Published: Oral cabergoline for the management of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction - five cases
06/19/2026
The Equine Cushing’s and Insulin Resistance Group Inc. (ECIR Group) recently announced the release of retrospective case reports by Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD, reviewing the use of oral cabergoline to manage equine PPID.
Oral pergolide has become the mainstay of treatment for equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. It has a high success rate but some horses are, or become, refractory to the effects. Others have intolerable behavioral or gastrointestinal side effects.
In this article, Dr. Kellon reports on the response of five horses owned by ECIR Group members to oral cabergoline, indicating that the drug can be an effective and well-tolerated alternative to pergolide.
“All horses were confirmed PPID by Cornell University Vet Diagnostic Laboratory criteria, and were considered failures of mainline therapy due to inability to control ACTH and clinical signs,” Kellon stated. “Based on the success in a 2022 study, members of the ECIR group, under the direct care of their personal veterinarians, decided to try oral cabergoline as an alternative to pergolide or injectable cabergoline.“
All of the cases reported had previously failed to control clinical signs and ACTH with pergolide. Four of the five had failed injectable sustained-release cabergoline, due to either severe injection site reactions, and/or gastrointestinal side effects.
All horses were either very longstanding PPID cases or had a fulminant course. Despite this, normal or equines on oral cabergoline.
Dr. Kellon believes these preliminary results in these very difficult cases were encouraging, and that further work should be undertaken to determine the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of oral cabergoline in horses, the side-effect profile, and the effective doses for less-challenging cases.
The full article may be found at Open Vet Journal. Kellon EM, Oral cabergoline for the management of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction - five cases. (Open Veterinary Journal, (2026), Vol. 16(6): 3818-3825 Case Report DOI: 10.5455/OVJ.2026.v16.i6.52
Godoy, A.F. and De La Fuentes, C.I. 2022. Cabergoline monotherapy in a chilean creole horse with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (cushing’s disease): a case report. Clin Res AnimSci. 2(3), 1-4.
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About ECIR Group Inc.
Started in 1999, the ECIR Group is the largest field-trial database for PPID and EMS in the world and provides the latest research, diagnosis, and treatment information, in addition to dietary recommendations for horses with these conditions. Even universities do not and cannot compile and follow long term as many in-depth case histories of PPID/EMS horses as the ECIR Group.
In 2013 the Equine Cushing's and Insulin Resistance Group Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation, was approved as a 501(c)3 public charity. Contributions and grants support ongoing research, education, and awareness of Equine Cushing's Disease/PPID and EMS.
THE MISSION of the ECIR Group Inc. is to improve the welfare of equines with metabolic disorders via a unique interface between basic research and real-life clinical experience. Prevention of laminitis is the ultimate goal. The ECIR Group serves the scientific community, practicing clinicians, and owners by focusing on investigations most likely to quickly, immediately, and significantly benefit the welfare of the horse.
Your contributions support ongoing education and awareness of Equine Cushing's Disease and Insulin Resistance. https://www.ecirhorse.org/how-to-help-ECIR.php
