Long-Term-Release GnRH Agonists Postpone Puberty in Domestic Cats

A RISSO; Y CORRADA; C BARBEITO; JC DIAZ; C GOBELLO

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS (1990)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2012 vol. 149 p. 936 - 938

0936-6768

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety ofdeslorelin acetate implants on domestic queen puberty post-ponement. Thirty, 114.4 ± 12.7 days old, 1.5 ± 0.1 kg pre-pubertal crossbred female cats were included in this study. Theanimals were kept under a positive photoperiod and randomlyassigned to deslorelin acetate 4.7 mg SC implants (n = 15) orto a non-treated control group (n = 15). The queens werefollowed up daily and weighed weekly until puberty. Vaginalcytology was also carried out three times a week. Puberty wasdiagnosed by the presence of the typical oestrous behaviourand vaginal cytology findings. At puberty, ovariectomy wasperformed and the gonads grossly described. Age(281.2 ± 21.6 vs 177.8 ± 10.8; p < 0.01) but not weight(2.6 ± 0.1 vs 2.5 ± 0.1; p > 0.1) at puberty differed betweenthe deslorelin and control groups, respectively. One deslorelin-treated female showed an oestrous response and anothershowed clinical signs of pyometra after the implants. Deslo-relin-treated ovaries appeared small, while control gonadswere normal. It was concluded that long-term-release deslore-lin, administered at approximately 50% adult body weight,postponed feline puberty without altering growing rate