Note: I am creating the following comment and my reply as a post so people can search this by category under “Chemical Capture”. In general, oral drugging is inconsistent, unreliable, and ineffective. That is one reason why it is not commonly used. We are still searching for safe and reliable oral chemical capture drugs for dogs. Chemical capture is best chosen after all options of non-chemical capture are tried. Dr. Mark
FERAL DOG BLOG:
laura jackson, on June 8, 2010 at 2:41 pm Said:
I’ve just been reading this website and thought I’d submit a comment. I operate a free spay/neuter program entitled ‘SpayStreet,’ in Austin Texas. I’ve had to capture a number of feral female dogs lately – all trap resistant – and I’ve tried oral sedatives likes telazol, ace and dormitor. Nothing worked. Then we tried darting, but that just terrified the dog and she ran faster. Basically, nothing worked. Then we tried a sure thing…. Fatal Plus. Guesstimating body weight and then dosing at half the body weight, it safely sedated the most skiddish dog. (For example; a 60 lb dog received 3cc). We gave the drug orally in wet cat food and waited about 15 minutes (safely following the dog at a distance). The dog gradually stumbled and layed down. I threw a net over her, loaded her and she was spayed 30 minutes later and released the next day.
Dr. Mark’s reply:
Dear Laura, Thank you for your valuable work and for your contribution to the Feral Dog Blog. When I read your comments, I had grave thoughts about giving an oral dose of a euthanasia agent, but I also wanted to be open to what is both effective and safe for the dog. So I visited by phone with the owner of Vortech Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Fatal Plus and with Dr. Rebecca Rhodes, author of Euthanaisa Training Manual. I learned that Fatal Plus should not be used orally for any purpose other than a last resort to capture a dog with the purpose of euthanizing it. An example would be a dog who is a pubic health risk and cannot be trapped or darted.
Currently there is no tested and effective oral drug for safely capturing street dogs. Dr. Mark
