Cushing's syndrome disease, also known as hyperadrenocorticism and spontaneous hypercortisolism, is a condition resulting from an endocrine disorder where too much adrenocorticotropic and cortisol hormones are produced, causing toxicity.

[1] Cushing's is an umbrella term for conditions caused by elevated cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone levels.

[1] Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion has been described in a German Shepherd dog, those reviewing the case noted it could be the result of an abdominal neuroendocrine tumour.

Cortisol makes the body mobilise fat and sugar stores and retain sodium and water by adjusting the metabolism.

An improper feedback loop due to a tumour or as a side effect of medication can result in an overproduction of adrenocorticotropic and cortisol hormones.

[8] Other potential complications from Cushing's in dogs include proteinuria, glomerulosclerosis, pancreatitis, and gallbladder mucocele.

[2] Signs in hamsters include nonpruritic alopecia which will slowly progress to complete hair loss except for vibrissae, hyperpigmentation, polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia.

[3] Animals with Cushing's syndrome often have a co-morbidity such as: diabetes mellitus, chronic urinary tract infections, systemic hypertension, and pulmonary thromboembolism.

Studies have not found a difference in prevalence nor severity of systemic hypertension in dogs with pituitary-dependent versus adrenal-dependent Cushing's.

A relationship between systolic blood pressure and urinary protein to creatinine ratio or base coritsol levels has been inconsistently identified in studies.

[11] The presentation of clinical signs occurs with great variation due to the gradual onset of Cushing's.

[2] Abnormalities that can be found in a complete blood count include: thrombocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, erythrocytosis, eosinopenia, and monocytosis.

[2] Blood tests are not always practical for hamsters due to their small size; abdominal ultrasounds can be used to show adrenal gland enlargement.

When a dog has lowered serum levels of thyroid hormones and endocrine alopecia it is harder to differentiate between hypothyroidism and Cushing's.

[13] Prognosis varies based on the type of Cushing's, if the tumour is benign or malignant, and treatment method.

Dogs affected by adrenal-dependent Cushing's that underwent an adrenalectomy had a median survival rate of 533-953 days.

[6] Mitotane, sold under the brand name Lysodren, erodes the layers of the adrenal gland which produce corticosteroid hormones.

[8] L-Deprenyl, sold under the brand name anipryl, does not target cortisol production, instead it directly addresses the tumour.

Research on L-Deprenyl has shown that adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion in the intermediate area of the pituitary gland is controlled by the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Advantages of L-Deprenyl include the lower risk of side effects and inability to cause hypoadrenocoritism.

Some veterinarians may use high doses of lysodren to induce hypoadrenocorticism (a deficiency of cortisone), as it is easier to treat.