How to Care for Your Dog Suffering From Cushing’s Disease?

It is not easy for your dog to live with Cushing’s disease. It can cause several discomforts because many functions of the body get disrupted. That is why it is your responsibility to ensure that you provide adequate care to ease the distress caused by the disease. Your furry friend might be undergoing treatment already, but it needs furtive support to deal with the complications that arise from Cushing’s disease. You will need to make several adjustments to your dog’s daily habits and lifestyle. 

Provide Adrenal Support

There are several approaches to treat Cushing’s disease in dogs. You must be aware of the conventional methods already. But traditional treatments can cause severe side effects, some of which are as bad as the symptoms. That is why many dog parents prefer taking natural approaches to treating their dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease. Cushing’s disease causes overproduction of Cortisol in the adrenal glands. That is why pet parents use natural adrenal support supplements for dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease. 

These natural supplements often use a blend of natural herbs that balances the production of Cortisol in the adrenal glands. It also has additional benefits that reduce the excessive tendency to drink water and urinate. The supplements reduce hair loss and the chances of skin infection resulting from it. The various natural herbs used in natural supplements and their uses are as follows.

• Astragalus helps a dog adapt to stress and strengthens the adrenal glands.
• Dandelion is a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin B5, along with several minerals. It provides support to almost all the vital organs of your dog. 
• Horsetail promotes a healthy digestive system.
• Cleavers cleanses the kidneys and expels the excess water that causes a swollen abdomen.
• Burdock nourishes a dog’s overwhelmed liver. 
• Ginseng provides support to the immune system and increases energy.
• Ashwagandha reduces stress in your dog and improves overall health.

Help Your Dog’s Mobility

Dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease feel lethargic most of the time and lack of energy. Sometimes their muscles go weak, and they suffer from joint pains. Therefore you might need to help your dog’s mobility quite often. Introduce a gentle routine for exercise that can increase its muscle strength. You might have to start slow by taking it for short walks and slowly build up the time. Since your dog might pant excessively, choose to take the walks when the temperatures are lower. 

You might need to make modifications to your home to accommodate your dog’s lack of mobility. For example, if you have stairs at your house, you might need to limit your dog’s requirements to go upstairs. Make arrangements by shifting its bed and toys downstairs, so that it can be happy there. If your dog needs to go upstairs frequently, you can install a ramp that can help it to climb. 

Reduce Stress

Stress triggers the production of cortisol in a dog’s body. Therefore reducing stress is of utmost importance for dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease. Modify your home environment so that it creates a calming atmosphere for your dog. Try to find out what causes stress for your dog and try to keep it away from them. There might be unavoidable aspects that your dog does not like. For example, your dog might get stressed during baths, so choose ways to keep it calm during baths. You can use products that your dog likes to smell. Or you can use mitts that can massage while you bath your furry friend.

Modify Your Dog’s Diet

Modifying your dog’s diet is another important aspect of ensuring support for your dog suffering from Cushing’s disease. Since the ailment affects almost every part of your dog’s body, dietary modifications can go a long way to improve its health. If your dog is undergoing treatment, there might be stomach-related side effects, such as vomiting or diarrhea. You will have to keep such factors in mind while creating a diet plan.

There are two essential aspects of your dog’s health that you need to take care of through dietary adjustments. Dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease tend to develop a potbelly and become obese. The primary cause is water retention due to the stress of the disease on kidneys. But the lack of energy and achy muscles add to the tendency to gain weight. That is why you must reduce the carb intake of your dog. Complex carbs might be better to regulate glucose levels. You must also pay attention to your dog’s gut health. The presence of microbiome in your dog’s guts is essential to proper digestion and bodily functions. So make sure you feed probiotics to your dog regularly to keep its microbial balance optimum. 

Try to anticipate your dog’s needs when it is suffering from Cushing’s disease. Providing adequate care to your dog can ensure that your dog lives a normal and happy life.