Zoo reverses vasectomy on bush dog

Three yapping, cuddly South American bush dog pups at the Saint Louis Zoo are making fertility history among wild canids, with implications for the rest of the animal world. Youngsters Mariana, Turi and Sherman, resembling chubby, furry, Chihuahuas, were born in January following a successful, first-of-its-kind vasectomy reversal on the pups' father. The procedure was performed in August 2003 by St. Louis infertility specialist, Dr. Sherman Silber, a 15-year zoo consultant, who perfected it on more than 4,000 humans before trying it on Brent, the bush dog.

The reversible vasectomy holds the best hope for the world's zoos to manage animals genetically and behaviorally, said Ingrid Porton, the Saint Louis Zoo's primate curator. She also is codirector of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Wildlife Contraception Center in St. Louis. "It allows us to manage reproduction in a responsible way, and meet (animals') behavioral and social needs," Porton said. "It's so much more preferable not to isolate animals to prevent breeding; with a reversible contraception, we can allow them to live in a social group."

The idea for a reversible, non-chemical form of contraception for males came out of a St. Louis study of female bush dogs' reproductive habits, and required having four males — Brent among them — not producing sperm. Silber, assisted by zoo veterinarians, performed the reversible vasectomies in January 2002. The researchers wanted the mating behavior but not for the females to get pregnant because once they stop being in heat, they'll refuse males, said Dr. Randall Junge, the zoo's director of animal health. "Vasectomies allowed (the males) to maintain reproductive behavior but stop the fertility," he said.

Chemical contraception that shuts down testosterone production is not ideal because it alters behavior, Porton said. At the end of that study, Silber and zoo vets reversed the vasectomies, and the effectiveness of the reversal was tested on Brent. The proof is his three yelping pups, which likely will go on public display next week at the Saint Louis Zoo. Porton said she is unaware of vasectomy reversals of other zoo species in the world. Dr. Cheri Asa, the Saint Louis Zoo's director of research, has said contraception allows for controlled pairings, or "high-tech matchmaking," that maintains the animals' genetic diversity, prevents inbreeding, and permits individuals to live in natural social and family groups. Silber, who performed his first vasectomy reversal on a human male in 1981, said he modified the procedure slightly for the bush dog, and would for other exotics as well. He called both the vasectomy and its reversal simple procedures that can be taught easily to veterinarians. He performed a reversible vasectomy on a chimpanzee a month ago at the Tulsa Zoo.

Male bush dogs are not only sharing the responsibility of contraception, they wholeheartedly share in parenting, too, zoo experts said. "There is no more involved wild canid parent than the bush dog," Porton said. They clean the female and pups after birth, and even have been observed acting as midwife, by pulling a pup from the birth canal, she said. After the pups were vaccinated and weighed, they returned to their waiting parents in the Saint Louis Zoo's makeshift den, where the pups pawed at their dad's mouth to indicate they were hungry. He chews their food before giving it to them. Bush dogs are about the size of a terrier, with short legs and a short tail, and webbed feet that enable them to chase prey in the water. They live in packs, eat large rodents, and dig burrows. Brent was born at the Little Rock Zoo in 2000 and arrived in St. Louis in 2002, when he was paired with Foosa. She was born on St. Maarten in the Caribbean in 1999. CAN MY DOG BE NEUTERED WITHOUT ACTUALLY BEING CASTRATED?

Answer Well, if your one and only purpose in having your dog neutered is preventing him from fathering puppies, you could choose a vasectomy. Some veterinarians will perform this procedure, which will sterilize a dog but leave the genitals intact. It's a more difficult and time-consuming procedure than castration, and also more expensive.

A vasectomy doesn't provide all of the benefits of a full castration, however, which is why some veterinarians won't perform it. It doesn't protect against testicular tumors, which are common in older, intact males. It also doesn't protect against testosterone- influenced diseases, such as perianal hernia and perianal adenomas.

Also, because testosterone is still present in a dog's system after a vasectomy, your dog would still exhibit the behavior of a dog that hasn't been neutered. He would still try to go through the motions of mating with female dogs, for example. He would probably fight with other dogs to defend his territory and breeding rights, and he would mark his territory (inside and outside) with urine. He would also have the urge to roam to find mating partners.

If your main concern is having your dog look intact after surgery, you can have him castrated and have testicle implants placed in his scrotum. These are surgically placed inside your dog's tissue, much like breast implants. With these implants, your dog can be castrated without changing in appearance.

