10/18 ? Cabergoline dosing

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/10-11-bootsie-is-so-now-what.254129/#post-2865430

My vet (after extensive research on her part and mine) has agreed to give this a try although after reading some of what you have been through with getting your kitties established on it is a bit daunting due to the side effects.
What is the correct dosing - I believe I say 10mcg/kg. Boots is about 4.4 kg so her dose would be 44mcg grams - correct.
What strength does my vet order - I have seen various strengths compounded? She does use Wedgewood Pharmaco so we can order through them. I do not think they compound in house.

Thanks - Jackie

 

Yes most of us use 10mcg/kg, some choose every day, some EOD. I saw no noticeable difference between the two, having tried both. Do not follow my current cab dosing in my SS, we're having some other health issues and are trying with cab dose.

My vet buys the pills then compounds it for me - 4mg in 16mL liquid, so 250mcg/mL. Mr Kitty is about 6kg, so his dose is 0.24mL (60 mcg / 250 mcg per mL). He lost a bit of weight back in summer so I did reduce it accordingly.

I don't think the concentration really matters, you just may administer more or less of it.

 

I did not have a lot of negative side-effects on Cabergoline with Darcy. Yes. Ten micrograms per milligram. We did every day dosing. Later switched to Every Other Day after his BG was sooo much better on a much lower dose of insulin. We were dealing with other kidney problems so I cut if back to every other day (didn't have any BG problems as a result). We also purchased ours from Wedgewood. Got a 60 mL bottle that was lasting about 5 months. Strength was 200 mcg/mg so I did not have to squirt a large volume of liquid into his mouth each day (just .4 mL). We got fish flavor and had no problems with it. You must shake well before each time you use it. Be careful not to get any on your hands. Store in a cool, dark place like a cabinet.

 

Susan - Why should you not get it on your hands - just curious - Jackie

 

My Snuffles gets about 10mcg/kg one daily. Strength is 300mcg/ml and I get it from Wedgewood. I have not seen any adverse side effects.

 

Because Cabergoline is a powerful substance that can affect your hormones. I was given gloves to use, but I only used them a few times because I found them too cumbersome. I was just careful when giving it to Darcy and in rinsing out the syringe. He never fought me, so I never got it anywhere except his mouth!

 

Cabergoline is used in humans for several conditions. If you look it up, you will see plenty of information about uses (in people) effects and side-effects, etc.

 

I have also noticed several different strengths, some 200mcg/ml, some 300mcg/ml and some at 100mcg/ml. What determines this, the pharmacy. Mine will come from Pet Apothecary in Milwaukee, WI. The vets office did a price comparison for me and they were the less expensive of the 3 they checked. I believe they checked Wedgewood also.

 

The only difference between the strengths will be the volume (how many mL) that you will need to squirt into Bootsie’s mouth. The stronger the concentration, the less volume you will need to give Bootsie. The amount of actual Cabergoline that Bootsie will receive will be the same regardless of the strength, but the liquid that the Cabergoline is mixed with will either be more or less depending on the concentration. They take the Cabergoline pills and grind them up and mix them with a carrier liquid (make sure it’s sugar free by the way) — so the amount of that liquid that they mix in will determine the concentration or “strength.” Hope this makes sense.

 

Yes it all totally makes sense. I am in the medical field so understand medications, dosing and strengths. I just wondered why there was such a range in the compounding of the strength of the medication. I guess it just depends on the pharmacy.

 

How soon have you all seen any changes in BS or appetite or demeanor once you started the med?

 

I am probably one of the most unusual, see my spreadsheet starting in July. We crashed into remission basically, it happened to another cat named Marvin. Wendy knows exactly, but I believe 4 cats so far have gone into remission...plus 3 in a study out of South America.

It has varied between cats. @Jay Dee @Suzanne & Darcy @Howiesmom are a few off the top of my head that are currently using it. You can search for posts by them to find spreadsheets....there's also a discussion somewhere I'll try to find a link shortly.

Edit: few people mentioned dose changes here

 

Howie has been on Cabergoline since Feb 2021. He gets .6mL and his strength is 100 mcg/mL. He’s always gotten it every day. He also has IAA so I have not seen any dramatic effects or decreases in his insulin. He’s been as high as 55 units and as low as 17 units. He’s currently at 43 units. But the good news is that outside of some sort of short episode this summer, he’s been in blues and greens since April. He’s my cuddle bug happy kittie and I’ve never seen any behavior changes. I don’t know if/what the Cabergoline is doing for him but am afraid to take him off.

 

Thank you - that is encouraging. The cabergoline has been ordered - and we will see. She will start on 0.5cc every other day per my vet’s instruction. Pet Apothecary in Milwaukee is compounding it at 110mcg/ml so another different strength but same 10mcg/kg dosing.

 

Hi! We started it on July 2. My kitty gained weight so we had to increase his dose. He’s currently getting 0.75mL but his latest one is a stronger dose (less liquid)- I’ll have to look it up and let you know.

