Why does the adrenal gland produce too much cortisol in Dog Cushings Disease?
The excess production of cortisol can happen for one of two reasons: 1) the adrenal gland may have a benign tumor on it that is producing too much cortisol on its own, or 2) the pituitary gland (located at the base of the brain) which normally controls the production of cortisol by the adrenal gland has a benign tumor itself. In the latter case, the benign tumor of the pituitary gland produces too much of a hormone called ACTH. The adrenal gland then responds to this overproduction of ACTH by secreting excess cortisol. How is Dog Cushings Disease diagnosed? The most common method to diagnose Dog Cushings Disease is to do an ACTH stimulation test. A baseline blood cortisol level is taken from your dog. Then ACTH is injected into your dog and a second blood cortisol level is taken at a certain time interval afterwards. If the cortisol level jumps by a certain amount, then Dog Cushings Disease is diagnosed. Other tests include both high and low dose dexamethasone suppression tests. An ult
