? Cabergoline and specialist

Mimi & Kumo

Mimi & Kumo

New member
Hi All

My name is Mimi, and I’m new here. I’m reaching out about my 17-year-old female kitty, Kumo, who recently received an IGF-1 result of : 1200ng

I have been reading everyone's posts and you are all so knowledgeable about acromegaly, so I wanted to ask for your insight. I’ve consulted with several veterinarians, including a Japanese vet in Japan, who suggested trying cabergoline (a human medication commonly used for Parkinson’s disease) for Kumo's treatment before SRT.

I’m not against pursuing SRT treatment in Colorado, but I’m very interested in trying cabergoline first. That Japanese vet mentioned that:

  • One-third of cats no longer require insulin,

  • One-third need a reduced dose, and

  • One-third show no change.
Anyone have any experience with cabergoline? If so, I’d really appreciate it if you could share your thoughts or experiences.

Also, I’m located in California and have had trouble finding a specialist who is truly familiar with feline acromegaly and Cabergoline, my vet told me there is no cure for acromegaly and I have to find somebody else. Do you know of anyone in California, or possibly nearby states like Utah or Arizona,,, any State!

Thank you so much for your help in advance!

Best regards,
Mimi
 
Hi Mimi, good to see you found your way over here. The vets with the most experience in cabergoline are a group of research vets in South America. Here is a link to their 2022 paper on Cabergoline Treatment in Cats. I think their study is more than 50 cats now. Here is a quote from one of our members who speaks Spanish and reached out to one of the authors.
Not sure if you are doing a Sticky on Cabergoline, but I reached out to Dr. Elber again on behalf of X and wanted to share his reply with the group. I contacted him through ResearchGate which I have a subscription for through work. Here is his latest information:

Hello, thanks for sharing and for the interest in the use of cabergoline in cats with acromegaly. In Argentina it is currently the only treatment available. We have a group of 25 cats with HS/acromegaly of which 19 also had diabetes mellitus. We did not find a significant decrease in IGF1 with cabergoline, but a better glycemic control with lower fructosamine and insulin doses. Seven of the diabetics achieved remission. Therefore we believe that cabergoline is useful in the control of diabetes mellitus especially in cats with smaller pituitary glands and IGF1 closer to 1000. Adverse effects observed in the 6 month period were hypoglycemia and moderate increase in liver enzymes in very few cats. We have not evaluated survival with cabergoline, so we do not know if it significantly extends life, but yes, improving glycemic control improves quality of life.
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Note, I've also see a post from someone in the UK who has an acrocat that is not yet diabetic (it is a later stage symptom) where there is a study going on to see if cabergoline can help those cats, and perhaps prevent the progression of the condition.

There are knowledgeable vets in California. What part of CA are you in? UC Davis has a good veterinary program. Dr. Jessica Timian at West LA (VCA) hospital was our internal medicine vet at Colorado State University. Honestly though, your best bet is to find a vet who has dealt with an acrocat before and open to learning about other options. In my time, my vet and the clinic owner called them "exotic tests" when I wanted to test for it. But my vet was willing to learn and work with me. I used FDMB to find out about treatment options and make contact with CSU. We have a ton of papers we can give you if you find a vet willing to learn.
 
Hi Wendy,

Thank you so much for your replyand information!!

Is the doctor you mentioned Dr. Jessica Timian?
Meet Dr. Jessica Timian, Englewood Veterinarian

So far, I haven’t been able to find a vet with experience treating acromegaly in cats. My current vet only works once a week and told me there is no cure for acro. I really feel I need to find a more knowledgeable vet. I’m currently in Palm Springs, CA, but I’m willing to travel to any vet who is open to prescribing Cabergoline.

It’s frustrating because I’ve read so many of your posts and know that others have been able to use Cabergoline successfully, but I can’t seem to find a vet who’s willing to help me with it.

I also read about Neko’s SRT journey—it gave me hope. I saw she had some heart issues but was still able to undergo radiation therapy.I think you wrote they did one time anesthesia instead of three times(?). I’m considering SRT for Kumo as well if she’s accepted, or even removal surgery by Dr. David Bruyette(?) but in the meantime, I would really like to try Cabergoline.

I’ll reach out to Dr. Timian and ask if she may be able to help. If you know of any other vets who might be familiar with treating acro-cats, I’d be so grateful if you could share their names.

Also, you think which Insulin would work for Acro? Lantus or Prozinc....?

Thank you again for everything.

Warmly,
Mimi
 
Mimi & Kumo said:
Hi Wendy,

Thank you so much for your replyand information!!

Is the doctor you mentioned Dr. Jessica Timian?
Meet Dr. Jessica Timian, Englewood Veterinarian

So far, I haven’t been able to find a vet with experience treating acromegaly in cats. My current vet only works once a week and told me there is no cure for acro. I really feel I need to find a more knowledgeable vet. I’m currently in Palm Springs, CA, but I’m willing to travel to any vet who is open to prescribing Cabergoline.

It’s frustrating because I’ve read so many of your posts and know that others have been able to use Cabergoline successfully, but I can’t seem to find a vet who’s willing to help me with it.

I also read about Neko’s SRT journey—it gave me hope. I saw she had some heart issues but was still able to undergo radiation therapy.I think you wrote they did one time anesthesia instead of three times(?). I’m considering SRT for Kumo as well if she’s accepted, or even removal surgery by Dr. David Bruyette(?) but in the meantime, I would really like to try Cabergoline.

I’ll reach out to Dr. Timian and ask if she may be able to help. If you know of any other vets who might be familiar with treating acro-cats, I’d be so grateful if you could share their names.

Also, you think which Insulin would work for Acro? Lantus or Prozinc....?

Thank you again for everything.

Warmly,
Mimi
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We usually recommend Levemir for acro cats but I believe it’s no longer available in the US. Many members bought theirs from Mark’s Marine in Canada and I’m not sure what the status of that is with all this tariff stuff. @Wendy&Neko might know since she lives in Canada. There was a post on the regular board about it but I can’t seem to find it right now.

On surgery…you are talking about removing the pituitary? I know of one member who had that done and her cat’s personality was never the same as long as she posted. I can also see if I can find that post but it’s been a while.

Edited to add: Found the post on pituitary surgery. It’s worth the read.
 
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Thank you for the link, Marje and Gracie. I just finished reading most of the thread. It made me sad to see that all the cats had passed by the end, but I did get a lot of valuable information. I’m just wondering why those some people underwent surgery instead of SRT. I'm sure there is a good reason for it. The reason I’m considering surgery and cabergoline is because my KUMO is 17 years old, and I’m not sure if CSU would accept her or if she can handle multiple rounds of anesthesia. I’ll continue to research more. This board has so much helpful information, and I’m really glad I found you all;)(y)
 
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