MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Educational research guidelines only. Lyophilized peptides are investigational chemical compounds and are NOT approved for human consumption, diagnosis, or therapy. Consult a licensed physician before any research application.
Capromorelin Dosage Chart, Schedule & Reconstitution Protocol
Quickstart Highlights
Capromorelin is an orally active ghrelin / GHS-R1a receptor agonist and growth hormone secretagogue used in veterinary medicine to stimulate appetite and support weight. By mimicking ghrelin, it acts on the hypothalamus to trigger hunger and on the pituitary to release growth hormone and raise IGF-1 (PMC5813110). It is marketed as Entyce (FDA-approved 2016 for inappetence in dogs, 3 mg/kg once daily) and Elura (FDA-approved 2020 for weight loss in cats with chronic kidney disease, 2 mg/kg once daily), both flavored oral solutions. In the pivotal dog study, 68.6% of treated dogs ate better versus 44.6% on placebo (PMC5115193). It is rapidly absorbed, has a short ~1.2 h half-life, ~44% oral bioavailability, and is cleared hepatically via CYP3A. There is no human approval. The subcutaneous reconstitution shown on this page is an educational measurement model only; the real route is oral.
Reconstitute: Add 1 mL bacteriostatic water → 30 mg/mL concentration.
Typical dose: Dogs 3 mg/kg, cats 2 mg/kg orally once daily
Easy measuring: At 30 mg/mL, 1 unit = 0.01 mL = 0.3 mg (300 mcg) on a U-100 insulin syringe.
Storage: Commercial oral solution stored at or below 30 °C, protected from light, and used within the labeled in-use period (Entyce is dated for ~6 months after first opening). In the educational reconstitution model used on this page, store the prepared vial refrigerated at 2-8 °C and use within roughly 4 weeks.
Half-life: ~1.1-1.2 hours (dogs ~1.19 h, cats ~1.12 h); rapid absorption (Tmax ~0.25-0.83 h), no accumulation with once-daily dosing.
Route: Oral solution once daily (3 mg/kg in dogs, 2 mg/kg in cats); the subcutaneous reconstitution on this page is an educational measurement model only.
Status: FDA-approved for veterinary use only — Entyce (dogs, 2016) and Elura (cats, 2020); no human approval.
About Capromorelin
Capromorelin is an orally active ghrelin-receptor (GHS-R1a) agonist that works as a growth hormone secretagogue, mimicking the hormone ghrelin to stimulate appetite through the hypothalamus and growth hormone release through the pituitary [1]. The real-world Capromorelin dosage is delivered by mouth: dogs receive 3 mg/kg of the 30 mg/mL Entyce oral solution once daily, and cats receive 2 mg/kg of the 20 mg/mL Elura oral solution once daily [5][6]. The subcutaneous reconstitution figures below are an educational measurement reference only, not the validated clinical route.\n\nThis guide models a 30 mg vial reconstituted with 1.0 mL of bacteriostatic water (30 mg/mL, matching the real Entyce concentration) so doses map cleanly onto a U-100 insulin syringe: 300 mcg per unit. A 4 kg cat's roughly 8 mg dose is about 27 units, a 10 kg dog's 30 mg dose is about 100 units (one full syringe), and larger dogs need proportionally more, split across draws. Because dosing is strictly weight-based, multiply 2-3 mg/kg by body weight to find the per-animal amount.\n\nFrequency: Once daily, at roughly the same time each day; many protocols give it before the morning meal because food lowers absorption. Capromorelin is FDA-approved for veterinary use only, has no human indication, and is presented here for educational purposes, not medical advice.
Quick Protocol Navigation
Reconstitution Instruction & Mixing Step-by-Step
Lyophilized powder must be reconstituted carefully. Agitating peptide chains can shear disulfide bonds and render the peptide biologically inert.
Draw 1.0 mL of bacteriostatic water into a sterile syringe.
Inject the water slowly down the inner wall of the 30 mg capromorelin vial; avoid aiming the stream directly at the contents and do not shake vigorously.
Gently swirl or roll the vial until the solution is completely clear; the result is a 30 mg/mL concentration, or 300 mcg per insulin-syringe unit.
Store refrigerated at 2-8 °C; draw the units that match the patient's body weight (e.g., 8 mg ≈ 27 units, 15 mg ≈ 50 units, 30 mg ≈ 100 units; doses above ~30 mg are split across draws or vials).
Educational note: capromorelin is clinically given ORALLY once daily as a flavored solution — these subcutaneous reconstitution figures are a measurement reference only; for the real oral route, dose with a graduated oral syringe and give before feeding to maximize absorption.
Interactive Capromorelin Syringe Calculator
Currently visualizing the 30 mg vial reconstituted with 1 mL bacteriostatic water. Adjust the target dose to dynamically render syringe units.
