Does my dog have cushings disease?

My 14 year old border collie Mac is confusingly labeled 'transient diabetic'. Could he just have Cushing's disease? The vet ruled out Cushing's because general blood tests (those 2 hormones) came back normal. Further, she said our dog responded to his insulin well. He recently went off insulin for a few weeks and was fine. After a week at the kennel, he had a seizure and his glucose was high (about 300-400) again, now he's on insulin again.

  • Vetinfo

    By: Erika Raines El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    It is possible that depending on your dog's diet, he may have a better ability to regulate his blood glucose at some times than others. The process of diabetes can be a gradual one at first. It may still be possible that your dog has Cushing's disease. Did your veterinarian run ACTH stimulation or low dose dexamethasone suppression tests? For these tests, bloodwork must be run after the administration of a drug, so you would have had to leave your dog at the veterinary clinic for at least a couple of hours. If the veterinarian is basing this diagnosis on just a general blood panel, you might want to request that the specialized testing for Cushing's be performed to truly rule this out. -Erika, DVM

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