If you think that fleas are possibly the worst things which your dog can get, then you better think again. Having a pet dog is a big responsibility, which is why you needed to really consider things before you actually go ahead and get a dog. Fleas are but a small thing to consider on a longer list of the things you needed to keep track of when it comes to caring for your dog. Among the more serious types of illness which you also needed to watch out for is a dog’s Cushing’s disease.
The Cushing’s disease is a debilitating disease which definitely needs the help of medical attention. It also has a lot of symptoms so in this way, it will be relatively easy for you to detect whether or not your dog is already suffering from it. At the minimum, a dog with Cushing’s disease may exhibit an increase need to satiate thirst and may also urinate more frequently than usual. Sometimes, dogs with the said disease can even reach a point when they can no longer control peeing and end up just losing it right where they should not be doing it.
Another symptom to watch out for is when you dog suddenly increase in appetite. Although big dogs usually have big appetite and dogs in general would usually eat whatever you hand on to them, the Cushing’s disease doubles things up further. At some point the dog may even find it hard to resist food. It may even reach a point when the dog will even result to ransacking the kitchen or wherever it is that he knows food is being kept. Because of this increased appetite, the dog will obviously become fatter in terms of his body. However, a big contrast can be seen as the dog will exhibit a thinner pair of legs despite the weight gained.
If the dog has a furry coat, a telling sign of the Cushing’s disease will be seen through the dog’s thinner coat. You might also observe that the dog’s coat will become thinner and will even result to fur being thrown all over the place. As a result, your dog’s skin will also become gradually thinner and therefore be more prone to infections as well other skin diseases. At the minimum, you may expect to see that your dog will develop some bacterial occurrence as well as acne or blackheads on his skin. More major effects can be observed in the form of skin rashes.
Veterinarians say that Cushing’s disease results from a drastic change being experienced in the adrenal glands of the affected dog. There are two ways in which the adrenal glands become affected: it becomes either overactive or under active. However, the overactive state of the adrenal glands is attributed with Cushing’s disease. There are also a couple of things which has been connected with the emergence of Cushing’s disease. Through studies, it has been found that it may be caused by an onset of a pituitary problem which is found in the brain. It can also be caused by the overproduction of the adrenal gland itself.
