Cushing's Disease in Dachshunds: The Hormone Problem Hiding in Plain Sight

Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is a hormonal disorder where a dog's adrenal glands overproduce cortisol, and dachshunds are one of the most predisposed breeds — roughly 1 in 30 to 40 dachshunds will develop it, compared to about 1 in 400 dogs in the general population. It typically strikes middle-aged and senior doxies, and while it can't be cured, it can be managed — if you catch it.

We know about the backs.

We obsess over the backs. We buy the ramps. We learn the two-hand lift. We do everything right.

But there's another thing happening inside your dachshund that almost nobody talks about until it's too late.

Cushing's disease.

And dachshunds don't just get it at the same rate as other dogs. They get it at roughly 10 times the rate.

Here's the problem: the early signs look like normal aging. Your dog drinks more water. They pee more. Their belly gets a little rounder. You figure they're just getting older.

And that's exactly how Cushing's hides.

What Is Cushing's Disease, and Why Do Dachshunds Get It?

Cushing's disease — vets call it hyperadrenocorticism — happens when your dog's body pumps out too much cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone. A little bit is fine. A lot of it, day after day, slowly wrecks things.

There are two types, and dachshunds lean heavily toward the more common one.

Pituitary-dependent Cushing's accounts for 80-85% of all cases. A tiny tumor on the pituitary gland (a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain) sends too many signals to the adrenal glands, telling them to keep making cortisol. The tumor is usually benign — but the cortisol flood is the problem.

Adrenal-dependent Cushing's makes up the other 15-20%. Here, the tumor is on the adrenal gland itself.

Dachshunds are specifically predisposed to the pituitary-dependent form. Cornell University's Riney Canine Health Center lists dachshunds among the smaller breeds most commonly affected. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists them as a predisposed breed as well.

Why dachshunds? Nobody has the definitive genetic answer yet, but Dr. Karin Sanders at Utrecht University, supported by the AKC Canine Health Foundation and Morris Animal Foundation, is actively researching diagnostic biomarkers and targeted treatments for the condition.

Most dachshunds are diagnosed at age 6 or older. If your doxie is middle-aged or senior, this is the article you file away. You might never need it. But if you do, you'll be glad you read it early.

The Signs That Look Like "Just Getting Old"

This is the cruelest part. The early symptoms of Cushing's disease look exactly like what you'd expect from a senior dachshund:

The drinking. Your dog starts hitting the water bowl like it owes them money. Not a little more — dramatically more. 80-90% of dogs with Cushing's show increased thirst and urination. If your previously house-trained doxie starts having accidents, don't chalk it up to stubbornness.

The appetite. Suddenly everything is food. The counter, the trash, the crumbs your kid dropped three rooms away. Elevated cortisol directly stimulates appetite — your dog isn't being greedy, they're being chemically driven.

The belly. Not the "I had too many treats" belly. The "pot-bellied" look from cortisol relocating fat into the abdominal organs while the abdominal wall muscles weaken and atrophy. On a dachshund, this can look a lot like normal sausage-dog shape to people who aren't watching closely.

The panting. Excessive panting, even when it's cool. Even when they're resting.

The coat. Hair loss — usually symmetrical, on both sides of the body. The skin underneath gets thin, sometimes dark. Chronic skin infections (pyoderma) that keep coming back. Slow wound healing.

The lethargy. Your once-opinionated, bark-at-the-mailman, refuse-to-come-inside dachshund is suddenly... tired. All the time.

Any one of these alone? Sure, could be aging. Three or four of them together in a senior dachshund?

Call your vet.

How Vets Diagnose Cushing's Disease

Cushing's is notoriously tricky to diagnose. There's no single blood test that says "yes" or "no." Your vet will likely start with the obvious — bloodwork, urinalysis — and look for patterns.

Common lab findings include elevated liver enzyme ALP, dilute urine, and a specific white blood cell pattern called a stress leukogram. An enlarged liver might show up on X-ray.

From there, the two most common diagnostic tests:

Low-Dose Dexamethasone Suppression Test (LDDS). Cornell identifies this as the preferred screening test. Your dog gets an injection of a synthetic steroid, then blood is drawn at 4 and 8 hours to see if cortisol levels drop like they should. In a healthy dog, they drop. In Cushing's, they don't.

ACTH Stimulation Test. A synthetic hormone is injected to stimulate the adrenal glands, and cortisol is measured before and after. Faster and simpler, but not the primary screening choice — the LDDS is preferred for initial diagnosis.

Once Cushing's is confirmed, your vet will need to determine which type — pituitary or adrenal — because the treatment path differs. Abdominal ultrasound, additional blood tests, and sometimes advanced imaging help pin this down.

These tests aren't cheap. But they're necessary. A misdiagnosis here — in either direction — means either treating a problem that doesn't exist or missing one that does.

Treatment: What Actually Works

Here's the honest part.

Cushing's disease in dachshunds is almost always the pituitary-dependent type. You're not going to cure it. You're going to manage it. And the management, when done right, can give your dog years of good quality life.

