What is Addission’s Disease in Dogs?
Addission’s Disease in pet dogs is an illness that needs to be closely observed and dealt with in order to give your furry pal as many healthful 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 web page.
Symptoms of Addission’s Disease in Dogs
Addission’s Disease can cause obvious changes in your dog’s health and behaviour. As a pet owner, it is important to understand the signs and symptoms of addission’s disease in dogs, so you can get the right treatment for your canine as soon as possible.
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Increased Thirst
- Increased Urination
Please Note: The information provided in this page is designed to help inform you regarding 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 canine’s health or possible symptoms, make to get in touch with and consult with your veterinarian right away.
The Main Causes of Addission’s Disease in Dogs
To recognize 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 understands your pet better than you do and therefore it is critical that your dog 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.
Chat to your local vet to understand more about the treatments for addission’s disease in dogs.
Preventing Addission’s Disease in Dogs
It is horrible when your canine gets ill, and seeing it suffer can be extremely heartbreaking. With caution and a bit of extra care, a pet parent can make sure that dog stays protected from illnesses such as addission’s disease.
To not to seem weak or susceptible to predators, the natural survival instincts make pet dogs conceal illnesses. This suggests extensive physical examinations by a qualified veterinarian are essential to keep your family pets healthy. Usually, blood and urine tests carried out by your veterinarian are required to get the complete understanding of your family pet’s health. These preventive checks steps will diagnose any health problems sooner making treatment more successful and less expensive and, more significantly, will help your pet live a longer, 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 find out more about the treatments for addission’s disease in dogs.