Voters in Tucson (Arizona) approved the Tucson Dog Protection Act which, among other things, bans the FDA-approved use of anabolic steroids for estrus inhibition in dogs. Anabolic steroids such as Checque Drops (mibolerone) have been routinely used as an effective way to prevent adult female dogs from going into heat (”Reach of South Tucson dog ordinance still in question,” December 9).

South Tucson voters approved the Tucson Dog Protection Act in November. Female dogs can no longer be given anabolic steroids, a common practice used to keep them from going into heat while sharing kennels with male greyhounds.

“(We’re) absolutely thrilled people of South Tucson came out, did the right thing,” said Susan Via, chair of the Tucson Dog Protection Act.” [...]

“We educated the people about why steroids were bad, we’re energized,” she said.

The third change concerns anabolic steroids, which are used at dog tracks to prevent females from going into heat. Proponents of the proposition state that the dogs can simply be separated by gender when they go into heat, as they used to be in racing before steroid use, Via said.

Tom Taylor, CEO of the Tucson Greyhound Park, has no problem with any aspect of the Tucson Dog Protection Act EXCEPT for the BAN on STEROIDS (”Proposition 401: The Tucson Dog Protection Act,” October 30).

If the proposition passes, Taylor said, the track would have no problem cooking the meat and allowing the dogs out for the mandated six hours.

But banning steroids would cause chaos.

Separating the animals, he said, would not be effective.

“If you live within two houses of a dog in heat, your dog would know it,” Taylor said. “If I had 250 females in heat, every dog in Tucson would be in my back gate.”

Susan Via, campaigning for the Tucson Dog Protection Act (proposition 401), argued that anabolic steroids are bad for the following reasons (”Amendments would result in healthier, happier greyhounds,” October 5):

Finally, Proposition 401 would stop the dangerous practice of giving dogs anabolic steroids.

These drugs are the same type abused by athletes and cause the same types of health problems in dogs as in people.

The racing industry gives female greyhounds testosterone, a male hormone, to prevent them from coming into heat.

Steroids start when the female dogs still are developing and continue throughout their racing careers.

Giving females male hormones can cause permanent genital abnormalities that often require painful and costly surgery to fix.

Females can suffer incontinence, painful burning from retained urine, and uncontrollable dermatitis as a result.

In addition, testosterone, whether given to males or females, can cause aggression, which gives an “edge” to dogs on steroids, thereby skewing race results, just as it would with human athletes.

Amendment to Chapter 3, Article 1, Section 3.3 of the South Tucson City Code pertaining to animal cruelty and neglect.

NO PERSON SHALL GIVE OR ADMINISTER ANABOLIC STEROIDS AS DEFINED IN THE UNITED STATES CODE AND RELEVANT SECTIONS OF THE CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS TO ANY DOG TO ARTIFICIALLY ENHANCE PERFORMANCE OR TO SUPPRESS ESTRUS.