After more than a year of searching for an explanation of Abbye’s gradual hair loss, dulling of her coat, discolored skin and other less obvious symptoms, it appears we may finally have an answer. According to the results of a just-completed blood test, she is suffering from Cushing’s Syndrome, a condition that results from an excess of cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone), a hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
Our next step is to figure out what’s causing the disease. The most common causes of this hyperadrenocorticism are normally-benign tumors of either the adrenal or pituitary glands. There’s another blood test that is used to distinguish between the two; Abbye’s scheduled for that on Monday.
The presence of a tumor doesn’t necessarily mean that surgery will be required. There are some alternative non-invasive treatments. The prognosis is uncertain, however. Everything we can find so far is primarily anecdotal; there haven’t been any rigorous studies of how Cushing’s plays out in dogs over time.
We certainly want to see Abbye’s physical symptoms improve, but I can’t help thinking that some of her behaviors — which up to now we’ve joked about as simply eccentricities — may also stem from this disorder. A malfunctioning adrenal gland has some definite psychological implications, which may explain her irrational fear of just about everything.
We’re far from fully understanding what’s going on, but it’s a big step in the right direction, I think. Stay tuned…
Here are some links we’ve found helpful:
- VetInfo.com
- Patient Information (geared toward humans, but provides good background)
- Wikipedia’s entry on cortisol
Technorati tags: Cushing’s Disease in dogs | Cortisol | Hydrocortisone
I know Cushing’s all too well. My last Big Gold Dog, Ranger, had it. This was some years ago but as I recall Drs Brown and Adkins treated it with medication. He ended up losing most of his fur, but whether this was caused by the Med’s or the disease I can’t recall…..he did grow it back. One of the real symptoms he exhibited was abnormal growth/swelling of his glands on his rear end.
About 3 years later he started to become ill and slowly declined. For some months we could not discern the reason. It wasn’t until near the end that a tumor showed up near his heart on an X-Ray.
I’ll qualify all this by saying that when he passed away he was over 10 y.o. and whether the tumor had anything to do with Cushings…..well I never heard that diagnosis. Hope all goes well…..!
Poor Abbye. Will be thinking of her as she goes through the tests. Hope the vet finds anything pronto that needs to be dealt with!
My thoughts, like yours, went to her emotional health as soon as you mentioned an adrenal disorder. She’s such a precious pooch! I’m so glad she has such loving “parents” to provide the best care available!
At least you have some kind of answer. I’ll be praying for y’all. She is a sweet pooch.
Thanks for the encouragement, folks. I know you’re all dog owners and fans. One of the reasons I posted this is to alert other owners about this malady, in case they notice similar symptoms in their own pets. Our vet didn’t actually suggest that we test Abbye for Cushing’s; it was my wife’s perceptive suggestion. Vets simply don’t see the pets often enough to be able to piece the whole picture together, so it’s important to be an informed owner…a partner in the healthcare process, so to speak.
Welll, same as for our children and ourselves, now that I think about it.
Here’s hoping the vets get it right after a year of misdiagnosis. Poor Abbye! 🙁
My Christmas wish this year is for her speedy recovery!!
Here’s hoping the vets get it right after a year of misdiagnosis.
In his defense, her symptoms have a large number of potential causes and he has been methodically going through the list. It just takes a while to test for and eliminate some of them.
But, anyway, thanks for the good wishes!
Poor Abbye! My prayers are with her as well as her “parents.” 🙂