As a seasoned veterinarian conducting pet home euthanasia services in Tucson, Cushing’s disease is an incurable condition in dogs. But, incurable does not mean untreatable. Once your dog develops Cushing’s disease, they will always have it for the rest of their life. However, you can manage these symptoms with medication. Luckily, canine Cushing’s disease is treatable to a significant degree. But, there may come a point when you have to consider human euthanasia for your dog with Cushing’s disease.
Some dog breeds have a greater likelihood of developing Cushing’s disease, including the following: Dachshunds, Poodles, Yorkies, Cocker Spaniel’s, Boxers, and Labrador retriever’s. In this blog, I want to educate you about the following so you understand key information allowing you to make the most informed decisions:
- Nature of Cushing’s disease
- Symptomatic signs of Cushing’s disease
- Diagnosis of Cushing’s disease in dogs
- Cushing’s disease in dogs: treatment
- When euthanization may be necessary
What is the nature of canine Cushing’s disease?
Cushing’s disease is a disease that affects the endocrine system. The endocrine system is a network of glands and organs that produce and release hormones, the body’s chemical messengers. These hormones help regulate critical bodily functions, including growth, reproduction, stress response, and metabolism.
Cushing’s disease in dogs is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland in a dog is a small, pea sized gland located at the base of the brain, just beneath the hypothalamus. Some scientists refer to it as the “master gland” because it coordinates the activity of many other glands in the body which produce a wide range of hormones.
In Cushing’s disease with dogs, the tumor is benign, and when a tumor is benign it means it will not spread to other parts of the body. Even though the tumor is not going to spread to other parts of the body, it still causes the pituitary glands to overproduce cortisol.
Cortisol is one of the dozens of types of the hormones in the canine body. Cortisol has numerous functions in the dog, including mediating their stress response, metabolism, and inflammation. Many people know cortisol to be the “stress hormone”.
Common symptoms of Cushing’s disease in dogs
Cushing’s disease in dogs can cause a wide variety of clinical signs. Some of the most common signs of Cushing’s disease in dogs include the following:
- increased drinking and urination
- hair loss
- muscle loss and weakness
- chronic urinary tract infection (UTI)
- chronic skin infections
- weight gain
- enlarged abdomen
Many dogs will present several of these clinical signs to you or when they see the vet.
Diagnosing Cushing’s disease in dogs
When diagnosing Cushing’s disease in dogs, veterinarians will start with screening tests such as obtaining a bloodwork panel and a urine sample. The most accurate diagnostic test for Cushing’s disease is an ACTH stimulation test. This is a test that checks for an abnormally high level of the cortisol hormone in the blood. This test takes approximately 1 to 2 hours and can be done by your regular veterinarian.
An veterinary ultrasound test is an additional diagnostic test used to visualize what the adrenal glands are doing to assess whether they are overproducing the cortisol hormone. This test can also help you figure out if there is a tumor in the pituitary gland or the adrenal gland.
Treatment for Cushing’s disease in dogs
Once the diagnosis of Cushing’s disease has been made, a dog owner is able to start an oral medication that can suppress cortisol overproduction. You can talk with your veterinarian about which medication may be most appropriate. This medication will need to be lifelong. Unfortunately, there are some side effects with the medication. Thus, your dog will need to be seen every 3 to 6 months by your regular veterinarian for continued monitoring.
Prognosis for Cushing’s disease in dogs
If your dog with Cushing’s disease is left untreated, then the aforementioned symptoms will worsen over time. In contrast, with treatment many dogs will be able to experience a good life expectancy. However, every dog is different and many factors must be evaluated for you to have a more specific idea of how your dog will do over time.
When to consider humane euthanasia
Although the prognosis for your dog with Cushing’s disease can be decent, it is also possible that you may have to consider euthanasia at some point. For some clients, the financial obligations of treating Cushing’s disease are impossible to manage. Secondly, some dogs do not respond well to the recommended medication. Here is a list of symptoms that can indicate you may need to consider the euthanasia:
- chronic loss of appetite
- persistent loss of interest in favorite activities
- unable to walk or stand without help
- chronic panting, pacing, or restlessness
- chronic or even uncontrolled urination or incontinence
- constant vomiting or diarrhea
- lethargy
- chronic pain causing depression or aggression
- skin infections or sores that don’t heal
Assessing quality of life in dogs with Cushing’s disease
As a veterinarian with several decades of experience conducting pet euthanasia in homes in Tucson, I know it can be difficult to assess the quality of life for your dog with Cushing’s disease. Click here to utilize my quality of life checklist that can ensure you methodically assess key factors revealing the quality of your dog’s life right now. If you notice it is time to ethanize your dog, you can click here to go to the Making it Special section of my website where I clarify ways you can make the euthanasia situation much more special. That way, you can honor your dog and the special relationship you have with them. My heart goes out to you if you have to euthanize your dog!
Click here for some grief resources if you need some extra support.