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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Cushing's disease in dogs treated with cabergoline results

By Castillo, V A et al.·Published in Research in veterinary science·2008·Hospital Escuela-Unidad de Endocrinolog&#xed·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Cushing's disease in dogs: cabergoline treatment.

Species:
dog

Plain-English summary

A group of 40 dogs with Cushing's disease (pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism) were treated with cabergoline, a medication that targets the underlying cause of the condition. After a year, about 43% of the dogs showed significant improvement, including lower levels of certain hormones and a reduction in tumor size. Those that responded to cabergoline lived longer than those who did not receive this treatment. This suggests that cabergoline can be an effective option for some dogs suffering from Cushing's disease.

People also search for: dog Cushing's disease treatment · cabergoline for dogs · Cushing's disease symptoms in dogs

Abstract

The treatment of pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH) in dogs has for a long time been focused on inhibiting the adrenal gland using drugs such as o-p'-DDD, Ketoconazole and Trilostane, without attacking the primary cause: the corticotrophinoma. Corticotroph cells can express the D2 dopaminergic receptor; therefore cabergoline (Cbg) could be effective as a treatment. Follow-up over 4 years was carried out in 40 dogs with PDH that were treated with Cbg (0.07 mg/kg/week. Out of the 40 dogs, 17 responded to Cbg (42.5%). A year after the treatment, there was a significant decrease in ACTH (p<0.0001), alpha-MSH (p<0.01), urinary cortisol/creatinine ratio (p<0.001), and of the tumor size (p<0.0001) evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance. Dogs responding to Cbg lived significantly longer (p<0.001) than those in the control group. To conclude, Cbg is useful in 42.5% of dogs with PDH, justifying its use as a treatment.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17910968/