Cushing disease is a common endocrine disorder in senior dogs causing significant welfare compromise. Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment restore quality of life.
Cushing disease causes chronic, progressive welfare harm through multiple mechanisms — muscle weakness affects mobility and quality of life, excessive thirst creates behavioral disturbance, skin changes including thinning and infections cause discomfort, and the metabolic changes of chronic cortisol excess impair immune function. The condition develops insidiously and may be significantly advanced before owners recognize the full welfare burden. Medical treatment with trilostane or mitotane effectively suppresses cortisol and produces dramatic improvement in clinical signs and quality of life in most treated dogs. The welfare improvement from appropriate treatment is substantial and often dramatic — dogs regain energy, muscle tone, and normal behavioral patterns. Monitoring of cortisol levels during treatment is important for safety as over-suppression causes an Addisonian crisis.