The following are symptoms of canine cushing’s disease. However, it is possible for dogs to have cushing’s disease and only have a few of the symptoms listed.
- Increase in thirst. Anything more than 1 cup of water per 10lbs of body weight is considered excessive thirst.
- Increase in the amount of urine produced.
- Increase in appetite.
- Panting (often worse at night time).
- Course haircoat.
- Potbelly appearance.
- Thin, fragile skin (able to see blood vessels easily, especially on the abdomen).
- Hair loss, often in a symmetrical pattern.
- Repeated skin infections.
- Blackheads, or darkening of the skin.
Do you suspect your dog has cushing’s disease? If you would like to talk to a vet about your dog, you can Ask Dr. Marie an online veterinary question.
I have a 12 year old Wire Fox terrier. Due to a birth defect in his right rear knee and the pain associated with it, he was on Metacam for about 6 years. He recently became very ill (vomitting and bloody diarhea) and was diagnosed with pancreatitis. The Vet took him off of Metacam and put him on tramadol, was given a 3 day course of IV fluids and is on a very bland diet. This transpired 2 weeks ago. About a week ago, I noticed urinary incontinence, dribbling, like he wasn’t finished going and now he goes to sleep and pees where he is laying. He is very thirsty and drinks quite a bit, but he has been like that for a few years. He has a good strong appetite and I am feeding him small meals 4 or 5 times per day. Could he have Cushings? This onset of incontinence came on quite suddenly.
This sounds like a complicated case. Cushing’s is definitely a possibility in any older dog that is urinating more than usual, but there are a number of other possibilities. It sounds like he’s going to need to have some more tests done.