Cushing's syndrome in dogs
Cushing’s syndrome is a disease caused by high levels of the hormone cortisol. It’s the most common hormonal disease in dogs. It affects many organs and body functions. In older dogs, Cushing’s disease may be due to cancer.
Cushing’s syndrome, or hyperadrenocorticism, is caused by excessive levels of cortisol in the blood, disrupting normal metabolism. This causes many problems, such as increased risk of some infections and diabetes. Treatment is effective at improving quality of life and reducing complications, but is lifelong and requires frequent monitoring.
A similar disease can happen in dogs that have been on treatment with very high doses of steroids for a long time, but this can be solved by slowly reducing the treatment dose. This must always be done under close monitoring by a vet.