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Why is my dog yelping, panting, and stiff when getting up at night?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Alaskan Malamute | Female | spayed

My dog Is randomly yelping really loud getting up and just standing these without touching her (checked paws.. nothing there )and panting heavily at night could she have Cushing disease? All the symptoms match up

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on October 24th, 2017

The random yelping isn't really typical for Cushing's Disease. These symptoms are usually weight gain or pot-bellied appearance, thinning hair, increased hunger, increased thirst, increased urination, and occasionally increased respiratory rate/panting and restlessness. I would recommend that you have Miley examined by a vet. The symptoms you describe sound like pain, which could be coming from multiple places, such as joints, the back, inside the abdomen, or chest, or could be caused by neurologic or other musculoskeletal issues. If the vet is also concerned about Cushing's Disease, then bloodwork can be obtained and tests scheduled to look into this possibility.

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    Answered By Christie Long, DVM

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on May 9th, 2018

    You probably know that Cushing's disease causes the abdominal wall muscles to atropy, which leads to a "pot-bellied" appearance, so what you are seeing may be a normal complication of his disease. Panting is of course also a symptom of Cushings, so my advice would be to consult his veterinarian about modifying the dosage of medication he is taking to control that disease to help to control symptoms better. Dogs can live for several years with Cushing's, and I'd encourage you to consider trying a different dosage scheme before considering whether it's time to say goodbye.

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