struggling with oral dosing...

[Aliciagraceex]

Hi,
one of my girls Mabel has recently been prescribed cabergoline orally every 3 days for her pituitary tumour. i'm having trouble dosing her as it's quite a large amount (3.6ml) and she really isn't taking it well. Has anyone got any suggestions on how to make this easier?? ive tried mixing it with baby food and she didn't want to eat it.... im not sure this is the best idea either with it being such a large amount. it's quite a stressful thing for her and i want to try and make it easier. i was thinking about syringe training her with something she would like in the days in between but i'm not sure of any rat safe liquids i could give to her. Any help would be really appreciated, thankyou

 

[Kye]

Unfortunately there isn't much you can do to force her to take it. I'm not sure on your knowledge so I'll say it just in case... Pituitary tumors never have a happy ending, medication can just prolog the inevitable and even then it's a long shot. I'm so sorry for your little girl... They always go too fast and get so much bad credit for nothing.

 

[Aliciagraceex]

Thankyou for replying, i agree, they're such wonderful animals but their lives are just too short After the first dose she has perked up a bit but i understand like you said it would only prolong the inevitable. i need to do what's best for her and id hate to see her suffer. she's the sweetest girl and it's heartbreaking.

 

[lilspaz68]

Cabergoline and bromocriptine only work on prolactinomas which are the most common pituitary tumours in rats. You can get little result up to an amazing result with these medications. My best case history was a boy that went from immobile to almost symptom-free on bromocriptine. He had 6 months from 26 months to 32 months and I'm almost positive that the PT is not what made him pass. Its always a good idea to try these meds if you are able. I often find responses start at 3-4 days. It does sound like they compounded the cabergoline as a very weak concentration as that's a heckuva lot of meds to get into a rat. I have heard that cab can be given once a day instead of every 3 days.

What concentration is your cab? How much does your girl weigh?

https://ratguide.com/meds/central_n...agonists_prolactin_inhibitors/cabergoline.php

 

[Aliciagraceex]

Hey! that's nice to know you had a good experience with it and your boy got better!
she is actually starting to look a lot better than before she was given it, although she still can't climb up levels in her cage and can't hold things in her front paws, if it is working (which it does actually seem to be) then i would hope she will be able to do those things again. She's had 2 doses so far, and she's on galastop which is only 0.05mg/ml, she weighs 294g

 

[lilspaz68]

The dose is correct but I would talk to your vet to make sure the cabergoline is compounded to make a stronger concentration next time.

From ratguide
*Note: Galastop (European brand name) comes in a concentration of 50 mcg(ug)/mL (0.05 mg/ml). To achieve the desired therapeutic dose for rats would require a large volume to be given. If possible, compounding a suspension from tablets for human’s would provide a more manageable dosing volume when giving to rats