What are the side effects of pergolide in horses?
Adverse Reactions and Side Effects Pergolide is FDA approved for use in horses and has been evaluated for safety. In field trials, decreased appetite occurred but was usually transient. Weight loss, anorexia, diarrhea, colic, lethargy, and behavioral changes have been observed in some horses.
Is there an alternative to Prascend for horses?
In horses that simply refuse to eat pergolide, or in the small percentage of cases that do not respond well to treatment, then there is an alternative. Instead of using a drug that aims to reduce ACTH secretion by the pituitary gland, we instead use a drug called Trilostane (marketed as Vetoryl).
Is Prascend the same as pergolide?
Pergolide is the name of the drug, i.e. the active ingredient (pergolide mesylate). Prascend is the only form of pergolide that is currently licensed for use in horses. It is made by Boehringer Ingelheim and comes in 1 mg tablets, which can be easily broken in half.
What type of drug is pergolide?
Pergolide is a long-acting dopamine agonist approved in 1982 for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. It is an ergot derivative that acts on the dopamine D2 and D3, alpha2- and alpha1-adrenergic, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors.
What happens if you take a horse off pergolide?
Pergolide in high doses can also cause horses to become agitated and unpredictable. Lowering the dose should help resolve this adverse effect. Some humans experience hallucinations while on pergolide and this may be why horses sometimes act “crazy” while taking this drug.
How long does it take for pergolide to work in horses?
Initial clinical improvement with pergolide is expected within 6 to 12 weeks. Horses may respond clinically at lower or varying doses; it is therefore recommended to titrate to the lowest effective dose per individual based on response to therapy and endocrine testing.
Can Cushings in horses be cured?
There is no cure for Cushing’s but with careful management, appropriate nutrition and veterinary treatment, horses can have comfortable active lives for several years with the condition.
How long does chasteberry take to work in horses?
Chasteberry treatment alone improved clinical scores in the horses after three months and this improvement continued to six months. The researchers observed normalization of the hair coat and behavioural changes with owners noting that the horses and ponies were more lively and alert.
Does pergolide prevent laminitis?
Any potential benefits of pergolide on laminitis would depend on the circumstances of each patient and their pretreatment risk of laminitis but current evidence does not support the widespread use of pergolide to prevent laminitis.
How do I get my horse to take Prascend?
Starting with the easiest…
- Hide it in their food.
- Put it in a piece of apple or carrot.
- Wedge it in a polo or preferably three!
- Make a sandwich!
- Mix with some apple puree or custard.
- If your horse doesn’t have laminitis you could add a small amount of molasses or honey to a handful of feed and put the tablet in.
What is pergolide used for in horses?
Pergolide is a human drug used to treat Parkinson’s Disease. Pergolide is the drug of choice to treat pituitary pars intermedia hyperplasia or equine Cushing’s Syndrome (ECS) in horses. Pergolide works by binding with drug receptors in the brain that control the production of dopamine.
Can pergolide cause laminitis?
In some cases laminitis developed for the first time during pergolide treatment, in other cases laminitis recurred or did not improve during pergolide treatment. When considering treatment options clinicians should weigh the potential benefits of treatment against the risk of adverse effects.
What kind of disease does pergolide treat for horses?
Have a new prescription from your vet? Pergolide is the drug of choice to treat the most common endocrine disease of older horses and ponies. This disease is called Equine Cushing’s syndrome. The scientific name is pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.
When did SmartPak horse feed system come out?
At SmartPak, we’ve been using our smarts to power healthy horses and happy riders since 1999. We started with the SmartPaks supplement feeding system, which has been described as “the best thing to happen to the barn since the wheelbarrow.”
Can you give pergolide to a horse with Cushing’s?
The majority of horses with Equine Cushing’s syndrome will have significantly improved quality of life while being treated with pergolide. There is another similar endocrine problem in horses referred to as Equine Metabolic Syndrome.
Is it safe to give pergolide to pregnant horses?
High doses of pergolide have been tested in laboratory animals without causing detectable harm to the fetus. This work has not been done in horses. Pergolide has been used in pregnant mares but no formal studies have been performed.