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

Cushing's or Hyperadrenocorticism is a fairly common endocrine disease in dogs. It can be caused by a bit of overactive tissue in the brain (in the pituitary gland, which is the master ruler of hormone secretion in the body) or a mass in an adrenal gland (sits by the kidneys, secretes hormones as directed by the pituitary gland). Basically what happens is an excess of a hormone in the body, usually a steroid called cortisol, if it is traditional Cushing's. This then causes some symptoms in the pet, blood work changes, and sometimes other changes like high blood pressure. I suspect based on the value that you report that this was a liver enzyme elevation call ALP. This very commonly occurs in pets that have Cushings, but is not specific for Cushing's and elevation can be caused by other disease processes. This value does not correlate with severity of disease as many dogs have a high value. It sounds like your vet is on the right track by recommending an ultrasound to look at the adrenal glands and also the rest of the abdominal organs to rule out other disease processes. Ultimately Cushing's Disease has to be diagnosed by some sort of endocrine testing which your vet may recommend as well. Treatment if then based on what type of Cushing's disease is present. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hyperadrenocortisism is definitively diagnosed by a blood test, so that would be the next step for investigating this further. Some of what you described fits with this disease, but the fact that he is eating less makes me less inclined to believe it's Cushing's. However, without me being able to examine Mcgee and understand his medical history in more depth, I cannot comment much more. I reccomend you continue to work with your vet to find out the exact cause of is recent problems. Once diagnosed, treatment options can be discussed. I hope that helps and Mcgee gets better soon.

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.

It's hard to get a full picture of a pets condition without a hands on exam, but the things that concern me with this bloodwork are the glucose level, the ALKP and the elevated WBC count. Unfortunately, in these cases, more veterinary care is the only option. Your pet may have Cushing's disease (adrenal gland disorder), diabetes and an infection somewhere. These cases can get complicated and require follow up testing, likely medications that need to be controlled and adjusted once a diagnosis has been made. There really isn't any way of moving on with your pets care until you have a working diagnosis and these results point to a few possibilities. Perhaps you can see if your vet accepts Care Credit and utilize that for financial assistance.

Hello, sorry to hear about Roxie. Those symptoms you are noting could be associated with cushings disease. This is a disease of the adrenal glands and/or pituitary gland that causes excessive secretion of steroid hormones. In addition to the voracious appetite, distended abdomen, and muscle mass loss, one may also note increase drinking and urinating, panting, and anxiety (such as the barking you're noting). Cushings disease can be managed medically, but she will likely need bloodwork and potentially an abdominal ultrasound for diagnostics. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to have Roxie evaluated. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I'm sorry to hear that Angel has been diagnosed with Cushing's disease. He is likely developing a pot belly that is characteristic of the disease. Cushing's is the result of too much of the hormone cortisol being produced. It results in muscle wasting and weakness. It also can cause an increase in fat around the organs in the abdomen as well as the liver to enlarge. Together these things cause the dog to have a firm distended pot belly appearance.

Thank you for posting this question. There are several processes that can cause muscle wasting and distended belly. Cushings disorder is a common problem in older dogs where the body produces too much steroid hormone, but also certain types of kidney disease, liver disease, heart disease, or chronic gastrointestinal diseases can cause muscle wasting and fluid build up in the belly. Tumors can also have these signs. I would encourage you to have Buttons examined by her veterinarian to find out how best to help her. I wish her the best!