Reconstitution Calculation: 30mg dry powder in 1mL water yields 30.00 mg/mL. To evaluate a 250mcg dose, pull to 0.8 units (1 syringe ticks).
U-100 Syringe Representation
Educational reference visual. Assumes standard U-100 insulin syringe where 1.0 mL volume = 100 units.
Titration & Dose Escalation Schedules
| Phase | Dose per injection | Units (per injection) |
|---|---|---|
| Cat (CKD / appetite, ~4 kg) — 2 mg/kg | 8000 mcg (8 mg) | 27 units (0.27 mL) |
| Small dog (~5 kg) — 3 mg/kg | 15000 mcg (15 mg) | 50 units (0.50 mL) |
| Medium dog (~10 kg) — 3 mg/kg | 30000 mcg (30 mg) | 100 units (1.00 mL) |
| Large dog (~20 kg) — 3 mg/kg | 60000 mcg (60 mg) | 200 units (2.00 mL) |
Administration guidelines: Refer to guidelines | 1 mL Reconstitution
Research Supplies Quantity Planner
Scientific mathematical planning of syringes, bacteriostatic water and dry vials needed for extended research blocks using the 30 mg vial.
Peptide Vials (Capromorelin, 30 mg each):
- checkAbout 56 vials for an 8-week course at a representative 30 mg/day (one 30 mg vial per day for a ~10 kg dog).
- checkAbout 84 vials for a 12-week course at 30 mg/day.
- checkAbout 112 vials for a 16-week course at 30 mg/day.
- checkScale with body weight: a 4 kg cat (~8 mg/day) uses roughly a quarter as much, while a 20 kg dog (~60 mg/day) uses about double.
Insulin Syringes (U-100):
- checkAbout 60 syringes for 8 weeks (one daily; doses above ~30 mg may need a second draw).
- checkAbout 90 syringes for 12 weeks.
- checkAbout 120 syringes for 16 weeks.
- checkUse 1 mL / U-100 syringes so weight-based doses (8 mg ≈ 27 units, 30 mg ≈ 100 units) read cleanly.
Bacteriostatic Water (30 mL bottles): Use 1.0 mL per vial for reconstitution.
- checkAbout 2 bottles for 8 weeks (~56 mL at 1.0 mL per 30 mg vial).
- checkAbout 3 bottles for 12 weeks (~84 mL).
- checkAbout 4 bottles for 16 weeks (~112 mL).
- checkEach reconstituted vial yields 30 mg/mL (300 mcg per insulin-syringe unit).
Alcohol Swabs: clean the vial septum and, in the educational model, the injection site before each dose.
- checkAbout 120 swabs for 8 weeks (roughly two per dose).
- checkAbout 180 swabs for 12 weeks.
- checkAbout 240 swabs for 16 weeks.
- checkKeep extras on hand for split doses and dropped swabs.
Mechanism of Action (MOA)
Capromorelin (CP-424,391; AT-002; RQ-00000005) is a small-molecule peptidomimetic rather than a true peptide, engineered to reproduce the biology of the endogenous hormone ghrelin while remaining orally stable. It is a potent, selective agonist of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R1a), the same G-protein-coupled receptor that ghrelin activates [1]. Two receptor populations drive its clinical effects: GHS-R1a on hypothalamic neurons (arcuate nucleus), where activation stimulates neuropeptide Y / agouti-related peptide signaling and produces the sensation of hunger, and GHS-R1a on pituitary somatotrophs, where activation triggers pulsatile growth hormone (GH) secretion and a downstream rise in hepatic insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) [1].\n\nIn a 7-day Beagle study, capromorelin produced a transient rise in serum GH that returned to baseline by about 8 hours after each dose, while IGF-1 climbed during the dosing period and fell back to pre-study values within roughly 2 days of stopping [1]. This combination of an orexigenic (appetite-stimulating) central effect and a metabolic GH/IGF-1 effect underlies its use as a weight- and appetite-supporting drug, especially in cats with chronic kidney disease where both reduced intake and catabolism contribute to weight loss [6].\n\nPharmacokinetics: capromorelin is rapidly absorbed after oral dosing. In dogs at the labeled 3 mg/kg, peak plasma concentration (Cmax ~330 ng/mL) is reached at a Tmax of roughly 0.83 hours, with a short terminal half-life near 1.19 hours and mean absolute oral bioavailability of about 44% [1][5]. Plasma protein binding is low (unbound fraction ~51%), the volume of distribution is ~2.0 L/kg, and total clearance is ~18.9 mL/min/kg [5]. Metabolism is hepatic, principally via cytochrome P450 CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, and elimination is mainly fecal (~62%) with the remainder renal (~37%) over 72 hours [5]. In cats, absorption is even faster (Tmax ~0.25 h) with a similar ~1.1 h half-life; giving the dose with food lowers Cmax and AUC by roughly 55% and 43%, so fasted or pre-meal administration is preferred [6]. The short half-life means the drug clears quickly between daily doses, yet once-daily dosing is sufficient because the appetite and weight effects outlast measurable plasma levels and there is no drug accumulation on repeat dosing [5].\n\nThe real-world route is oral; the subcutaneous reconstitution scheme on this page is an educational measurement convention used across this site, not a clinically validated delivery method. Capromorelin is approved for veterinary use only and has no human indication [5][6][7].
