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What if my dog has untreated Cushing's and I can't afford treatment?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cockapoo | Female | spayed | 40 lbs

What happens if your dog has Cushing's and it goes untreated? My husband has lost his income and the vet said the testing for cushing's is about $200. Right now that isn't an option for us.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 13th, 2017

There are studies that show it does not affect their life span ! It is a disease of symptoms and can be frustrating to live with. It will cause an increase in drinking and urination which can lead to accidents, it causes thin skin and a pot belly appearance with weight gain a muscle loss. In severe cases it can lead to a skin infection and calcifying of the skin

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD
Veterinarian
Published on September 28th, 2017
Chloe is adorable! Between medication and the necessary blood tests for monitoring, Cushing's disease can be expensive to treat - I can understand your financial concerns. Cushing's disease in and of itself is not a fatal condition, although it can lead to some bigger issues associated with an increased ability to clot blood (which can lead to blood clot formation, which can be quite serious), among others. While treatment is ideal, many people choose not to treat Cushing's disease for one reason or another, so there is no need to feel badly! At home, I would expect that Chloe's clinical signs would continue and may worsen over time. This would include drinking and urinating more than average (with possible accidents in the house), an increased appetite, further hair loss, and an ongoing potbellied appearance. Otherwise, I would not expect any other major changes associated with unregulated Cushing's disease.

Here are some articles for further reading:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=Ahttp://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=637&S=0&C=0&A=619

I hope this helps and that all goes well for Chloe!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Related Questions

My senior dog has untreated Cushing's. Will he be in pain? How long?

It is common for people to decide not to treat their dog for Cushing's disease. Unfortunately, the treatment is expensive and has side effects. The biggest concerns with Cushing's disease are the side effects of the disease (drinking more, urinating more, etc) and the potential for the dog to develop other infections from a suppressed immune system. So, I recommend that a dog with Cushing's disease be closely monitored at home for any changes in clinical signs and have them evaluated in case the dog is developing a secondary infection. That will often mean checking urine samples on a regular basis to make sure a urinary tract infection isn't hiding. I have attached more information on Cushing's disease below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=635 At almost 15 years old, if Bullwinkle has other health problems, then Cushing's disease may or may not shorten his life. But the most important thing is to closely monitor him and make sure any infections are treated right away. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog has Cushing's. Can't afford treatment. Should I put him down?

I'm sorry Buckaroo has Cushing's disease! Cushing's is commonly caused by a pituitary tumor, although a small percentage of dogs develop Cushing's due to a tumor on the adrenal glands that may or may not be cancerous. Should he has a pituitary tumor and it's left untreated, then the tumor can grow large enough to press on the brain leading to neurological symptoms such as difficulty seeing and walking, or other conditions such as diabetes and seizures. I would speak with your vet to see if there is a way you can set up payment plans so you can afford to treat Buckaroo. If you truly cannot afford the treatment, I wouldn't put him down just yet. Enjoy as much time as you can with him, and if he develops any of the symptoms I mentioned above or his other current symptoms begin to get worse and his quality of life decreases, then yes I would put him to sleep. I'm sorry you are in this position and I hope my advice helps.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My 11-year-old dog has Cushing's. Is he suffering? What's his outlook?

I am so sorry to hear this and I know how hard it can be to tell if your pet is having a good quality of life. The three big things I look for are: 1) Good appetite 2) Comfort level- are they moving around on their own, able to posture to urinate/defecate well, using the stairs, able to rise and lay down easily. If not- would medications or other therapies help? Also, with neck pain- can they eat/drink from their bowls well? 3) Are they still doing the things that make them 'them'- whether it be greeting you at the door, wanting to take walks, whatever it is that makes their personality unique. To answer your specific questions- the term 'tumor' can be scarab, but Cushings can be a disease managed without a loss of comfort, although it may take management- Eg checkups to make sure they don't have urinary infections or skin infections. I would certainly be concerned about any neck pain and want to ask your vet if any therapies would help improve their comfort. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog has high cortisol but seems normal. Is it Cushing's? Treat?

Cushings is an extremely complicated condition to both diagnose and treat but with such a high reading on an acth stimulation test is is extremely likely in this case. There are additional confirmatory tests such as a urine cortisol:creatinine ratio and dex suppression tests which can be used to further investigate. If she has no symptoms at all then it may be an option to withold treatment and monitor very closely, keeping a symptom diary to track any changes. In some dogs, the abnormal excess cortisol can actually provide antiinflammatory effects improving quality of life and treatment can actually allow other symptoms to emerge. You should be aware that untreated cushings may indeed shorten life expectancy

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Cat with advanced Cushing's: How long untreated? Is it painful?

Cushing's disease is rare in cats, and prognosis is guarded when it is diagnosed in a cat. It can rarely be cured, and it's hard to say exactly how long a cat would live without treatment as each animal is different, but I would not recommend allowing a cat to live without treatment. That would cause suffering to the animal, which is never acceptable. I would say that they would be in pain, as they will suffer muscle wastage, thin skin that can easily tear, possible UTIs from the excessive drinking and urination, and concurrent suffering with diabetes (the excessive cortisol interferes the effects of insulin). If Winfred is at end stage Cushings and you do not want to continue treatment, then I would recommend putting her to sleep to prevent any pain and suffering.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

My senior dog has a distended belly, thirsty, weak. Is it Cushing's?

My biggest concern is that your vet is talking about hyperadrenocorticism also known as Cushing's disease. This is what I think of when you discuss those symptoms, liver enzyme elevations and adrenal issues. Cushings is where they produce too much cortisol in their system. You can do a test to rule this in or out. You can have your vet do a low dose dexamethasone test OR a ACTH stimulation test. If it comes up positive then you can treat with the disease with a daily medicine called trilostane to help the symptoms. But you cannot cure cushings. I hope this helps and will help guide you in a conversation with your vet if this is actually what your vet thinks is going on.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog has Cushing's. Vomiting, weight loss: Cancer or diabetes?

An enlarged liver is unfortunately one of the common side effects of Cushing's disease so it is not unusual that Ginger's liver appeared enlarged. Her urine concentration is very low (normal for a dog is 1.040) but again, this can be attributed to her Cushing's disease as well (because she is probably drinking more water and therefore causing her urine to be more dilute). In Ginger's case I would be worried about Diabetes and possibly cancer as well. I know it can be frustrating (and expensive) to keep doing more tests, especially when you aren't getting clear answers as to what is going on. I would recommend talking to your vet about costs/additional testing versus palliative care/keeping her comfortable for the time being. It may also be worth beginning treatment for her Cushing's disease because it could help allieviate some of her symptoms. Good luck. Please let us know if you have more questions/concerns.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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