What is Addission’s Disease in Dogs?
Addission’s Disease in canines is a disease that requires to be closely monitored and treated in order to give your furry friend 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 info 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 post.
Symptoms of Addission’s Disease in Dogs
Addission’s Disease can cause obvious changes in your dog’s health and behaviour. There are many early signs and symptoms of addission’s disease which you can see in your pet. We have listed some of the common addission’s disease symptoms in dogs, below.
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Increased Thirst
- Increased Urination
Please Note: The information presented on this article is designed to help inform you of addission’s disease. It is not meant to replace the veterinary diagnosis or treatment for addission’s disease. If you have any concerns or questions about your dog’s health or possible symptoms, make to contact and consult with your veterinarian right away.
The Main Causes of Addission’s Disease in Dogs
To understand and treat addission’s disease in dogs, you need to know the underlying causes of addission’s disease in dogs. This can help a pet owner prevent addission’s disease happening 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 knows your pet better than you do and therefore it is critical that your pet be examined properly by a veterinarian 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.
For pets at risk of getting addission’s disease, more frequent visits to the vet recommended.
Preventing Addission’s Disease in Dogs
It is upsetting when your pet gets sick, and seeing it hurt can be absolutely upsetting. With caution and a bit of extra care, a dog owner can make sure that dog stays protected from conditions such as addission’s disease.
To not to look weak or susceptible to predators, the innate survival impulses make dogs hide health problems. This implies extensive physical exams by a certified vet are important to keep your pets healthy. Usually, blood and urine tests performed by your vet are needed to get the total picture of your family pet’s health. These preventive checks actions will diagnose any health issue sooner making treatment more effective and less expensive and, more notably, will help your pet 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.
Contact your local vet to learn more about the treatments for addission’s disease in dogs.