Cushing's Disease in dogs
The most common cause of hyperadrenocorticism in dogs is a benign (non-spreading) pituitary tumor. Malignant tumors of the pituitary, which metastasize through the body, are a much less frequent cause of hyperadrenocorticism. When a dog’s Cushing’s disease develops because of problems within the pituitary gland, the condition is called pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH). PDH is responsible for approximately 80 to 85 percent of cases of naturally occurring hyperadrenocorticism in dogs. Tumors within the adrenal gland (adrenal-dependent hyperadrenocorticism or ADH) are responsible for the other 15 to 20 percent of cases of naturally occurring Cushing’s disease in dogs. Adrenal tumors have about an equal chance of being benign or malignant.
