Symptoms And Causes Of Cushing's Disease In Dogs

Here are five main symptoms of Cushing's disease in canines, and the two main sources of the disease in dogs. These indications include, but are not restricted to, increased thirst and increased urination; increased eating habits; rapid weight gain; a thinning coat of hair, and; skin care issues.

The two main causes of Cushing's disease are little tumors on the inside of the pituitary gland and tumors in the body sending mixed signals to the adrenal gland. Take a look at all of the symptoms and causes one at a time.

Increased Drinking And Urination

Watch your dogs drinking and urination habits. Has your dog been drinking a lot more than usual? Has he been going out more often to urinate? If so, this is one of the symptoms associated with the disease.

Increased Eating

Has your dog been eating more than they normally do? Does your dog still seem to be hungry after eating their usual size meal?

Rapid Weight Gain

Has Your Dog seemed to be gaining weight very rapidly? Has your dogs legs seemed to get skinny, and have less muscle than they usually do?

Loss Of Or Thinning Hair

Has your canine friend been loosing hair? Has your dog developed patches of missing hair on their body?

Skin Problems

Has your dog developed a lot of acne, and blackheads on their skin ?

Cushing's disease in dogs occurs when the adrenal gland produces too much of a body chemical called glucocorticoid. There are two conditions that can cause this to happen. The first condition is that there could be small tumors on the inside of the pituitary gland causing it to send the wrong signals to the adrenal grand, in turn causing it to produce to much glucocorticoid. The second reason is that there could be a tumor growing on the adrenal gland. This could cause it to grow bigger in size, causing it to produce more of the chemical.

Thanks to modern medicine both of these causes have treatments available. The pituitary gland is usually treatable with medications. These medications have to be given to your dog everyday. The adrenal gland is usually treatable with a surgery to remove the tumor from the gland. This will shrink the gland back to it's normal size.

There are also other things that can cause Cushing's disease symptoms in dogs, such as an allergy to their dog food. Some dog food companies use a lot of chemicals and dyes that can be very harmful to your dog. But before you try to make any diagnoses yourself, you should always consult your vet.