Your
dog's vet may need to take a blood test to determine whether he has the
syndrome. A vet will get a reasonable idea of the disease being present
from a blood panel which will decide whether your dog has a low dose of
dexamethasone.
A
normal dog that does not have the syndrome will have dexamethasone that
is controlling the levels of cortisol in their blood. In a dog with
cushings the levels will not be being controlled.
Your vet may decide to use other tests to determine whether the
syndrome is present. The vet may use an ACTH response test and tests on
the ratio of urine and cortisol/creatinine levels. Of course X-rays
and ultrasonography can be used to determine whether tumors
are present.
Treatment...
The
treatment of cushings disease in dogs can vary depending on the
symptoms. If an adrenal gland tumor is discovered it maybe decided It
is possible that the vet may remove it but this is not always the case
as surgical procedures can be risky.
Pituitary gland tumors that have been discovered by your vet are not
normally removed. These symptoms are normally treated with Lysodren or
Ketaconazole, Lysodren is used to kill the outside layer of the adrenal
gland which produces the corticosteroids. The vet will use the Lysodren
in just the right levels to so that just enough of the adrenal gland is
destroyed to keep the corticosteroid levels normal.
During the process of your dog receiving Lysodren it is important that
you keep a very close eye on your dog as an adverse reaction to
Lysodren can cause vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, tiredness and
lethargy. Obviously if this happens you should take your dog to the vet
immediately.
Unfortunately dogs with the disease have a life span of about 2 years
even with treatment, but this is really only an estimate and not an
exact figure.
