Comparison Chart: Vetoryl vs. Compounded Trilostane (Canada)
- Canine Cushing's Alliance
- Aug 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 14
Below is a comparison of Vetoryl and compounded trilostane. If you are trying to decide which treatment option to pursue for your dog, it may help you make a more informed choice. Please note, if you haven’t read our other article on this topic, Compounded Drugs: another option for treating Cushing’s, you might want to consider doing so before reading this one.
Active Ingredient
Vetoryl
contains trilostane as its active ingredient, which reduces cortisol production by the adrenal glands.
Compounded trilostane
contains trilostane as its active ingredient.
Producer
Vetoryl
manufactured by Dechra, a veterinary pharmaceutical company. Dechra has multiple manufacturing sites in Europe and the United States.
Compounded trilostane
made by a compounding pharmacy or veterinarian. To make compounded trilostane, a pharmacist reformulate or modify the ingredients in Vetoryl. This could consist of adding flavoring, changing the drug from a capsule to a liquid, removing allergens, or other modifications.
Approval Status
Vetoryl
approved by Health Canada in 2009 for the treatment of pituitary dependent and adrenal dependent Cushing’s disease in dogs.
Compounded trilostane
Safety
Vetoryl
Health Canada evaluated Vetoryl for safety prior to authorizing it for marketing in 2009. Additionally, the facilities that produce Vetoryl are required to comply with Health Canada’s rigorous quality standards to prevent contamination and ensure every batch is safe for use.
Compounded trilostane
compounded drugs are not subject to the same degree of oversight as approved drugs. Health Canada does not evaluate the safety of compounded drugs or assess the production practices of most compounding pharmacies. Rather, compounding is primarily regulated by provincial and territorial authorities, which vary in their amount of supervision. This doesn’t mean that compounded trilostane is necessarily harmful. However, to keep your dog safe, it’s important to be cautious and always purchase from a reputable pharmacy.
Effectiveness
Vetoryl
Health Canada evaluated Vetoryl for effectiveness prior to authorizing it for marketing 2009. Further, the facilities that produce Vetoryl are required to comply with Health Canada good manufacturing practices, which help ensure that each and every capsule of medication will work as expected.
Compounded trilostane
as noted in the “safety” section above, compounded drugs are not subject to the same degree of oversight as approved drugs. Health Canada does not review compounded drugs for effectiveness or assess the production practices of most compounding pharmacies. It’s mostly up to the individual pharmacy to put quality controls in place and ensure that all compounded drugs are free from errors, such as being weaker or stronger than they should be. This is why it’s important to source compounded trilostane from a reputable pharmacy, preferably one that is transparent about its processes.
Physical Form
Vetoryl
available in capsule form only.
Compounded trilostane
available forms include liquid, chewable, and capsule.
Strengths (mg)
Vetoryl
available in 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 60 mg, and 120 mg capsules.
Compounded trilostane
available in a broader range of strengths than Vetoryl. If your dog needs under 5 mg of medication or another dose that Vetoryl doesn’t come in, you might want to consider compounded trilostane.
Cost
Vetoryl
cost depends on the dosage strength and retailer.
Compounded trilostane
tends to be much cheaper than Vetoryl. Cushing’s dogs usually need medication and testing for the rest of their lives, and treating with compounded trilostane can help save money.
Monitoring
Vetoryl
after starting Vetoryl, your dog will need frequent blood tests to measure cortisol levels and make sure he or she is on the right dose. The traditional monitoring test is an ACTH stimulation test, but some veterinarians also offer a new method called a pre-Vetoryl cortisol test. More details can be found in our article, All About Vetoryl.
Compounded trilostane
dogs on compounded trilostane are monitored the same as dogs on Vetoryl.