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An often overlooked hormonal disease of dogs today is a condition known as Addison’s disease, which is an under active adrenal gland and fails to product adequate amounts of cortisol. This deficiency in cortisol is necessary for an appropriate stress response, as well as hormones necessary for appropriate water balance in dogs. This condition, which is often overlooked by veterinarians as a possible cause of chronic disease symptoms, has often been called “The Great Imposter” by veterinary endocrinologists, because it can mimic so many other more common diseases. |
Addison’s disease is most commonly seen in young to middle aged female dogs of all breeds, particularly in Standard poodles. However, either sex can be affected, and I have on occasion seen this disease in geriatric animals as well. Symptoms can vary widely from dogs who are simply “poor doers,” having poor appetites with trouble maintaining their weight, to dogs who present circulatory shock and kidney failure without warning. Between these extreme presentations, many dogs will have waxing and waning symptoms of various digestive symptoms ranging from intermittent vomiting to intermittent diarrhea.
Any pet with symptom histories like those stated above should have an ACTH stimulation test done at by their veterinarian to rule in or out this disease. Many vets will often only consider this disease when they find a low blood sodium and high blood potassium levels on routine CBC/chemistry blood screens. However, many dogs can have normal blood electrolyte levels. Again, it is important that if a pet has a clinical history possibly compatible with this condition, that an appropriate ACTH stimulation test be completed whether or not blood sodium or potassium levels are abnormal.
If your pet is diagnosed with Addison’s disease and is not in advanced kidney failure on presentation, than prognosis is usually excellent with once-a-month injections with a drug called DOCP. Some clients will opt for oral pills called Florinef as an alternative. Both are relatively expensive, and at the same time very low doses of prednisone are often prescribed as well. With early diagnosis and effective treatment, prognosis for a long life is certainly favorable.
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