As for insulin, he’s been up to 11 I think but we are cruising in blues at 8.5. We were both too stressed ojt when he’d get greens since his cycle was not exactly predictable. I was always worried about hypo with him even tho he was fine even when we got to 37 one night.
Let me know how I can help!

ETA; he gets the cab every other day and weighs 13lb. We also get it thru wedge wood

 

Hi , my cat Harry was diagnosed with acro about a month ago. He's been on insulin since May and is on 6 units twice a day. He's still not responding well but I do his curve every two weeks and we bump up the dose from there. I'm also in Milwaukee and have asked several vets about Cabergoline and no one is responsive. May I ask who your vet is so maybe I can reach out to them to discuss that as an option? Thanks!

 

Hi there. Jackie is not on the Board very often now, but she is my friend and I will get in touch with her to let her know that you asked this question to see if she can help

 

KellyMac - Suzanne got in touch with me. My vet is Dr. Danielle Bittner at Mukwonago Animal Hospital in Mukwonago. She has never cared for a cat with Acro before so she is learning with me and we are figuring it out. She was willing to try almost anything the FDMB suggested. If you want to call and talk with her feel free to mention my name and that you asked me who my vet was. She was my vet before Boots got diagnosed but we had a great relationship so she was willing to do anything. She has even given me a script for the Libre sensor so I don’t have to stick Bootsie as often, but I will admit I have not used it with any regularity. Hope this helps you. Feel free to PM me with any other questions.

Jackie

 

Thank you! The pet apothecary gave me her contact info and I have an appointment with her on the 7th. Have you seen any improvements since putting your car on the Cabergoline? The radiation route seems too expensive and not as cut and dry as I'd hoped for, unfortunately . I've also used the libre sensors but mostly they have failed. If you go on their website you can get a free sample one, just make sure they call the correct one into like a cvs, print the coupon and it will ring up as free.

 

Thank you!

 

Oh I am glad you get to see Dr. Bittner. I am sure she will prescribe the Cabergoline for you and Pet Apothecary is so great to work with. They had the best price when we started. I have to say there may be a little improvement in Bootsie’s blood sugar but not like some others have seen. She is still on 20-22 U of insulin, depending on her sugars. And I too did not feel the radiation or surgery were options for us - just too expensive. And if I can keep her happy and comfortable with the Cabergoline and insulin then I feel I am doing pretty well. She does not have any other health problems and I am fortunate she is a tolerant cat and allows for ear sticks and shots.
Regarding the Libre, have you tried using a skin prep with it. The last 2 times I had a Libre on Bootsie it timed out before it stopped working. It was on her very well. Much of it has to do with placement I believe and having the fur really removed. Good Luck and Take Care.

 

Thanks again, that's helpful to know! I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope we are some of the lucky ones where the medicine works well. I had the vet office put the libre on the three times that Harry had them, but I think you're right, the placement seemed off and the third one they did not re-shave him so I was quite disappointed. I will bring the one I have left to Dr. Bittner and see if I have better luck. I appreciate your insight, and I'm glad to hear your cat* is happy and doing well!
Thanks again, Kelly

 

Kelly - you can remind them to use the Skin Tac they have used with Bootsie when the place the Libre. . Good Luckc
Jackie

 

Kelly-
I hope your visit with Dr Bittner went well. We were in the week before for lab work and she mentioned she would be seeing someone from the forum. I told her I gave you her name so I hope you were happy. They are probably not the cheapest bet service but I do like Dr Bittner

 

@KellyMac my cat did really well on Cabergoline. His dose went down a very large amount and he got into really good blood glucose numbers. Keep us posted on how your sweet kitty does. We love our Acro kitties here!

 

Hey!
The appointment went really well, she is very nice. Called in the medicine for Harry and I'm giving it to him every other day. She mentioned you as well. The libre they put on is still going strong so they're better at placement than my other vet for sure. I'm excited to keep working with her on this. Thanks again for giving me her info!

 

I'm glad it worked on your cat! I'm super hopeful my guy sees some good improvements on it. It's only been a couple days. but he does have a bit of a pep in his step, he's been chattering a bit more, and he gave me a couple hairballs, which he's been skipping out on his grooming for quite some time so I'll take it haha. Maybe it's all coincidence but I'll take it all as a positive thing! I'll give an update as time goes on!

 

This is so good to hear! I am happy I was able to get you and Jackie together to share information. It’s not often I have the opportunity to do that where people live in the same area! And please do keep us posted!

 

Oh good. Dr Bittner has always been willing to help me with Bootsie however she can. And the last few times we had the Libre on when they placed it, it timed out before it fell off so they definitely have a good technique. She gave me a prescription for the sensors but I have not filled it and tried to place it myself yet. If I do I will let you know how it goes. Take care and I hope the Cabergoline works for you. !

 

Thank you!
I've had good luck getting discounts on the sensors using the goodRX app at pharmacies, usually cvs in targets have the best deal.
Talk soon I'm sure!