Trilostane (Vetoryl). This is the preferred first-line treatment for most dogs with Cushing's. It blocks an enzyme required for cortisol production. It doesn't remove the tumor — it turns down the volume on what the tumor is causing.

Kathleen Frizzell, a longhaired dachshund breeder, had three unrelated dachshunds diagnosed with Cushing's between ages 9 and 12. One of them, Murphy, was still going strong at 16 — five years after diagnosis. Reilly survived almost six years after his diagnosis at age 9.

That's the thing about Cushing's: caught and managed, it doesn't have to be a death sentence.

Mitotane (Lysodren). An older option that actually destroys adrenal tissue. More aggressive, more side effects. Some vets still use it for cases that don't respond well to trilostane.

Surgery. For the rarer adrenal-dependent type, surgical removal of the adrenal tumor can be curative — if the tumor is benign and the surgery goes well. But surgery carries a 10-25% mortality risk, and for the pituitary form, it's rarely practical in dogs.

Radiation therapy. Available at some veterinary referral centers for pituitary tumors. Not widely used, but an option.

The Monitoring Part Nobody Warns You About

Here's what catches people off guard: diagnosis isn't the hard part. Monitoring is.

Trilostane requires regular ACTH stimulation tests to make sure your dog's cortisol levels are landing in the right range. Too much trilostane and cortisol drops too low — that's an Addisonian crisis, and it's an emergency.

Your vet will outline a follow-up schedule. Follow it. Don't skip the blood tests because your dog "seems fine." Cortisol problems don't always show symptoms until they're dangerous.

Lifelong treatment is usually necessary. The medication, the monitoring bloodwork, the vet visits — it adds up. But Kathleen Frizzell's Murphy didn't make it to 16 by accident. He made it because somebody paid attention and kept showing up.

What About Life Expectancy?

Here's where the numbers get real.

Cornell reports that dogs on medical therapy for Cushing's survive an average of 2 to 2.5 years after diagnosis, while those treated with surgery or radiation may survive 2 to 5 years.

But averages hide a lot. Murphy the longhaired dachshund survived five years. Other dogs do even longer when the disease is caught early and managed well.

The dogs who don't do well? Usually it's because the pituitary tumor grows and starts pressing on brain tissue — VCA Hospitals estimates this happens in about 15% of pituitary cases, causing neurological signs.

Untreated Cushing's isn't a quick decline. It's a slow one. The excess cortisol weakens the immune system, making infections harder to fight. It thins the skin. It weakens muscles. It can trigger diabetes. It makes everything else your senior dachshund is dealing with — back problems, arthritis, heart disease — harder to manage.

The Red Flag Checklist

Print this. Stick it on the fridge. If your dachshund is over 6 and you're seeing three or more of these, bring it up with your vet:

• Drinking noticeably more water than usual
• Urinating more frequently, or having accidents
• Insatiable appetite or food-guarding behavior
• Pot-bellied appearance (not just weight gain)
• Symmetrical hair loss on both sides of the body
• Thin, fragile skin or recurring skin infections
• Excessive panting when resting
• Lethargy or loss of interest in activity
• Dark patches of skin (hyperpigmentation)

None of these alone proves Cushing's. All of them alone could be something else entirely. But the pattern matters — especially in a breed that's 10 times more likely to develop this condition.

Your vet is the only one who can diagnose this. Don't Google-diagnose your dog. But do know what to watch for.

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(Educational only — not veterinary advice. When in doubt, call your vet. Always call your vet.)

FAQ

How common is Cushing's disease in dachshunds?

Dachshunds are one of the most predisposed breeds. Research cited by the Purina Pro Club puts the prevalence at roughly 1 in 30 to 40 dachshunds, compared to about 1 in 400 dogs in the general population. That's approximately a 10x higher risk.

What is the life expectancy for a dachshund with Cushing's disease?

With treatment, Cornell University reports average survival of 2 to 2.5 years on medical therapy, and 2 to 5 years with surgery or radiation. Individual outcomes vary — some dachshunds live 5+ years after diagnosis with proper management.

Can Cushing's disease in dogs be cured?

The pituitary-dependent form, which accounts for 80-85% of cases and is the most common type in dachshunds, cannot be cured but can be managed with medication like trilostane (Vetoryl). The adrenal-dependent form may be cured with surgery if the tumor is benign and fully removable.

What does Cushing's disease treatment cost?

Costs vary by region and veterinary practice, but expect ongoing expenses for medication (trilostane is taken daily for life), regular ACTH stimulation tests to monitor cortisol levels, and periodic bloodwork and veterinary visits. The diagnostic workup alone — blood tests, imaging, suppression tests — can be significant. Talk to your vet about expected costs for your specific situation.

Is Cushing's disease painful for dogs?

Cushing's disease itself is not typically described as painful, but the secondary effects — skin infections, muscle weakness, and potential complications like urinary tract infections — can cause discomfort. The reduced quality of life from untreated Cushing's comes from the slow systemic damage cortisol causes over time, not acute pain.