My dog has Cushing's. Do ACTH results mean early or late diagnosis?

Question

My dog was just diagnosed with Cushing by doing a ACTH Response test. His pre-cortisol levels were good at 2.5 but his post was high at 43.4. My question is I read all this stuff about catching it early or too late and I would like to know if these results show it to be an early diagnosis or late? Results are attached. Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 10 years and 1 month old | 17 lbs

Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

Thank you for posting the results! I'm not sure what you are reading regarding diagnosing early and late, it is not so much of an issue with Cushing's. In really really advanced cases there can be a lot of damage done to other body systems but it is usually caught on way before that stage. And your dog is not there. From your results I can see that the post result is a two fold increase from the high end of normal. This makes me think the disease has likely been rumbling away for some time. Like I say the most important determination of progression of the disease are the clinical signs. If your dog is getting coat change and a pot belly then it's been going on for a few months. The acth stimulation test is not perfect but it is highly suggestive of Cushing's in this case. If your dog has clinical signs I would get your vet to start therapy with vetoryl which should make a huge difference. It's not too late to start treatment.

My dog has Cushing's. Do ACTH results mean early or late diagnosis?

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