5 Facts on Canine Cushing's Disease What to Know about Cushing's Disease in Dogs

BY | June 19 | COMMENTS PUBLISHED BY
5 Facts on Canine Cushing's Disease

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Dogs of all ages may be developing Cushingโ€™s disease. Here are five facts you should know about the disease.

Whether middle aged or older, your dog may be developing Cushingโ€™s disease without notable symptoms. It is important for your veterinarian to know any and all physical or behavioral changes your dog experiences, even if they seem a natural progression. Cushingโ€™s disease often can be controlled or cured, and finding it early may increase the efficacy of treatment. These five facts may help guide you toward helping your dog live a longer and happier life.

1. It may be more than just getting old.

Cushingโ€™s disease is often not identified correctly, due to symptoms seeming too mild or just a natural progression of aging. In fact, many instances of Cushingโ€™s disease are diagnosed late in the development, because the dog just seemed to be getting old. Thinning fur around the body, and a distended abdomen are easy to spot, but subtle behavioral changes, such as increased thirst or lethargy after exercise can go unnoted. Ask your veterinarian for Cushingโ€™s tests around six years and older.

2. Certain Dog Breeds Tend to Get Cushingโ€™s More than Others.

There are several breeds that tend to suffer from Cushingโ€™s, such as beagles, Boston terriers, boxers, dachshunds, German shepherds, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, poodles, Scottish terriers, Yorkshire terriers, and terriers in general. If your dog is one of these breeds, be on the lookout for symptoms and request a blood test from your vet. While these breeds may be more prone to Cushingโ€™s than others, all breeds can get it.

3. Itโ€™s Hormonal.

Cushingโ€™s disease is caused by tumors on either the pituitary gland or the adrenal glands, preventing the endocrine system from effectively understanding information delivered through hormones in the blood stream, and disabling the ability to maintain hormonal balance.

4. Is Cushingโ€™s Disease Preventable?

No. While there is no known way to effectively prevent Cushingโ€™s disease, there are diagnostic tests that can be performed early enough to prevent further damage. As dogs reach middle age, more frequent visits to the veterinarian for blood tests may become necessary.

5. Cushingโ€™s Can Be Controlled, and in Some Cases, Cured.

Pituitary dependent Cushingโ€™s may be controlled by oral medication, while adrenal dependent Cushingโ€™s may be controlled by oral medication (such as Vetoryl), and in some cases, cured by surgical removal of tumors or the entire adrenal gland.

This information is for informational purposes only and is not meant as a substitute for the professional advice of, or diagnosis or treatment by,your veterinarian. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian or other qualified professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional advice due to what you may have read on our website.

Cushing's Disease Symptoms in Dogs

It is very common for Cushingโ€™s disease symptoms to be mistaken for normal signs of aging, as the symptoms appear very gradually, and mostly in older dogs. These symptoms are also shared by many other conditions, making Cushingโ€™s difficult to diagnose without in-depth testing.

Cushingโ€™s disease symptoms can be categorized into behavioral and physical symptoms.

Behavioral Symptoms of Cushingโ€™s Disease

Cushingโ€™s disease behavioral symptoms include polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia and lethargy.

Polydipsia is increased or sudden excessive consumption of water. Since it is sometimes difficult to determine if a dog is thirsty or excessively so, there is a formula that may help. Normal daily consumption of water is [140 x (body weight of dog in kg.)0.75]. Any volume above the formulaic solution is most likely polydipsia.

Polyuriais increased or excessive urination, often seemingly uncontrollable, or atypical to training. Typically, an adult dog produces between 20-40 milliliters of urine per kilogram of body weight, per day. Urine production in excess of 45 milliliters per kilogram of body weight per day, is consistent with polyuria.

Polyphagia, an increased or excessive appetite, often manifests itself as trash rooting, food stealing, intensified food guarding, and begging. The ravenous appetite of a Cushingoid dog is often accompanied by weight gain, or weight loss.

Lethargy is avoidance of exercise and play, often when the dog typically would be energetic and playful. Sometimes a weakness may be detected in the hind legs, causing dogs to resist jumping up onto furniture or people, whereas before it was easy. Cushingoid dogs tend to seek out cool surfaces to lie on, while excessively panting.

Physical Symptoms of Cushingโ€™s Disease

Physical symptoms of Cushingโ€™s disease gradually become apparent over time, and are often disregarded by dog owners as typical aging breakdown. Physical symptoms of canine Cushingโ€™s disease include visible aging, slowed healing, skin and coat problems, additional endocrine diseases, and seizures.

Visible Aging in Cushingoid dogs means they visibly look older than their years, with thinning hair on the body, a saggy pot-belly, fat redistribution, and a bony face. It also may include sudden difficulty breathing, stiff walking and paws knuckling over.

Slowed Healing is a result of the hormonal imbalance created by Cushingโ€™s disease dogs heal slowly and bruise easily.

Skin and coat problems in Cushingoid dogs include thin skin, increased number of wrinkles and folds, muscle atrophy, and their remaining coat gets dull and dry. Cushingโ€™s disease increases susceptibility to skin infection, and may cause hard lumps on skin called calcinosis cutis.

Additional endocrine diseases may result from Cushingโ€™s disease, such as diabetes and pancreatitis. Arrange a blood test for your dog, and begin treatment so Cushingโ€™s disease does not progress to other diseases.

As some of these symptoms are difficult to identify as abnormal, it is important to keep track of any behavior or physicality that is inconsistent with your dog previously.

This information is for informational purposes only and is not meant as a substitute for the professional advice of, or diagnosis or treatment by, your veterinarian. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian or other qualified professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional advice due to what you may have read on our website.

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Cushing's Disease

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