What is vasectomy? Vasectomy is a minor operation that is usually done at a doctor's office or at a clinic. You are awake during the surgery, which usually takes no more than 30 minutes. First, the hair is clipped from the scrotum. The doctor injects a local anesthetic into the skin of your scrotum to numb it. Then the doctor makes one or two small cuts in the skin of the scrotum through which the tubes are gently lifted out. The doctor cuts the tubes, and may remove a small piece of each. The cut ends are tied or sealed with electric current. The openings in the scrotum are closed with small stitches. After a short rest (usually half an hour) you can go home. No-scalpel vasectomy This method of vasectomy, which was developed in China, does not use a scalpel. After the anesthetic is injected, the doctor pierces the skin of the scrotum with a sharp instrument, then gently stretches the opening so that the tubes can be reached and blocked. No stitches are needed to close the tiny holes. There is very little blood, and fewer complications than when the scalpel is used. This procedure accounts for nearly one-third of all vasectomies in the United States. More information about no-scalpel vasectomy. How does vasectomy work? Sperm are made in a man's testes. During a man's ejaculation the sperm travel through two tubes (vasa deferentia), mix with semen, and come out of the penis. If the sperm enter a woman and one of the sperm joins an egg, the woman will become pregnant. During a vasectomy, these two tubes are cut and blocked so the sperm cannot mix with the semen. Without sperm in his semen, a man can no longer make his partner pregnant. After a vasectomy, a man still has erections and ejaculates. The amount of fluid in his ejaculations is not different, except there is no sperm. The fluid looks and smells the same. A man's hormones, beard, and voice do not change. His sex drive and ability to have sex do not change. The only change is that he cannot make a woman pregnant.

Does vasectomy cause any medical problems? Most medical experts, including special panels convened by the National Institutes of Health and by the World Health Organization, have concluded that vasectomy is a safe procedure. A number of large-scale, well-designed epidemiological studies have examined the long-term health effects of vasectomy. The body of research evidence continues to be reassuring and suggests that vasectomized men are no more likely than other men to develop heart disease, testicular or prostate cancer, immune complex disorders, or other illnesses. A small percentage of men have reported chronic testicular pain or discomfort following vasectomy.

Will vasectomy affect me emotionally? The decision to end your fertility is not a simple one. You may feel a little uncomfortable about ending the part of your life involved with creating a family. You may feel that you are getting older. These feelings usually pass in time, as you go on to the next stage of your life. On the other hand, you may feel relieved that the worry about pregnancy is over. You may feel freer and more spontaneous. You may be able to concentrate more on yourself, your children, your job, your partner, and your future.

Will vasectomy affect my masculinity? No. Your body will continue to produce the hormones that make you a man. There will be no change in your beard, your voice, or any other of your male traits. The operation will not cause you to lose strength.

How will vasectomy affect me sexually? Probably not at all. Your sexual drive will not change. Your erections and climaxes will be the same. Some men say that without the worry of accidental pregnancy and the bother of other family planning methods, they and their partners find sex more pleasurable and spontaneous. Once in a while a man has sexual problems after the operation. This is almost always emotional rather than because of physical changes.

Will vasectomy protect me against getting or passing on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV infection? No. Vasectomy only prevents pregnancy. If you are at risk of infection because your partner has a sexually transmitted infection (STI), or because you or your partner have more than one sex partner; or if you have an STI you can pass on, the best way to protect yourself and your partner is by using condoms. Aside from abstinence, male and female condoms offer the best protection against HIV infection and other STIs. Can vasectomy be reversed? Even with improvements in surgical technique, you cannot count on the successful reversal of your vasectomy. The chance that the average man seeking reversal will be able to father a child is much smaller than many published success rates suggest. The reversal operation is more difficult and far more expensive than vasectomy. If you are seriously thinking about reversal now, vasectomy may not be the right step for you at this time. Can I store semen in a sperm bank in case I change my mind? You cannot be sure that semen stored in a sperm bank will be able to cause a pregnancy at an unknown time in the future. Sperm banking is not fertility insurance, and it is quite expensive. If you are thinking about sperm banks, vasectomy may not be right for you now.

About the operation Will the operation hurt? Before the operation, you may be given a mild sedative to relax you. When the doctor injects the local anesthetic into the skin of your scrotum, you will feel some discomfort. After the anesthetic takes effect, you should not feel any pain.

