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Dealing with Cushing’s Syndrome, a not-so-rare threat to older dogs

Hope, our 9ish-year-old mixed breed rescue recently started exhibiting symptoms similar to those of (sugar) diabetes mellitus.

Actually, her symptoms — excessive water consumption with excessive and frequent urination, lethargy and irritability (little tolerance for puppy antics) — were mimicking several possible conditions, including Cushing’s Syndrome.

Cushing’s, while common in dogs, is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed endocrine syndromes in older dogs because so many of the symptoms mimic old age or another disease.

In fact, when I first made a post about Hope, I was surprised that five friends immediately responded that they had or have had dogs with Cushing’s.

In recent months, Hope had developed what we thought was more of a “middle-aged spread,” when, in fact, her bloated condition was another telling

sign.

I quickly called the vet and scheduled an exam. Dogs (or people) with Cushing’s Syndrome produce excessive amounts of cortisol, the stress hormone, due to either a malfunctioning tumor on the pituitary gland or tumor on the adrenal glands located on either side of the kidneys.

Cushing’s can produce other troubling symptoms such as thin skin, hair loss or recurrent skin diseases, muscle wastage and excessive panting.

It can also have harmful effects on other organs and on the ability of the body to regulate itself if not brought under control.

The first test Hope had was a urine cortisol/creatinine ratio (to try and rule out Cushing’s).

The second was a low-dose dexamethasone suppression test used to screen for the presence of hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease).

This test took several hours and involved three blood samples to compare fluctuating levels of cortisol in her body.

In many cases, this test will differentiate the type of Cushing’s disease that is present — the one caused by the pituitary gland or adrenal gland.

Once test results came back (it was a long weekend of waiting), the vet called, “Hope is a Cushie!”

While not the best news, it was an answer … and the beginning of a new journey.

There are several medications that can be used to treat Cushing’s, depending on whether the syndrome is caused by the pituitary gland or the adrenal gland.

The vet started Hope on Vetoryl, a med designed to treat either kind, eliminating the immediate need for a sonogram of the kidneys to rule out adrenal tumor(s).

Because regulation of medication and cortisol levels in the body is so critical, Hope will have another blood test (an ACTH) in 10 to 14 days to make sure she is getting the proper dosage of medicine.

We will have to have this test done again frequentlyto monitor her cortisol and medication levels to make sure her body is working to produce the right amount of stress hormone needed for her system.

Some dogs develop easily treatable symptoms while others endure quite the struggle with maintaining the correct levels of medication and cortisol, along with all the side effects that accompany this syndrome.

We are just beginning to deal with Hope’s new condition, but we’re determined to help her get her quality of life back to as normal as possible for as long as we can.

Amy J. Hanna-Eckenrode is the author of “Have Dog Will Blog,” editor of the Central PA Pets magazine and director of the Central PA Pet Expo. She can be contacted at ahanna@altoonamirror.com or by mail: Paws and Reflect, c/o Amy J. Hanna-Eckenrode, Altoona Mirror, 301 Cayuga Ave., Altoona, PA 16602.

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