Has anyone given their red setter the suprelorin implant

[wendy giardelli]

I gave my red setter the suprelorin implant nearly a year ago and his coat looks as if someone has crimped it. I was told by my vet that if the implant did affect his coat that it would go back to normal when the implant wore off. Has anyone else experienced this and is there anything I can do to improve it?

[Rhonda Fisher]

Welcome Wendy.

Murphy has had the implant twice. The coat does go back to normal. While he is on it I use a mars brush to make sure the dead coat is removed. Lots of brushing to keep the oils up and a good conditioner.

[wendy giardelli]

Thats brilliant, Ill try the brush.  I hate to see his coat look such a mess, but I was equally worried about his roaming which has calmed down since the implant.  Do you know if they become less interested in females as they get older?

[Rhonda Fisher]

The lots of brushing is just with a natural fibre brush. Murphy has put on weight too. Has always liked food but it is like someone who has given up smoking. Focused on it a little too much. The first time I bulked up his food with carrot and zuchini, I must really start to do that again.

[Susan Stone]

Hi Wendy,

various people have asked about the implant on this site previously and I think some have used it. I don't have first hand experience but would be I'll be interested to hear the outcome. By 'crimped' do you mean dry or fluffy?

[wendy giardelli]

I have been pleased with the results, as in, Doyle doesn't disappear on the beach now when there is a dog on heat, but it has definitely made him put on weight and seems to have lost a lot of energy. His coat is dry and fluffy as you say, but it looks as if someone has used a hair crimper on him.  Its been nearly a year since he had the implant, so I don't know how long it will be before things wear off.  Ill let you know.

[Louise Perry]

Hi, I used the implant twice on Reuben and his coat didnt change too much but the implant took a good year to start wearing off. Unfortunately , I had to get him castrated in September because he was so hyper sexual , all he did was howl from morning to night, got really stressed, lost loads of weight and could only focus on finding a mate when out on walks. It was awful to see him suffer so much and I am pleased to see him back to normal self apart from a slightly fuzzy coat in places. He is definitely more food orientated but with careful quantities and lots of exercise, the weight is okay.

Oh just to clarify, the implant worked really well and Reuben was only howling etc when I let it wear off. I was hoping maturity may help his extreme urges but it didn't and I felt it was fairer to him to castrate once and for all. I think the implant is a very good thing

[Fran Griffin]

I know dogs who have had the implant and their coats seem to recover once it wears off, and so does the behaviour. I am strongly considering having one put in Barkley, as he is getting some issue with other entire males (unless they give him what for). Fine with females, fine with neutered dogs, so know what  I am dealing with here. 

Another question regarding Suprelorin.  Pricing.  One local vet has asked me to pay double. Because there are two in a box when they purchase them, and evidently its not something they recommend because they have been using Tardak for years !!!!!  (talk about dyed in the wool).  I have found another vet who will charge for one. But out of interest what are people paying for it?

[wendy giardelli]

My vet wanted to charge me double too.  I had a friend who also wanted to try the implant on her dog so we shared the two implants.

 

I think it depends on the vet you use.  I had to ask several vets.  Nobody had heard of the implant.

[Fran Griffin]

The problem with many vets are that they are stuck in their own convention "we have always used Tardak and always will" and that's without them even looking at alternatives.  Tardak is something I have never recommended whilst working in a behaviour practice, because I had seen too many side effects, including some dogs becoming very aggressive whilst on it and then the vet turning round and saying "well, this is what will happen if you have you dog neutered" which was not the case at all, the aggression was purely as a result of the product. Suprelorin appears to have far fewer side effects. It works in a completely different way to Tardak by suppressing testoterone from the pituitary gland.  I think the only way of  changing dyed in the wool vets is for owners who want to try Suprelorin to request that they get it in, even if that mean's doing what you did - getting a friend to get their dog implanted at the same time, which is what I have considered doing too. The other alternative for me is that there is another vet who is far more on the ball with regards to pharmaceutical products and going there instead.

[wendy giardelli]

I have just ordered the 30 blade double mars brush that has been recommended, I will let you know how this improves Doyles coat.

 

The only side affects I have seen with Suprelorin is a gradual change in the dogs weight, not necessarily eating more though, the coat becoming wooley and lack of energy.