Cushing’s Disease In Dogs
Cushing’s disease in dogs is caused by an over-production of cortisol in your dog’s body.
It is also known as hyperadrenocortisism and can often be tricky to diagnose.
Cushing’s disease is generally found in middle-age to older dogs aged around 6-7 years old but occasionally younger dogs do contract Cushing’s.
The disease can affect any breed of dog but some are more susceptible than others and include German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Poodles, Yorkshire Terrier, Beagle and Boston Terrier.
The classic symptoms of Cushings Disease in dogs are hair loss, muscle weakness and loss of bladder control.
Dogs do not always show symptoms of Cushing’s Disease straight away and many year scan pass before they start displayed symptoms of the disease.
If you think your dog may have Cushing’s Disease you should see a vet straight away because untreated Cushing’s disease can cause distress to your dog and could even kill it eventually.
This is because your dog needs a proper balance of cortisol levels in its body and this only happens when its adrenal and pituitary glands are in good working order to maintain a proper level of secreted glucocorticoid hormones.
When your dog starts producing too much cortisol it starts to lose its hair and it becomes noticeably weaker.
Cushing’s Disease can be treated by your local vet who will give you drugs to rebalance its cortisol levels.
You need to be careful in the dosage levels you give to your dog as too much can cause severe side-effects. Your vet your advise you on the proper treatment.
hi, i was just wanting to know my pomerian is two years old and is found to have cushing disease. apart from panting and loosing her hair she is quite normal eating playing urinating in the right place. do they still have a long life span because she happens to be unluckly to get it at an early age. all test have not come back yet but stress has really taken over in me and i just cant seem to cope at the momentas i love heer to bits and she was an adopted dog who has had a cruel life and i wanted to give her everything i could thanks carmel
carmel kneen
19 Jul 11 at 6:13 am
@carmel kneen
All you can do is keep an eye on her and wait for the tests to come back. Dogs can have quite a normal life if you get any symptoms of the disease treated early. Take her to the vet if you are still worried and get another opinion.
admin
30 Jul 11 at 5:37 am
@carmel kneen
Carmel,
Your dog knows when you are upset & stressed. You have to be strong & happy for her or otherwise you wil make her upset & depressed & this will adversely affect her health.
Stay positive & happy around your dog, because she does not deserve to be surrounded by misery. She has had enough misery in her life.
If you need to have a good cry about it, do it away from your dog (not just in another room because she will know) & return to her all composed & happy.
You are wonderful giving your dog a new life full of love.
Of course you should feel upset, stressed & worried about your dog’s health.
This means you love her to the degree she deserves!
It would be a pretty terrible life for your dog if she did not have anyone who felt like you do, about her.
If your poor little one is found to have cushings, I know you will do everything you can for her, to alleviate the symptoms & ensure she has the best quality of life.
Your dog is very young & she could live for many years with a high quality life with cushings. Life expectancy rates ofr canine cushings are based on older dogs with cushings, so don’t pay those any attention. It is extremely rare for such young dogs to get cushings, so they don’t have reiable figures on life expectancy for these dogs.
If you have any doubts or worries about you vet’s approach then please seek a second opinion straight away. Ask your vet why he/she recommends a particular medication instead of another which is avilable & why that particular medication is better than the others etc for your dog’s case.
Make sure you find out what the cause of the Cushings is – is it a tumour in the pituatary gland or int he adrenal galnds (the latter one can be removed but the former usually can’t be removed in dogs). Often this requires the dog to bet a MRI or petscan. If your dog has a tumour on one of her glands & this is the casue of hte cushings, then if it is possible to remove it, it may cure her of cushings forever.
Always seek further advice & opinions from a specialist in the area when a special issue like this aries, or if you simply have any doubts or concerns. Better to be overly cautious & thorough than to later regret not having been more diligent.
Above all, make sure you do something with your dog that she really loves each & every day. If she loves walks, then make sure you walk her at least once every day, but preferably twice. It is great for her & your health & they love it so much. Try to do an extra special thing for your dog once a week, like take her to the beach or to a lake so she can sniff around & dip her paws into the ripples of water etc. Give her fresh uncooked lamb shanks to chew on at least 3 times a week, which wil keep her amused for hours & she will relish. Excellent for her teeth as well, & the marrow inside the bone is great for overall doggie health.
Always have rawhide stick & miniature rawhide shoes for to chew. Putting little dog bickies inside the little raw hide shoes chews for her to get out will amuse her greatly. Great enrichment for her.
Focus on providing your precious little one with quality of life above all else.
One of my dogs was diagnosed with cushings this week & he is only 3 years old. He was abused very badly before we rescued him. He only has 1 eye because he was beaten badly (before we rescused him). It is not fair that he now has to also battle cushings as well, at such a young age. But we are cocentrating on quality of life for him & doing everything we possibly can. It makes me appreciate even more, every day with him. I understand what you are going through, & I am very sorry that you have to go through this. It is very stressful & depressing ,but we try to focus on the positives. At least his condition was able to be diagnosed & thank heavens there is some treatment available for it. It could be a lot worse.
But I hope you have the test results back & that your little one does not have cushings.
If your little one does have cushings, then she is extremely lucky to have you to take care of her & make sure she gets the best treatment possible. You & your litle dog will remain in my family’s thoughts. We wish you both the very best. Warmest regards,
Megan.
Perth, Western Australia.
Megan
26 Aug 11 at 7:40 pm