Clinical Trial Efficacy Highlights
- starRhodes and colleagues (2018, Veterinary Medicine and Science) reviewed capromorelin's development as a GHS-R1a ghrelin agonist and reported that in Beagles it raised serum growth hormone transiently (returning to baseline ~8 h post-dose) and sustained higher IGF-1 during treatment, providing the mechanistic basis for its appetite- and weight-promoting effects [1].
- starZollers and colleagues (2016, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine) ran the pivotal multi-site, randomized, masked, placebo-controlled field study in 244 client-owned dogs with reduced appetite; over 4 days of 3 mg/kg once-daily dosing, 68.6% of capromorelin-treated dogs showed improved appetite versus 44.6% on placebo (P = 0.008), and treated dogs gained significantly more body weight [3].
- starZollers and colleagues (2017, BMC Veterinary Research) showed in a randomized, masked, placebo-controlled study that capromorelin oral solution given to healthy adult Beagles for 4 consecutive days significantly increased food consumption and body weight relative to placebo, confirming a direct orexigenic effect in dogs [2].
- starWofford and colleagues (2018, Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics) evaluated daily capromorelin in cats across dose-ranging and chronic studies (up to 91 days); the drug increased body weight versus controls and was generally well tolerated, with transient hypersalivation and occasional vomiting the most common signs, supporting the feline dosing program [4].
- starThe ELURA feline program supporting the 2020 FDA approval studied cats with chronic kidney disease and demonstrated that 2 mg/kg once daily managed weight loss, with capromorelin-treated cats gaining or maintaining weight while many control cats continued to lose weight [6].
- starWofford and colleagues (2025, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery) reported a randomized, masked, placebo-controlled multicenter trial in 176 client-owned cats with CKD and unintended weight loss of 5% or more; capromorelin promoted significant weight gain over 55 days compared with vehicle placebo, reinforcing the chronic-use efficacy behind Elura [8].
- starRegulatory milestones reflect this evidence base: the U.S. FDA approved Entyce (capromorelin) for inappetence in dogs in 2016 and Elura for weight loss in cats with chronic kidney disease in 2020, making capromorelin the first FDA-approved appetite stimulant in each species [7].
Side Effects & Tolerability Profile
Clinical subjects transiently report mild side effects. Slowly escalating the titration dose represents the single most effective intervention to limit side effects.
- warningGastrointestinal effects are most common in dogs: in the canine field study diarrhea (~7.0%), vomiting (~6.4%), polydipsia (~4.1%) and hypersalivation (~2.3%) were reported; hypersalivation often reflects the bitter taste of the oral solution [5].
- warningIn cats, adverse signs are more frequent: vomiting (~29.6%), hypersalivation (~21.2%), inappetence (~18.6%), behavioral changes (~14.4%) and lethargy (~13.6%) were seen in the ELURA field study, though several of these also occur with the underlying kidney disease [6].
- warningElura labeling warns of transient decreases in heart rate and blood pressure for up to about 4 hours after dosing; use cautiously in animals with cardiac disease or significant dehydration, and post-marketing reports include bradycardia and hypotension [6].
- warningBecause capromorelin stimulates growth hormone, it can transiently raise blood glucose and IGF-1; it has not been evaluated in diabetic animals and is contraindicated in cats with hypersomatotropism (acromegaly) [5][6].
- warningIt is contraindicated in animals hypersensitive to capromorelin, and elevated blood urea nitrogen has been observed; renal and hepatic function should be considered, particularly because metabolism is hepatic via CYP3A [5].
- warningDrug-interaction potential: capromorelin is a CYP3A4/CYP3A5 substrate, so strong CYP3A inhibitors or inducers may alter its exposure, and combining it with other appetite stimulants or GH-axis agents could compound effects [5].
- warningHuman safety is not established — capromorelin was investigated in people but never approved; it should not be used in humans, and the subcutaneous reconstitution model on this page is an educational measurement reference only, not a delivery recommendation [7].
- warningRegulatory status: capromorelin is FDA-approved for veterinary use in dogs and cats only, is a prescription product, and has no FDA or EMA human indication; off-label or research human use is not supported by safety data.
