VACCINATION AGAINST FELINE INFECTIOUS PER ITONITIS

Twenty eight pseudopregnant bitches and one cat were treated with 5.0 mug/kg BWT/day carbergoline orally for a mean of 5.3 days (range 2 to 8 days). Irrespective of breed, age or season, bitches responded with a marked reduction in abnormal behaviour and/or false lactation by day 4 of treatment. Although at treatment's end about 70% of the patients had not yet achieved complete restauration, only one bitch showed sho rt-term relapses in milk production which ceased shortly thereafter wi thout further treatment. All other patients had returned to normality within four days after the last treatment. Side effects were seen with three bitches vomiting once on days 1 (1) oder 3 (2) of treatment; on e bitch showed in addition signs of loss of equilibrium for a short pe riod on the third day of treatment. Age, breed and season hat no influ ence on the onset, duration and the result of cabergoline treatment. A ccording to statements by owners, 64.3% of all bitches had a history o f regularly becoming pseudopregnant, while 7.1% displayed pseudopregna ncies irregulary. Twenty five percent showed pseudocyesis for the firs t time, with five animals (17,9%) having had their first heat, while t wo bitches were 4 and 7.5 years old. The distribution of frequencies i n intervals between heat and pseudopregnancy showed two peaks: 57.1% b ecame psuedopregnant within 3 to 8 weeks after estrus and 17.9 % in we eks 13 and 14. Only 7.1 % became pseudopregnant during week 9 and 10, contrary to expectations.