How to know if your dog has Cushing’s Disease and Diabetes
How to know if your dog has Cushing's Disease and Diabetes. What is Cushing's Cushing's Disease (or syndrome) occurs when the adrenal glands produce excess amounts of cortisol, also known as cortisone. Cushing's is also known as hyperadrenocorticism. Hyper = above normal; adreno = relating to the adrenal glands; corticism = relating to the cortex & cortisol production. So, Cushings is a disease of elevated cortisol production by the adrenal cortex. Cushing's is much more common in dogs than in cats, so this page focuses on Cushings in dogs. Dogs have two adrenal glands, which are are small pea-sized glands located next to the kidneys. The adrenal glands produce several types of hormones that are involved in regulating many of the body's processes including control of blood potassium and sodium concentrations, water metabolism, protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism, stress response, regulation of blood pressure, and to a small extent sex hormone levels. The outer portion of the adrenal gland is [keep reading...]