Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cushing's disease in related wirehaired Dachshunds with hair loss
By Stritzel, Sabrina et al.·Published in Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift·2008·Institut fü, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: [Familial canine pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism in wirehaired Dachshunds].
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of wire-haired Dachshunds developed Cushing's disease, which is a condition that causes symptoms like hair loss, increased thirst, and frequent urination. Eleven of these dogs were diagnosed, while six others showed signs that suggested they might also have the disease. The affected dogs had liver enzyme changes and one had a rare pituitary tumor. This case highlights a family link in these dogs, suggesting a genetic predisposition to this condition. Treatment options typically include medications to manage the symptoms and reduce hormone levels, but specific outcomes for these dogs weren't detailed.
People also search for: wire-haired Dachshund Cushing's disease symptoms · dog hair loss and increased thirst · treatment for dog pituitary tumor
Abstract
Canine pituitary hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease) caused by neoplasia of the corticotrope cells is one of the most common endocrine diseases especially in smaller dog breeds. Cushing's disease was diagnosed in eleven wire-haired Dachshunds and for further six wire-haired Dachshunds Cushing's disease was suspected on the basis of clinical signs. A joined pedigree could be ascertained for all these 17 dogs. Eleven of these dogs were so closely related to each other, that they were summarized in four nucleus families. Two fullsiblings were examined by means of clinical, laboratory diagnostic and morphological methods. The main lesions consisted of atrophic dermatosis with alopecia, increase of activity of liver enzymes in plasma and bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia and therefore corresponded to the typical signs of a secondary hyperadrenocorticism. A rather unusual finding was the pituitary carcinoma in one of these dogs. Similarly to human patients affected by hyperadrenocorticism, real-time PCR analysis showed a 2.9-fold increase of expression of the canine MDR1 gene in the liver of one affected wirehaired Dachshund. This study documents the first familial occurrence of pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism in wirehaired Dachshunds, the overexpression of the MDR1 gene in the dog and the third case of familial hyperadrenocorticism in dogs ever described.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18822606/