. Records must be included annually in
the
Complete reproductive tracts are needed from contracepted (treated) and non-contracepted
(control) females and males to determine whether there are any deleterious
effects associated with the contraceptive.
Reproductive tracts (collected during ovariohysterectomy,
castration or necropsy) can be fixed in buffered formalin by immersion of the
entire tract for 72 hrs if an incision is made in each horn or in the testis or
ovary, making sure there is a ratio of 1 part tissue to 10 parts formalin. If sending the entire tract is impractical,
send a description (or photos) of necropsy results, samples of all lesions (if
any), 2 endometrial samples (be sure to include both caruncles
and inter‑caruncular areas) and both ovaries. A
brief summary of the reproductive history of each animal should be included.
Protocols for submission of samples to the AZA Health Surveillance Program are
available at their website: www.stlzoo.org/contraception.
Tissue
samples should be sent to Dr. Linda Munson at Dept.VM-PMI,
1126 Haring Hall,
Administration of MGA Liquid Contraceptive
MGA liquid can be added to a treat and delivered to
individual animals, can be delivered directly into the mouth of animals such as
hippos, or can be added to the regular diet and fed individually or to
groups. However, it is important to
insure that each female ingests at least the minimum effective dose every day
or ovulation and pregnancy can result.
If a female refuses to consume the dose, she should be separated from
males until she is has consumed the proper dose again for at least one week.
Latency to effectiveness and to reversal
Keep females separate from males during the first week
of administration. Time to reversal is
highly individual, but could be as little as two days after cessation of
treatment.
Use during pregnancy or lactation
Because progestins can block uterine contractions in
some species (particularly ungulates), progestin contraception is NOT
recommended for pregnant animals.
However, progestins are believed to be safe for lactating females.
Recommended doses
The product comes as a solution of 1mg MGA/ml. The following daily MGA doses are
recommended:
0.1 mg MGA/day/animal - for small mammals such as
bats and rodents
0.5 mg MGA/day/animal - for ungulates up to about 800
lbs
1.0 mg MGA/day/animal - for ungulates larger than 800
lbs, except giraffe and hippopotamus (see below).
2.0 - 3.0 mg MGA/day/animal- for giraffe and
hippopotamus
NOTE: The
maximum safe dose is considered to be more than 3 times that recommended for
contraception (suids are apparently an exception, in
that the minimum effective contraceptive dose can be associated with
deleterious effects).
Although progestin contraception can often be
effective even when ovulation is not blocked, to ensure efficacy we recommend
that the dose be sufficiently high to suppress estrous behavior. Please report observations of estrous
behavior in treated animals to
Pricing Information
The formulation is compounded to a 1mg/ml strength in
a 30 ml vial, at a price of $25.00 plus shipping and handling. A more dilute strength can be provided on
request for smaller mammals. Cost of
special flavorings would be extra but should be minimal
To Purchase MGA Liquid Contraceptive
Before placing your first order, you must register
with Sally Boutelle, Program Coordinator of the
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION
Sponsor Contact
Information: Sally Boutelle
Program Coordinator
314-646-4595; Fax 314-646-5534
Product Information: Product: Melengestrol
Acetate (MGA) dissolved in a propylene glycol formulation
Dosage: 1mg/ml in 30 ml (can be diluted by request
for smaller mammals)
Source: ZooPharm (Requires a valid prescription - Fax: 307-721-3801)
Cost: $25 plus shipping and handling, extra cost for
addition of special flavorings
Date:
Collaborating Institution:
Contact person (responsible for data collection and reporting):
Mailing Address:
Phone/Fax/E-Mail:
Animal Information:
Species
(genus/species/common name):
Number of individuals (males.females.juveniles):
Age(s):
Parity (for females) or number of offspring(for males):
By this application, the
participating institution agrees to:
1) Administer the
contraceptive product only to approved species at the recommended dosage
2) Submit annual surveys
with information on animals that were treated during the preceding year,
including scientific name, common name, ISIS #, birth date, sex, daily dosage,
date started, date ended, presence of male in group, estrous behavior observed,
birth dates of any offspring born, abortions, and date of death if individual
dies
3) Submit reproductive
tracts to the Health Surveillance Program after ovariohysterectomy
or death.
Signed_________________________________________________________(Attending
or Chief Veterinarian)