Prognosis for Canine Adrenal Cushing's Disease
Cushing's disease is not a dire problem in dogs. It can be cured by surgery or medication. In some cases, however, treating the disease could lead to serious consequences.
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Cushing's Disease
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Cushing's disease, or hyperadrenocorticism, occurs when too many adrenal hormones, especially steroids, are present in the dog's body. Cushing's disease causes increased drinking, eating and urination, a high blood pressure and hair loss.
Development
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Cushing's disease develops naturally or as a result of over-administration of corticosteroids. When a dog develops a tumor on the adrenal or pituitary gland, its body becomes overloaded with adrenal hormones.
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Surgery
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If a dog is found to have an adrenal tumor, it can be surgically removed. This could be undesirable in some cases, however. Older dogs may not be able to handle surgery, or the adrenal tumor could be too small to be surgically removed. According to Dr. Michael Richards, DVM, pituitary tumors generally are not removed in veterinary medicine, but instead are treated by a drug called Lysodren.
Treatment
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Medical treatments could help ease a dog's suffering. Lysodren is one of the common medications that veterinarians recommend for pituitary tumors that cannot be removed surgically.
Addison's disease
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Lysodren, when used to treat Cushing's disease, could lead to the development of Addison's disease. If this goes untreated, it could cause kidney failure. Generally, not treating Cushing's disease doesn't have serious consequences, but treating it incorrectly does.
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