Termination of unwanted pregnancy in dogs with the dopamine agonist, cabergoline, in combination with a synthetic analog of PGF2alpha, either cloprostenol or alphaprostol

Associations of a dopamine agonist, cabergoline, and a synthetic analog of PGF2alpha, either alphaprostol or cloprostenol, were used to induce pregnancy termination in 15 mature Beagle bitches. Alphaprostol (20 μg/kg/d) was injected subcutaneously (sc) in combination with cabergoline (1.65 μg/kg/d, sc) daily for 5 d from Day 32 after the LH peak in 5 animals. Cloprostenol 2.5 μg/kg/d in one group (n = 5) and 1 μg/kg/d in another group (n = 5) was also used in combination with the same dosage of cabergoline, following the same protocol, but starting from Day 25 after the LH peak. Treatment efficacy, defined by the number of pregnancy terminations, was 100% in all treated groups. Dose-related side effects due to PGF2alpha were observed (excessive salivation, prostration, vomiting, diarrhoea, scratching at the injection site), and were less severe with cloprostenol than with alphaprostol. In the group treated with the lowest dosage of cloprostenol, no adverse reactions were noticed. In all treated groups, interestrus intervals compared with previous cycles and in control animals were reduced after treatment.