Cushing's disease, also known as Cushing's syndrome or hyperadrenocorticsm, happens mostly to cats that are older than 10 years old. According to Dr. Douglas Brum, female cats get Cushing's disease 70 percent of the time. It is a rare disease in cats, but is seen more frequently in dogs. It can happen to any breed of cat or even to mixed breeds.
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Cause
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Cushing's disease in cats is cause by malfunctioning adrenal glands. It begins making far too much of the types of hormones known as glucocorticoids. These hormones, such as cortisol, are different from other hormones because they have steroids in them. Tumors may cause this malfunction of the adrenal glands, but most are caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland. This makes too much adrenocorticotropic hormone, which in turn triggers the adrenal gland to make too much glucocorticoids.
Symptoms
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According to Mar Vista Animal Medical Center, a cat with Cushing's disease will develop a pot-bellied appearance, will have thin or bald patches in the fur and may develop dry, flaky or itchy skin. The most alarming symptoms are that the cat will drink far more often than usual and, as a result, urinate far more often than usual. This urgency to urinate may cause the cat to miss the litter box. The ear tips of affected cats may appear to curl, but this does not happen to all affected cats.
Complications
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Most cats with Cushing's disease will also develop or already have developed diabetes mellitus or "sugar diabetes". Since the symptoms of diabetes in cats include drinking and urinating far more frequently than usual, it may be difficult to diagnose the Cushing's separately from the cat's diabetes. According to "Feline Adrenal Disease", a paper given at the Small Animal Veterinary Association's World Congress in 2001, cats with Cushing's will need be given higher doses of insulin than diabetic cats without Cushing's.
Side Effect
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A cat may develop Cushing's disease if they have been on steroid medications for more than one month. The steroid medications would be the cause of the extra glucocorticoids in the cat's body. This type of Cushing's disease in cats is called iatrogenic or "vet induced" Cushing's. The risk of developing bad side effects like Cushing's syndrome is one reason why vets prefer to use steroid medications only for short term use in cats. (See Resources 3).
Treatment
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The first option is to see whether the tumors on either the pituitary gland or the adrenal glands can be removed by surgery. Usually, it is easier for the veterinarian to remove the entire gland rather than just the tumor. This also ensures that the entire tumor is removed. A second option is use of a drug called metyrapone but it only works some of the time.
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