Are there any risks to the operation? All surgery involves some risk, but the chance of serious problems is small with vasectomy. Most postoperative complications of vasectomy are minor and can be treated with mild non-aspirin pain killers and local application of ice. The following problems will usually subside within 1-2 weeks:

• Swelling and/or tenderness of the scrotum • Bruising • Pain

More significant complications are generally quite rare, but include:

• An infection or swelling around the incision(s) or inside your scrotum. • Bleeding under the skin that might cause swelling or bruising. • Sperm granulomas, which are small lumps that form when sperm leak from the vas into the surrounding tissue. The majority of sperm granulomas are asymptomatic. In some cases, they require surgical treatment.

Serious long-term problems associated with vasectomy are rare. However, while postoperative vasectomy pain usually subsides within 1-2 weeks, some men report chronic testicular pain or discomfort following vasectomy. Most cases of post-vasectomy pain can be treated with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, sitz baths, antibiotics, or spermatic cord blocks (an injection that helps to deaden the pain).

Does vasectomy ever fail? Yes, rarely. There is a very small chance (less than 1%) that a man's partner will become pregnant after he has had a vasectomy. A vasectomy can fail if the tubes were not completely sealed off during surgery. Sometimes, the cut ends of the vasa join together by themselves, or an opening develops that lets sperm pass through. A pregnancy may also happen if a couple do not use some other kind of family planning until a test of the semen shows that the man is sterile.

How much will the operation cost? Costs will include doctor's fees, medication, counseling, clinic fees, and a follow-up checkup and sperm count. Costs also vary from doctor to doctor and in different parts of the country. The doctor or clinic should tell you in advance how much the entire procedure will cost. How can I pay for vasectomy? Many insurance companies pay for sterilization, but check with your own company to make sure. You might arrange payment through medical insurance, Medicaid, or a military medical plan. You might also look for a family planning clinic in your area. Clinics usually charge less than private doctors, and they sometimes offer fees based on income. For information about help with payment, contact your local board of social services or welfare office.

After the operation How long will it take me to get back to normal? You will probably feel sore for a few days after the operation, and you should rest for at least one day. A mild non-aspirin painkiller should help. There may be swelling around the incision(s), and the scrotal skin may look bruised. To help avoid these problems, your doctor may suggest an athletic support, ice packs, and rest from hard work. Nearly all men recover completely in less than a week.

Will I have to take time off from work or household duties? You should not do heavy physical labor for at least 48 hours after your vasectomy. If your job does not involve such labor, you can go back to work sooner. Many men have their vasectomies on Friday so that they can rest over the weekend and go back to work on the following Monday. How soon after the operation can I have sex? You can have sex as soon as you are comfortable. Remember to use some other form of reliable birth control after the vasectomy until the doctor tells you that you are sterile. Will I be sterile right after the vasectomy? No. Right after the operation there are always some active sperm left in the semen. It takes about 20 ejaculations to clear them. You and your partner should use some other form of family planning until the doctor tests your semen and tells you that it is free of sperm. If it isn't, the test will be repeated in a few weeks.

Will I still ejaculate? Yes. The semen is produced by glands that are not affected by the vasectomy. They will continue to make the same amount of semen. The only difference is that it will not contain sperm.

What will happen to the sperm? Your testes will continue to make sperm. When the sperm cells die, your body will absorb them. This is what happens to sperm cells that are not used—whether or not a man has had a vasectomy. How can I decide? Consider temporary methods of family planning like the condom. Consider with your partner the possibility of her using a method such as the pill, the IUD, or the diaphragm. One of these may meet your needs. Discuss the subject with your partner. You do not need your partner's consent, but it is a good idea for couples to make the decision together. You may want to consider tubal ligation even though vasectomy is simpler and less costly. Talk to a friend or relative who has had a vasectomy. Think about how you would feel if your partner had an unplanned pregnancy. Don't expect vasectomy to solve emotional, marital, or sexual problems. Vasectomy can free you from the fear of unwanted pregnancy. If you expect more than this, you may be sorry later on. Be absolutely sure you do not want to father a child under any circumstances. For example, what if:

• Your current relationship ended and you had a new partner who wanted a child with you? • One or more of your children died? • Your family income improved a great deal? • You and your partner are lonely when your children grow up and leave home?

Talk with a doctor, nurse, or family planning counselor. THINK THE DECISION OVER VERY CAREFULLY AND BE SURE.

Is vasectomy the right method for me? There are a number of factors you should consider before deciding whether vasectomy is the right method for you. These questions can help you determine whether vasectomy might be an effective method for you.

Where can I find more information about vasectomy? For more information, view or download Chapter 7: Male Sterilization in Contraceptive Sterilization: Global Issues and Trends.