All three disorders are known to occur as a result of Cushing’s disease. One dog had an increased amount of protein in her urine, high blood pressure, and an elevated liver test.

The two patients I evaluated for Cushing’s disease had different medical problems. The adrenal glands of dogs with Cushing’s disease produce too much of the hormone cortisol, either because of an adrenal tumor or because the pituitary gland in the brain forgets to tell the adrenal glands to stop producing cortisol. The AMC ER has a machine which can test blood concentrations of sodium and potassium in minutes, speeding the diagnosis of Addison’s disease. Dogs become progressively dehydrated and the potassium climbs to levels which can stop the heart from beating.

The consequences of missing a diagnosis of Addison’s disease are dire. One reason your veterinarian performs blood tests when your dog has vomiting and diarrhea is to identify the characteristically low blood concentrations of sodium and chloride and the high concentration of potassium, classic for a diagnosis of Addison’s disease. Dogs with Addison’s disease have vague, nonspecific clinical signs such as vomiting and diarrhea. What is strange about the dogs at AMC is the diagnosis of Addison’s disease in three dogs in one week, since the prevalence of the disease in dogs is thought to be 0.6-0.28% of all dogs. Cats very rarely develop Addison’s disease. Addison’s disease is inherited in the Standard Poodle and also the Portuguese Water Dog, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and the Bearded Collie. Two of last week’s ER patients with Addison’s disease were poodles. The hormone most important in Cushing’s and Addison’s disease is cortisol. Because the adrenal glands produce so many different hormones, either condition hypo- or hyperactivity can cause a wide variety of serious clinical signs. Small compared to the liver or kidneys, these glands are powerhouses pumping out an array of hormones critical to maintaining normal homeostasis. In cats, adrenal glands are half that size. The normal width of a dog’s adrenal gland is less than half an inch. Small but MightyĪdrenal glands are tiny organs, one sits atop of each kidney. Additionally, I evaluated two of my patients for adrenal gland hyperactivity, or Cushing’s disease. Not one, but three dogs were admitted by The Animal Medical Center’s 24-hour Emergency Service with a diagnosis of Addison’s disease, or hypoactivity of the adrenal gland. Last week was a big week for adrenal gland disorders at The Animal Medical Center.

Overactive adrenal gland in dogs