For immediate release
Contact: Joyce Briggs, ACC&D President, 503-358-1438
5th International Symposium on Non-Surgical Contraceptive Methods of Pet Population Control
June 20-22, 2013 • Portland, OR, U.S.
April 2013 – Registration is now open for the 5th International Symposium on Non-Surgical Contraceptive
Methods of Pet Population Control, June 20-22, 2013, in Portland, Oregon, U.S. The symposium is presented by
the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs.
About the Symposium
Dr. Stephen Zawistowski, ACC&D Board Chairman and Scientific Advisor to the ASPCA, reports, “ACC&D’s
5th International Symposium offers a unique opportunity to learn about development and application of nonsurgical methods of controlling cat and dog populations worldwide. This is our largest symposium yet, with more
than 50 presenters from 15 countries and 6 continents. Over half will be speaking at an ACC&D Symposium for
the first time, a sign of growing interest and expertise in this field.”
The Symposium offers sessions designed to maximize value to diverse stakeholders: veterinary professionals,
scientists and researchers, animal health industry representatives, animal welfare professionals, animal sheltering
experts, public health officials, dog and cat fanciers, funders and investors, and wildlife professionals.
ACC&D’s 5th International Symposium takes place at a critical juncture in development and use of permanent,
non-surgical options for canines and felines. Zeuterin™, the first FDA-approved non-surgical sterilant for male
dogs, is scheduled to be launched commercially in the U.S. in mid-2013. It has been five years since Found
Animals and the Michelson Grants in Reproductive Biology offered up to $50 million to support research to
develop a single-dose, permanent non-surgical sterilant for male and female dogs and cats, plus a $25 million
award to the first entity to develop this product. Twenty-three elite scientists have since been named Michelson
Grants recipients; select scientists will speak about their work at the Symposium. In April 2013 ACC&D released
Contraception and Fertility Control in Dogs and Cats. The 154-page ebook reviews non-surgical technologies
available to, and in development for, these companion animal species. It additionally addresses stakeholders,
regulatory issues, and myriad other topics. This helpful reference for Symposium attendees and others can be
downloaded free of charge here.
Program Highlights
ACC&D’s 5th International Symposium features General Sessions and two tracks. In General Sessions, speakers
will explore the need for and significance of new tools for fertility control. Dr. Gail Golab, Director of AVMA’s
Animal Welfare Division, will speak on implications for the veterinary field. Other experts will offer perspectives
on the effects of non-surgical options for pet owners, animal shelters, cat and dog fancy, and public health.
Renowned theriogenologist Dr. Auke Schaefers-Okkens will speak on the health impacts of suppressing
reproductive hormones in relation to developing non-surgical alternatives. Costa Rican veterinarian and
bioethicist Dr. Monica List will address testing of new technologies in different animals and communities. Dr.
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Shirley Johnston, Scientific Director for the Michelson Prize and Grants, will review the program’s first five
years. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s 2013 Humane Award winner Dr. Judith Samson-French
will share her canine contraceptive work in Canada’s First Nations communities. A full speaker list is available
here.
The Sterilant Discovery Track will highlight current work of researchers, including Michelson Grants recipients,
to humanely suppress reproductive function in dogs and cats without surgery. Over a dozen researchers from the
US to Holland to India to Italy, and from a combination of university laboratories and private research
institutions, will share their work using vaccines, controlled release drugs, chemical sterilants, and gene silencing.
The Implementation Track will explore the use of products currently in-market and those in or entering field trials
around the world. Innovators engaged in trials will share their experiences and lessons learned. Results of a study
on the behavioral implications of Zeuterin™ sterilization will be presented for the first time, as will innovative
research on modeling of feral cat populations using multiple population control methods. New research on
humane identification of free-roaming cats and dogs in the U.S. and internationally will be shared as well.
Friday evening will conclude with a banquet and Keynote Address by award-winning journalist and Genetics PhD
David Grimm. In 2009, Dr. Grimm wrote “A Cure for Euthanasia?” which followed the quest to develop a nonsurgical sterilant for cats and dogs, including the work of ACC&D and the Michelson Prize and Grants. Dr.
Grimm is currently online news editor of Science, the world’s largest journal of science news and scientific
research, and he will soon publish a book on the evolving status of cats and dogs in society.
On June 23, as a complement to the Symposium, Ark Sciences will offer a Zeuterin™ certification training for
veterinarians and veterinary technicians. This event, which is open to observers, will take place at the nation’s
first Animal Medical and Learning Center at the Oregon Humane Society, a one-of-a-kind partnership between
OHS and the Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
The 5th International Symposium is made possible by these generous sponsors: Best Friends Animal Society,
Michelson Prize & Grants, Erika Brunson and the Coalition for Pets & Public Safety, American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Parsemus Foundation, Petco
Foundation, Ark Sciences, Aratana Therapeutics, World Society for the Protection of Animals, Morris Animal
Foundation, Alley Cat Allies, Oregon Humane Society, SPAY Colorado, and Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust.
ACC&D is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to expedite the successful introduction of methods to nonsurgically sterilize dogs and cats and to support the distribution and promotion of these products to humanely
control cat and dog populations worldwide. For more information visit www.acc-d.org.
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