Pet Herbal Info Blog

posted by Tess on Nov 25

Domestication, an increased focus on dog health and veterinarian medicine has led to a situation where pet dogs live longer. Selective breeding to produce individual dog breeds has also led to certain genetic diseases that were not very common before. The practical consequence of this is that dog owners have to deal will more dog diseases than ever before.

Apart from certain dog specific diseases, dogs suffer from practically all diseases experienced by humans. Like humans, dogs to can develop bacterial, fungal and viral infections, skin, orthopedic and eye diseases and tumors and cancers. To add to it all there are diseases associated with old age too. Cushing’s syndrome is one such disorder that is usually seen in older dogs.

Canine Cushing’s syndrome may be endogenous or exogenous. Endogenous Cushing’s is a condition where either of the two main endocrinal glands, the pituitary or the adrenal gland stimulate or produce excessive cortisol within the body. Cortisol is a stress hormone and elevated levels of the hormone depress immune and inflammatory responses. The primary cause of exogenous Cushing’s is the administration of steroid medication.

There are a wide variety of causes behind increased production of cortisol. Cushings syndrome refers purely to excessive cortisol regardless of the underlying cause. Cushing’s disease refers to a specific condition where the increased levels of cortisol are caused mainly due to a pituitary adenoma.

The pituitary releases a stimulating hormone (adrenocorticotrophic hormone or ACTH) that signals the adrenal gland to produce cortisol. Higher than required levels of this hormone causes Cushings disease. Other causes of endogenous Cushing’s in dogs include adrenal hyperplasia (abnormal increase in number of adrenal cells), small cell carcinoma (usually associated with the lungs).

Small breeds are more susceptible to Cushing’s disease and the symptoms are almost similar to the ones associated with old age. Some of the more noticeable symptoms include large water intake, frequent urination that may be accompanied by incontinence, increased appetite, bloated stomach, thin skin and muscle wasting. Most of the times, owners take the dog to a veterinarian after noticing a marked increase in thirst and urination and the changed appearance often leads to suspicions of Cushing’s.

Levels of cortisol in the blood can vary during the day, which means that blood tests for arriving at a definite conclusion may have to be performed more than once. Diagnosis usually involves a couple of blood tests to check levels of cortisol and ACTH.

Cushings syndrome is not curable. However the condition can be managed with drugs that rapidly decrease the production of cortisol by the adrenal glands. These drugs are highly potent and have numerous side effects and therefore constant monitoring is required. Alternative treatment for Cushing’s disease in dogs includes herbal, natural and homeopathic remedies that can effectively manage the symptoms and if started early in life may also help in prevention.

We Recommend:

Cushex Drops are a natural, safe and effective blend of both herbal and homeopathic ingredients specially selected to treat Cushings in pets. Each ingredient of this natural remedy has a specific role to play in normalizing adrenal function, balancing corticosteroid levels or reducing the troublesome symptoms of this condition. Cushex Drops are easy to administer and the dosage can be adjusted to suit pets of all sizes.

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