Is Your Dog Suffering from Cushing's Disease?
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What Are Your Options If Your Dog Is Suffering From Cushing's Disease?
Cushing's disease is one of the worst canine diseases. The diagnosis of the disease is difficult, and there are no known cures that are full proof. The disease affects the endocrine system of dogs and results in the overproduction of cortisol in the adrenal glands. Cortisol is a hormone that gets secreted when the dog feels stressed. It helps in regulating the dog's immune system and metabolism during those periods. But when the adrenal glands produce too much of it, the immune system is severely affected, along with many other body functions. Three things can cause Cushing's disease in dogs.
A tumor on the Pituitary gland.
A tumor on one of the Adrenal glands.
Overuse of steroid laden medicines.
So what are your options when your dog gets diagnosed with Cushing's disease? In this article, we are going to discuss them, along with their pros and cons.
Natural Remedies
Natural remedies and holistic approaches are gaining more popularity than traditional options these days. Vets all over America recommend CBD oil as the best adrenal support product for dogs. CBD oil rectifies the endocrine system and reduces the production of Cortisol in a dog's Adrenal glands. It can provide a much more effective and safer method of adrenal support for dogs that are suffering from Cushing's disease. Alternative medicines with Cannabidiol have proved to be successful in limiting the effects of the disease by reducing cortisol, improving metabolism, immune system, and the skin of affected dogs. It also helps in reducing the symptoms of the disease, such as excessive urination, low energy, and eating disorders.
Some other herbs and supplements can be used along with CBD oil to reduce the symptoms of the disease. The best part of using natural remedies and supplements is the lack of side effects. Traditional treatments always have side effects that are as uncomfortable as the symptoms of Cushing's disease. That is why pet parents prefer to use natural remedies these days over traditional medicines.
Surgery
Surgery can be an option to treat Cushing's syndrome if it is caused by a tumor on the adrenal glands of the dog. But if the tumor has spread to other parts of the body, surgery will not be as effective. Many dogs suffer from Cushing's disease even after going through surgery and have to take medication. Adrenal glands of dogs that undergo surgery can stop producing cortisol altogether. In such cases, pet parents have to feed cortisol replacement medicines to their dogs. The medication can be stopped if and when the Adrenal glands start producing cortisol. That can take up to a year. At times adrenal glands never resume their function of producing cortisol.
Radiation
If a vet cannot perform surgery because of the position of the tumor, or due to any other reason, he or she will prescribe radiation. Radiation can also get prescribed if the tumor could not be removed entirely after invasive surgery. Radiation can be used for dogs that cannot go through surgery due to other health-related complications. Radiation therapy might be administered over six weeks in mild doses. Or it can be done once with a procedure called stereotactic radiosurgery. The procedure is usually administered in the case of Pituitary tumors. The advantage of stereotactic radiosurgery is that it limits the damage of radiation to the tissues surrounding the tumor. Still, there are many side effects of radiation that can be worrisome.
Medications
Medications are usually prescribed instead of surgery or radiation, or along with them. Medicines are also needed when the tumor has not been completely removed by surgery or radiation. Some drugs can be prescribed before a surgery, or in the early stages of Cushing's disease. Medicines are not always successful in reducing the overproduction of cortisol in the Adrenal glands of a dog. Some medicines are not targeted towards the reduction of cortisol production, but towards reducing the damage caused to your dog's body by excess Cortisol. The primary disadvantages of medicines are the numerous side effects. Some of them are:
Fatigue
Nausea
Vomiting
Body inflammation
Liver toxicity
Neurological dysfunction
High blood sugar
High blood pressure
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
At times these side effects can look worse than the original symptoms caused by the disease. Pet parents get worried about these side effects so much that they often want to stop the medication altogether.
Options should be discussed with veterinary doctors before implementation. If none of these options can be implemented for the dog, the only way to cure the disease is to remove the Adrenal glands of the dog. However, in that case, pet parents will have to administer hormone replacement medicine throughout the dog's life.