Cabergoline
1-[(6-allylergolin-8β-yl)carbonyl]-1-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-3-ethylurea
Also known as: Dostinex · Galastop · Cabasar · Actualene · Sostilar · Kelactin · FCE-21336 · cabergolina · Cabergolinum
Reviewed by the VetSheet Veterinary TeamUpdated Apr 5, 2026Evidence-based veterinary reference
Doses are a clinical reference for licensed veterinary professionals. Always confirm against the current label and the individual patient.
Dosing by species
🌎 NA — North America🌍 EU — Europe
Dogs
| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estrus induction | 5 micrograms/kg PO once daily induces fertile proestrus in 4-25 days. | PO | q24h | 4-25 days | 🌎 NA |
| Estrus induction | 5 micrograms/kg PO once daily until an induced proestrus is pronounced for 2 days or until onset of estrus | PO | q24h | Until proestrus is pronounced for 2 days or onset of estrus | 🌎 NA |
| Estrus induction | 0.6 micrograms/kg PO once daily. Make a 10 micrograms per mL solution by dissolving commercial tablets in warm distilled water (One 0.5 mg tablet (500 micrograms) per 50 mL of distilled water.) Give the appropriate dose for the patient within 15 minutes of preparation and discard the remaining solution. Continue until day 2 after the onset of the first signs of proestrus, or until day 42 without signs of proestrus. | PO | q24h | Until day 2 after onset of proestrus, or up to 42 days | 🌎 NA |
| Pseudocyesis (pseudopregnancy) | 5 micrograms/kg once a day PO for 5-10 days. | PO | q24h | 5-10 days | 🌎 NA |
| Pseudocyesis | 5 micrograms/kg once a day or every other day SC | SC | q24h or q48h | Not specified | 🌎 NA |
| Pseudocyesis | 5 micrograms/kg PO once daily for 4-5 days; occasional failures can be handled by repeating treatment and extending duration to 8-10 days. | PO | q24h | 4-5 days (up to 8-10 days) | 🌎 NA |
| Adjunctive treatment of mastitis after puppies weaned | 5 micrograms/kg PO daily. | PO | q24h | Not specified | 🌎 NA |
| Pre-treat mammary tumors prior to surgery (during diestrous period) | 5 micrograms/kg PO 5-7 days before surgery. | PO | q24h | 5-7 days | 🌎 NA |
| Pregnancy termination | Administer after day 40: 5 micrograms/kg PO for 5 days | PO | q24h | 5 days | 🌎 NA |
| Pregnancy termination | Between days 35-45: Cabergoline 5 micrograms/kg PO once daily for 7 days in food and cloprostenol at 1 microgram/kg SC (after a tenfold dilution with physiologic saline) on days 1 and 3 given at least 8 hours after food. If pregnancy not terminated by day 8, cabergoline continued (at same dose) until day 12. | PO | q24h | 7-12 days | 🌎 NA |
| Pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's Disease) | 0.1 mg/kg PO every 3 days. | PO | q72h | Not specified | 🌎 NA |
| Pseudopregnancy / Suppression of lactation | 5 μg/kg | PO | sid | 4-6 days | 🌍 EU |
| Estrus induction | 5 μg/kg | PO | sid | Until proestrus begins (up to 40 days) | 🌍 EU |
- Estrus induction: 81% (22 of 27) of dogs treated at this low dose showed proestrus between days 4 and 48.
- Pseudocyesis: Likely needs to be compounded.
- Pseudocyesis: Additional protocols for treatment failures include combining cabergoline with metergoline (500 micrograms/kg PO twice daily), or cabergoline with bromocriptine (10-30 micrograms/kg PO twice daily).
- Pregnancy termination: Approximately 50% effective.
- Pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's Disease): Effective in 70% of dogs treated. Dogs with tumor sizes greater than 5 mm did not respond.
- Pseudopregnancy / Suppression of lactation: Administer directly into the mouth or mixed with food.
- Estrus induction: Off-label use.
Cats
| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy termination | At 30 days post-coitus, cabergoline at 5 micrograms/kg PO q24h and cloprostenol 5 micrograms/kg SC q48h in 7-13 days was used to induce abortion. | PO | q24h | 7-13 days | 🌎 NA |
| Reduce prolactin production in queens | 5 micrograms/kg PO once daily | PO | q24h | Not specified | 🌎 NA |
| Pre-treat mammary tumors prior to surgery (during diestrous period) | 5 micrograms/kg PO 5-7 days before surgery. | PO | q24h | 5-7 days | 🌎 NA |
| Suppression of lactation / Pseudopregnancy | 5 μg/kg | PO | sid | 4-6 days | 🌍 EU |
- Suppression of lactation / Pseudopregnancy: Off-label in some regions, but widely used.
Birds
| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persistent egg laying in psittacines (in combination with removal of males, altered light cycle) | Initially 10-20 micrograms/kg PO daily; higher dosages were also used. | PO | q24h | Not specified | 🌎 NA |
- Persistent egg laying in psittacines (in combination with removal of males, altered light cycle): Further work needed to determine the exact dose rate.
Doses are a clinical reference for licensed veterinary professionals. Always confirm against the current label and the individual patient.
Overview
Cabergoline is a synthetic ergot derivative primarily used in veterinary medicine for its potent prolactin-lowering effects.
