The newest in dog sterilization, Zeutering, is an FDA approved, non-surgical way to “neuter” your male dog, without the use of anesthesia, while leaving the testicles intact.

The chemical neutering process involves sedating your dog to calm him and injecting a solution of zinc-gluconate, L-Arginine, and water into each of the dog’s testicles. The dog is then marked with a small tattoo to indicate that he’s been neutered, and one month later, he is completely sterile. The process greatly reduces the costs of neutering and the time it takes to perform an operation.

There is little to no recovery time, no swelling, no irritation, no stitches.

The injection, made by Ark Sciences, called Esterilsol, is FDA approved for use on puppies between 3 and 10 months old. About 300 puppies have been zeutered to date, and the long-term effects of the procedure are still being researched.

According to Ark Sciences,

Esterilsol™ is a Zinc Gluconate with L-Arginine compound that sterilizes the animals with just one injection in each testicle. The effects are permanent and reliable. And, most importantly, virtually painless. Castration, on the other hand, involves surgically removing the testicles, which can cause a host of related issues, pain being one of the many.

Ark Sciences’ mission is to alleviate the suffering of humans and animals around the world. A big mission for the group to take one, but they’re dedicated to drastically reducing the rate of pet euthanasia in the US, and hope that providing a safe, inexpensive alternative to surgical neutering will do just that. They are currently educating veterinarians and shelter/rescue organizations on the technique and benefits of using Esterilsol.

While organizations are free to choose their neutering methods, substituting one million castrations with Zinc neutering among non-profits could save over $50M of donated dollars every year. Imagine the potential windfall of $50M becoming readily available for other animal welfare programs including dog adoption, responsible breeding, pet education, etc.

In this video, learn more about zeutering and watch an actual zeuter take place: