vet question

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks so much for your question Kim. Cushing's is a condition that can be hard to explain but I'll do my best to give you some ideas about Lassie.

First of all, I don't tend to treat cushing's unless there are clinical signs. These signs include a really high thirst and urination as well as an increase in appetite. As the disease progresses we see a large abdomen, skin issues and more.

If your dog is not showing any of these signs, it is possible that what your vet saw was an increase in something called the alkaline phosphatase level. Many times a dog with a high ALP will have cushing's but sometimes it can be a sign of something else. I have found that some older dogs have high ALP and we can't figure out why.

Another possibility is if your vet diagnosed cushing's with a urine test. If this test is high it CAN mean cushing's but sometimes other things will cause an increase.

Has your vet done a low dose dexamethasone suppression test? This is the test we most commonly use to diagnose cushing's. If this test is conclusive then cushing's is very likely.

There are several treatments but they can be costly. It is hard to say for certain what the costs are but the main costs are in the routine bloodwork that must be run, especially in the first few months.

I hope this information helps!

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


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