What is the life expectancy of a dog diagnosed with Cushing's disease?

Question

My 7 year old terrier has recently had blood work done which indicates the possible existance of Cushing's disease.

He had elevated ALP of 146 last year and this year it is 176.
His thyroid is low at 0.49.

The vet thinks he might be pre-cushings, hence the only slightly elevated alp levels.

He shows no other symptoms of the disease, no excessive drinking or eating, no incontinence or frequent urination. He is active and playful and has no intolerance to heat.

My question is how might the presence of cushing's disease effect his life expectancy?

Answer 1

Cushing's disease, also known as hyperadrenocorticism Left untreated, Cushing's disease will progress and can lead to life-threatening disorders such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, and liver and kidney failure, and to chronic maladies such as hypothyroidism and infections of the skin, ears, gums, eyes, or bladder. Cushing's disease cannot be cured, but the treatments available can prolong your pet's quality of life and keep him around for years longer. If an adrenal tumor is causing the disease, surgery may be indicated. Either way, it's better to get started on treatment.

There are 3 forms of Cushing's Disease:

Pituitary-Dependent Cushing's Disease - This is the most common form of Cushing's Disease. It accounts for approximately 85% of cases. It occurs when a very small tumor develops in the pituitary. This tumor sends excessive messages to the adrenal glands to produce and release steroids beyond what the body needs.



2. Adrenocortical Tumors - Tumors of the adrenal glands account for the other 15% of the cases. These are functional masses which are malignant about 50% of the time. The majority of dogs with adrenal tumors are female.



3. Iatrogenic Cushing's Disease - This form of the disease is caused by excessive and/or prolonged steroid administration.



The life expectancy of a dog with Cushing's is shorter than for normal dogs. The average survival time after diagnosis is 2 years with the appropriate treatment. Complications that may arise include embolisms, infections, hypertension, heart failure diabetes, pancreatitis, and other illnesses.

Owning a pet with Cushing's Disease can be problematic.

Answer 2

The prognosis for this disease varies depending on the type. Surgery can cure an adrenal cortical tumor that has not spread to other areas of the body. However, about half the adrenal tumors are malignant and therefore may have already spread, in which case, there is a much poorer prognosis. Pituitary-dependent Cushing's has a good short-term prognosis, as the microtumors do not generally cause other problems. Long-term, however, pets with Cushing's disease are predisposed to other diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, urinary tract infections, kidney disease, hypertension, and pancreatitis. Iatrogenic Cushing's disease has a good prognosis, if proper withdrawal times are maintained.

Answer 3

Don't worry about the existence of cushing's yet. When my dog had some blood work done she also showed elevated levels of the ALP, and her vet said it indicated cushing's. I worried about it several months because she was showing all the signs, excessive urination, drinking, etc.....several months later, I took her to a different vet who is very competent and up-to-date with veterinary medicine. He ran the appropriate tests, including a matched sample of the blood work and then conducted a test SPECIFICALLY for cushing's. It turned out she does NOT have cushing's.....the old vet had me so worried over nothing.

Basically, just don't worry about cushing's yet, because there are several other things that could cause the change in ALP levels. Also, ask your vet to do the more appropriate tests. If he/she is set on cushing's, I would highly recommend a different vet, as it seems like you are having a similar problem as I did with my dog's old vet too.

Answer 4

I lost a old dog to Cushing's a year ago. Now we have another dog has it. We know what we are dealing with, she is in her last stage. All the treatments doesn't help them. Just makes it hard on the poor old dog. There are a few breeds that get's Cushing's Yorkie's are one of them. And we have 4 Yorkie's! The 1st dog we lost wasn't a Yorkie. All you can do is keep them on pain pills because they suffer with Cushing's till they die. My dog had Cushing's for about 4 years before my vet ran a test on him. By then it was too late he was in his last stage of Cushing's. It's not easy seeing your dog suffer and can't do anything to help the poor dog.

Answer 5

My dog has been diagnosed with Cushings. We were told that for $700-$800 a month, he can take meds. plus have blood work. Plus my Vet told me that the drugs can do as much harm as the Cushings itself. I love my little guy sooooooooo much, but honestly cannot afford this much money a month. I have been researching ever since and can see my boy displaying many of the symptoms...excessive drinking, urination, hunger, panting and the bloated belly. I did order a natural product, but really do not see that this is making any difference. (Adrenal Harmony Gold) Does anyone have any suggestions for someone who is not in a position to fork out the large sums of money for their furry child. Seems being a pet owner is becoming a choice for the rich.

Answer 6

I don't know if my little dog has it, but in case she is prone (11yr old Toy Poodle), I have decided to give her IP-6 & Inositol, Tocotrienols, Resveratrol (fr Japanese Knotweed ONLY) and most recently Black Seed Oil caps (which I have read are an effective treatment for Cushing's), as well as a few other things daily. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Answer 7

My parents beagle was diagnosed a few years ago with Cushing's. He is about 14 years old now...so I wouldn't worry too much about it, especially if he may be "pre" cushings. Just take care of him and do everything you are supposed to and hopefully he will live may more years.

Answer 8

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By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Holy cow I never heard of a dog having cushing's disease. My friend just got diagnosed with that and she now has to have brain surgery. Crazy. Sorry to hear about your dog but if it affects pets and people the same way I would think your dog would just begin to be very moody and get really fat.