Subcutaneous Injection Technique
Most research peptides require subcutaneous injection into fatty tissue. Never inject directly into a blood vessel or deep muscle tissue unless clinically detailed.
1. Site Selection
Common locations include the abdomen (2 inches from navel), outer upper arms, or thighs.
2. Sanitization
Thoroughly clean the selected site, stopper and vial top using 70% isopropyl alcohol prep swabs.
3. Angle & Push
Pinch the skin and insert the needle at a 45 to 90-degree angle. Depress plunger smoothly.
4. Site Rotation
Rotate injection sites continuously to avoid lipodystrophy or tissue scarring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical Capromorelin dosage?expand_more
The labeled Capromorelin dosage is weight-based and once daily: dogs receive 3 mg/kg of the 30 mg/mL Entyce oral solution, and cats receive 2 mg/kg of the 20 mg/mL Elura oral solution. Practically, multiply the dose by body weight — a 10 kg dog needs about 30 mg/day and a 4 kg cat about 8 mg/day. Dosing is the same each day; there is no titration or loading phase. The subcutaneous figures on this page are an educational measurement model only.
Is Capromorelin FDA approved?expand_more
Yes, but only for veterinary use. The FDA approved Entyce (capromorelin) in 2016 for inappetence in dogs and Elura (capromorelin) in 2020 for managing weight loss in cats with chronic kidney disease — making it the first FDA-approved appetite stimulant in each species. It is a prescription product. Capromorelin was studied in humans (as CP-424,391) but was never approved for any human indication, and there is no EMA human approval.
What is the half-life of Capromorelin?expand_more
Capromorelin has a short half-life of about 1.2 hours in dogs (~1.19 h) and ~1.1 hours in cats. It is absorbed rapidly (Tmax roughly 0.25 h in cats and 0.83 h in dogs) with mean oral bioavailability around 44% in dogs. Despite the brief plasma presence and lack of accumulation on repeat dosing, once-daily administration is sufficient because the appetite and weight effects outlast measurable drug levels.
How is Capromorelin reconstituted and administered?expand_more
Clinically, capromorelin is not reconstituted at all — it is sold as a ready-to-use flavored oral solution drawn into a graduated oral syringe and given by mouth, ideally before a meal since food reduces absorption. The subcutaneous reconstitution on this page is an educational measurement convention: a modeled 30 mg vial is mixed with 1.0 mL of bacteriostatic water to give 30 mg/mL (300 mcg per U-100 unit) so weight-based doses can be visualized on an insulin syringe.
What are the most common Capromorelin side effects?expand_more
In dogs the most common Capromorelin side effects are diarrhea, vomiting, hypersalivation and increased thirst. In cats, vomiting and hypersalivation are more frequent, along with inappetence, behavioral changes and lethargy. Cats can also have a transient drop in heart rate and blood pressure for up to ~4 hours after dosing. It can raise blood glucose and is contraindicated in animals hypersensitive to capromorelin and in cats with acromegaly (hypersomatotropism).
Related Guides & Tools
Step-by-step references for reconstituting, measuring, and storing Capromorelin, plus the universal dosing calculator.
Academic References & Study Citations
Rhodes L, Zollers B, Wofford JA, Heinen E. Capromorelin: a ghrelin receptor agonist and novel therapy for stimulation of appetite in dogs. Vet Med Sci. 2018;4(1):3-16. View Scientific Paper →
Zollers B, Rhodes L, Heinen E. Capromorelin oral solution (ENTYCE) increases food consumption and body weight when administered for 4 consecutive days to healthy adult Beagle dogs in a randomized, masked, placebo controlled study. BMC Vet Res. 2017;13(1):10. View Scientific Paper →
Zollers B, Wofford JA, Heinen E, Huebner M, Rhodes L. A Prospective, Randomized, Masked, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study of Capromorelin in Dogs with Reduced Appetite. J Vet Intern Med. 2016;30(6):1851-1857. View Scientific Paper →
Wofford JA, Zollers B, Rhodes L, Bell M, Heinen E. Evaluation of the safety of daily administration of capromorelin in cats. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2018;41(2):324-333. View Scientific Paper →
ENTYCE (capromorelin tartrate) oral solution — prescribing information, DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. View Scientific Paper →
ELURA (capromorelin) oral solution — prescribing information, DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. View Scientific Paper →
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Approves Elura (capromorelin oral solution) for Managing Weight Loss in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease. CVM Updates, 2020. View Scientific Paper →
Wofford JA, MacKinnon AM, Heinen E, et al. Capromorelin promotes weight gain in cats with unintended weight loss: a randomized, masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial. J Feline Med Surg. 2025. View Scientific Paper →