Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are now the best options for promoting stability in people suffering from mental health conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression. They offer :
- Comfort
- Reduce the flare-ups (associated with these mental health conditions)
- Healthier alternatives to medications
Before we dive into the details about animal birth control, read reviews of some of the best clinics that provide ESA Letter.
Moreover, with an ESA, people with different mental health issues have boosted self-esteem, motivation, and an increased sense of purpose.
Unfortunately, there is something that can affect the benefits you get from an ESA. This is the animal’s breeding. With pregnancy, your ESA introduces another angle to your relationship in that you will have to care for it and its young one. This responsibility can tip you over into a mental breakdown.
Moreover, breeding takes a huge physical and emotional toll on an animal, meaning that it will not benefit you much as an ESA. As such, mental health professionals recommend birth control for ESAs.
Below are the birth control options that can apply to your Emotional Support Animal.
1. Surgical Sterilization
In surgical sterilization, the uterus and ovaries of a female animal are removed. Surgical sterilization also includes male castration, in which the testicles are removed.
The process is quite easy in animals that have descended testicles, but a challenge in those with partially descended or undescended testicles. The procedure is done with your ESA under general anesthesia. There is little risk involved in it provided it is handled by a qualified vet. Surgical sterilization comes with behavioral changes and a reduced risk of breast cancer or uterine infections in females.
Surgical sterilization of an animal is, however, quite stressful for it. Moreover, this birth control option is quite expensive and irreversible.
2. Use of Synthetic Hormones
In animals, synthetic hormones can disrupt the process of ovulation, implantation, and folliculogenesis in females. In males, the hormones will interfere with spermatogenesis, meaning that the animal cannot impregnate a female or fertilize eggs laid by the female.
There are different types of synthetic hormones for animal birth control, including GnRH agonists, levonorgestrel, and progestins.
Progestin-based hormones interfere with several reproduction steps like inhibiting a surge of the luteinizing hormone that causes ovulation and thickening of the cervical mucus to prevent sperm from passing to the uterus.
These are the most commonly used options for animal birth control. Synthetic hormones are:
- Effective
- Reversible
- Inexpensive
- Easy to administer
Read reviews about the best ESA clinics near you!
3. Administering Immunocontraceptive Vaccines
Immunocontraception denotes a concept where an animal’s immune system is used to prevent its reproduction. Following certain injections, the animal produces antibodies that will interfere with breeding.
The immune response in your animal will be amplified by adjuvants, which can be macromolecules, the cells of certain killed bacteria, and inorganic or organic chemicals.
The efficacy of immunocontraceptive vaccines in curbing reproduction will depend on the following factors :
- Gender
- Age
- Species
- Immunocompetence level of your animal
- The delivery system
- Dose
- Active immunogen
- Adjuvant type of the vaccine
The effect of immunocontraceptive vaccines is reversible even if they have been used for animal birth control for a long time. Nonetheless, some animals might not regain full fertility.
4. Chemical Castration
This involves the injection of a chemical that leads to permanent sterility in an animal. It is an ideal choice for animal owners who want a permanent method of birth control. But consider surgical sterilization too cruel for their animals.
Chemical castration is also ideal for any animal that cannot, for whichever reason, withstand the complexities of surgery. It is :
- Inexpensive
- Effective
- Does not promote animal cruelty
At the moment, researchers are exploring the option of an oral form of chemical castration, but this is not yet ready.
5. Liquid Fertility Control Bait
This is currently mostly used in rats. It is a bait that impairs spermatogenesis in male rats and ovulation in females. Females that have ingested the liquid fertility control bait have almost the same hormonal profiles as animals that are undergoing menopause. Currently, researchers are looking to expand the use of this bait to dogs and cats.
6. Addling of Eggs
Addling of eggs involves the temporary removal of fertilized eggs from their nest. Then terminating their embryo development before returning them to the nest.
You can terminate embryo development in an egg by shaking or oiling it. Though it sounds simple, addling is a labor-intensive animal birth control process, and it only works in birds. Moreover, its efficacy is not very high.
Getting the perfect ESA is challenging. Moreover, it will take time to train it then get used to it. So that the animal can effectively control your mental health issues.
Read all about authentic ESA doctors!
With the above options, you are sure that an animal’s reproduction will not set you back on the steps you have taken with an ESA. Even so, the benefits of an ESA will start with the issuance of an ESA letter. That allows you to travel and enter with your pet in places where animals are prohibited.
Thankfully, you can now easily get your ESA letter from here.
