Cushing’s disease is a dreadful disorder but it is often confused with the natural aging process of dogs. Excessive hair loss and a thin brittle skin accompanied by a distended abdomen tend to change the appearance of your dog.
Cushing’s disease is actually a common name given to hyperadrenocorticism, a glandular disorder caused by excessive cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal cortex on stimulation by a pituitary hormone. Although the adrenal cortex may itself be causing excessive hormones, Cushing’s disease is specifically associated with an increase in cortisol due to the development of a pituitary tumor.
A vast majority of cases of high levels of cortisol turn out to be conditions related to a pituitary problem and it is only in rare cases that the condition is treatable by surgery. Conventional treatment of this endocrine dysfunction usually involves administration of oral drugs. Mitotane is commonly used in the treatment of pituitary-dependent Cushing’s syndrome in dogs. As the disease can also be caused due to a problem with the adrenal glands, the prefix pituitary-dependent is added to differentiate Cushing’s disease from Cushing’s syndrome.
Mitotane can cause side effects that include abnormal lowering of white blood cells, pain in joints and rash. Radiation therapy may also be used in certain cases but that too has its drawbacks. If you do not like to treat your dog with conventional drugs, herbal and natural medicine for Cushing’s disease can prove to be a more viable option considering the cost of treatment to a safe resolution of symptoms.
Diet plays an important role in maintaining an effective metabolism in the dog’s body. Most of us usually err on this aspect of keeping a pet. The dog’s body is not meant for commercial foods that contain preservatives. These actually do more harm than we would like to believe. Natural diets of raw foods, including meats and vegetables may prove to be just what you need to manage Cushing’s disease. Vitamin C and E and selenium are potent antioxidants that can be given as supplements.
Herbs like Gingko Bilboa and Astragalus can also be considered since they are known to help in reducing cortisol production. You may also look for a combination of an herbal and homeopathic remedy for Cushing’s disease to derive benefits of both.
Reference:
http://www.articlealley.com/
http://www.dogpro.com/cushings-disease-in-dogs.html