- Key Indications: Treatment of pseudopregnancy (false pregnancy), estrus induction/synchronization, pregnancy termination, and management of mastitis in dogs and cats.
- Clinical Advantages: Compared to older dopamine agonists like bromocriptine, cabergoline is much better tolerated, possessing greater receptor specificity, a longer duration of action, and a significantly lower incidence of vomiting.
- Off-label uses: Has shown some efficacy in treating pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease) in dogs and persistent egg-laying in psittacines.
- Cost Consideration: Can be expensive for large dogs, but generic tablets are available. It often requires compounding by a pharmacist for accurate veterinary dosing.
Mechanism of action
Cabergoline is a highly specific, long-acting dopamine D2 receptor agonist.
- Mechanism: It binds with high affinity to D2 receptors on lactotroph cells in the anterior pituitary gland.
- Pathway: D2 receptor activation → inhibition of adenylyl cyclase → decreased intracellular cAMP → direct suppression of prolactin synthesis and secretion.
- Reproductive Impact: Because prolactin is luteotropic in dogs and cats (it maintains the corpus luteum during the second half of pregnancy), suppressing prolactin leads to a drop in progesterone. This mechanism is responsible for its ability to terminate pregnancy, resolve pseudopregnancy, and induce estrus.
Safety & warnings
Contraindications
- Pregnancy (unless abortion is desired)
- Hypersensitivity to ergot derivatives
- Uncontrolled hypertension (in humans)
- Nursing mothers
Adverse effects
- Vomiting (infrequent, alleviated by food)
- Coat color changes (in dogs treated >14 days)
- Postural hypotension (reported in humans)
- Dizziness (reported in humans)
- Headache (reported in humans)
- Nausea (reported in humans)
Precautions
Warning: Will cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant animals. Do not use unless pregnancy termination is the specific goal.
- Hepatic Impairment: Patients with significantly impaired liver function should receive the drug with caution, and possibly at a lower dosage.
- Estrus Induction: When using to induce estrus, it is recommended to wait at least 4 months after the prior cycle to allow the uterus to recover.
- Nursing: Because cabergoline suppresses prolactin, it should not be used in nursing mothers.
Drug interactions
Concomitant use may cause additive hypotension due to cabergoline's hypotensive effects.
Use with cabergoline may reduce the efficacy of both drugs and should be avoided.
Use of cabergoline with dopamine (D2) antagonists may reduce the efficacy of both drugs and should be avoided.
Antagonizes the therapeutic effect of cabergoline
May antagonize cabergoline effects due to dopamine receptor blockade
Additive hypotensive effects
Monitoring
- Clinical efficacy (resolution of pseudopregnancy, estrus induction, etc.)
- Adverse effects (vomiting, behavioral changes)
Pharmacokinetics
Half-life
Absorption
Absorbed after oral dosing but absolute bioavailability is not known. Food does not appear to significantly alter absorption.
Distribution
Moderately bound to plasma proteins (≈50%).
Metabolism
Extensively metabolized in the liver via hydrolysis.
Elimination
Metabolites and about 4% of unchanged drug are excreted into the urine. Renal dysfunction does not appear to significantly alter elimination characteristics.
Overdose
Overdose information is not available for dogs or cats, and remains very limited for humans.
- Potential Signs: It is postulated that cabergoline overdoses could cause severe hypotension, nasal congestion, syncope, or hallucinations.
- Treatment: Treatment is basically supportive and primarily focuses on supporting cardiovascular function and blood pressure.
Available products
Formulations
- Oral tablets
- Oral liquid
- Injection
Veterinary
- Galastop® 50 micrograms/mL oral liquid (miglyol base) (Europe)
- Galastop® Injectable (available in some countries)
Human-labeled
- Cabergoline Oral Tablets: 0.5 mg (500 micrograms) (generic, Rx)
- Dostinex®
Regulatory status
Approved for treatment of false pregnancy in bitches.
POM-V classification.
No regulatory data for: 🇺🇸 US · 🇭🇰 HK · 🇹🇼 TW · 🇯🇵 JP · 🇰🇷 KR · 🇦🇺 AU
Storage & stability
Commercially available tablets should be stored at controlled room temperature (20°-25°C; 68°-77°F). The veterinary oral liquid product Galastop® should be stored below 25°C and protected from light. Do not refrigerate. Once opened, it should be used within 28 days. Cabergoline is unstable in aqueous suspensions; if compounded into a liquid not for immediate use, it should be in a lipid-based product. Fresh aqueous solutions for immediate use are stable.
Client information
- Purpose: Your veterinarian has prescribed cabergoline to treat a false pregnancy, induce a heat cycle, or manage other reproductive conditions.
- Administration: Give this medication with food to reduce the chance of stomach upset.
- Side Effects: It is generally well-tolerated, but mild vomiting may occur. If vomiting is severe or persists, contact your veterinarian.
- Warning: Do not give to pregnant pets unless your veterinarian has specifically prescribed it to terminate a pregnancy, as it will cause a miscarriage. Do not give to nursing pets.
- Note: If your dog is on this medication for more than 14 days, you might notice a temporary change in their coat color.
VetSheet drug reference is intended for licensed veterinary professionals as a clinical decision-support aid, not a substitute for professional judgement or the manufacturer’s current label.