Hyperadrenocorticism....Or is it??

Hyperadrenocorticism is a commonly diagnosed (and perhaps overdiagnosed?) endocrine disease in dogs. Several diagnostic tests are available to aid in the diagnosis of this disease, but each comes with its own limitations. In order to prevent overdiagnosis of this condition, and to prevent inappropriate testing, it is important to recognise the pros and cons of each of the available diagnostic tests. The risks of both false positives and false negatives will be discussed along with options for therapeutic monitoring.

• - to recognise when it is appropriate (or inappropriate) to test for hyperadrenocorticism in dogs.
• - to understand the advantages and disadvantages of various endocrine tests used in the diagnostic investigation of hyperadrenocorticism.
• - to understand the difficulties in monitoring dogs receiving treatment for hyperadrenocorticism.