What is Addission’s Disease in Dogs?
Addission’s Disease in dogs is a disease that needs to be closely observed and treated in order to provide your furry buddy as many healthy years as possible.
Addison's disease occurs when the adrenal glands fails to produce the hormones that they are in charge of. This disease can lead to serious consequqneces and in some cases even death. Fortunately, dogs with Addison's disease can still expect normal lifespans if properly treated.
More information on the early signs of addission’s disease and what are the causes of addission’s disease and treatments for addission’s disease in dogs can be found on this article.
Symptoms of Addission’s Disease in Dogs
Addission’s Disease can cause visible changes in your dog’s wellbeing and behaviour. As a pet owner, it is essential to recognize the signs and symptoms of addission’s disease in dogs, so you can get the right treatment for your pet as soon as possible.
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Increased Thirst
- Increased Urination
The Main Causes of Addission’s Disease in Dogs
To recognize and treat addission’s disease in dogs, we need to know the underlying causes of addission’s disease in dogs. This can help a pet owner prevent addission’s disease occurring in the first place or again.
In majority of cases, the initial cause of Addison's disease is unknown. However, veterinarians suspect that Addison's disease may be casued by a hemorrhage, infarction, metastatic tumor, adrenolytic agents, and granulomatous disease.
Diagnosing Addission’s Disease in Dogs
Nobody understands your pet better than you do and hence it is vital that your dog be examined thoroughly by a vet at least once a year.
The conclusive test for Addisons disease in dogs is the Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) Stimulation Test. This test monitors the adrenal glands by introducing the ACTH synthetic hormone. Veterinarians will assess the concentration of cortisol before and after ACTH is administered and the test will show them if the adrenal glands are functioning properly.
Contact your veterinarian to learn more about the treatments for addission’s disease in dogs.
Preventing Addission’s Disease in Dogs
Preventing addission’s disease in dogs is always better than treating it, therefore let’s explore ways to avoid addission’s disease in dogs rather than curing it.
To not to appear weak or vulnerable to predators, the natural survival instincts make canines hide health problems. This implies thorough physical examinations by a certified veterinarian are vital to keep your pets healthy. Usually, blood and urine tests carried out by your veterinarian are required to get the total understanding of your family pet’s health. These preventive checks actions will detect any health issue sooner making treatment more successful and less pricey and, more notably, will help your dog live a longer, much healthier life.
Dog Addisons disease is generally not preventable. However, there is an exemption - a medicatally-induced Addisonian crisis. If your pet is taking medications like Trilostane or Milotane to treat Cushings disease, make sure you know of the symptoms of Addisons disease, as an accidental overdose may result in a crisis. Make sure these medications are out of your dogs reach and carefully monitor their medication intake.
Sometimes a quick withdrawal of medication like prednisone can lead to dog Addisons disease. The best way to prevent this is to follow veterinarians instructions involving your dogs medication.
Treatment for Addission’s Disease in Dogs
Most dogs that have Addisons disease can be successfully treated without making changes to their diet and activity level.
There is an injectable medication, Desoxycorticosterone Pivalate (DOCP), that is approved by the FDA to treat Addisons disease in dogs. Although, DOCP may not be suitable for all dogs, some dongs will react better to oral medications that replace both the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid like Fludrocortisone.
When diagnosed, your vet will discuss the treatments available and provide a treatment taht best suits your dog.
Chat to your veterinarian to learn more about how to treat addission’s disease in dogs.