# Addison's Disease



## Keith Jenkins (Jun 6, 2007)

Anyone with insight to Addison's disease?... I have a 6yo female Giant Schnauzer who after a gambit of tests( Lyme, rocky mountain spotted fever, etc.) turning up negative for various diseases and running a CBC and Urinalysis did not show anything really out of the ordinary and be pointing to this as a possible cause of her sickness. 

We have yet to run an ACTH Stimulation test to determine 100% but my vet has not ruled it out. 

Right now she is being treated for possible IBS/IBD with amoxicillin, metronidazole, cerenia for the nausea (has helped her keep food and water down) and we started a prednisone treatment today. Her appetite has been almost none existent so we are pureeing food we got from the vet and pedialyte and feeding her by syringe several times a days. 

I just lost my 9 1/2 yo Rottie 2 weeks ago and now this right after. Not sure if I can take something else happening to one of my dogs right now.


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

No insight, just experience. My last patrol dog succumbed to Addisons Disease at age 12. It was terrible. The only relief he got was cortisone shots I believe. It would last 7-10 days before he went back to not eating at all or moving around. The disease just ate him up to nothing.


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## Benjamin Allanson (May 2, 2008)

My pitbull was diagnosed with addisons about 5 months ago. He had been acting lethargic for awhile before he was diagnosed. He started losing weight so the vet decided to run more tests. We ended up doing a ultrasound on him and the tech couldnt find his adrenal glands. Vet did an ACTH test and there was zero increase from baseline. Started him on a course of prednisolone and now hes on a maintenance dose. He now acts like he used when he was younger. He does get some side effects from the pills but hes way better than he was before. I rather have him live out the rest of his life like this than how he was before. Hes almost 9 now. Not a common thing so most vets wont look for it.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Benjamin Allanson said:


> Not a common thing so most vets wont look for it.


This is not really true...it's more that clients are often not going to pay for diagnostics for both hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's) and hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's). We learned pretty exhaustively on both endocrine diseases in vet school. ;-)

Keith, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your Rottie along with all of this.  Was a serum chemistry panel run along with the CBC? I would certainly pursue the ACTH stim test. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Benjamin Allanson (May 2, 2008)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> This is not really true...it's more that clients are often not going to pay for diagnostics for both hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's) and hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's). We learned pretty exhaustively on both endocrine diseases in vet school


Yea I could see that happening. This isnt tested for though until the worse symptoms start showing correct? Hence the ACTH test. Thats kinda more what i meant when I said that. Not something you would blatantly see is an issue. Is there anything on the normal panel that would show hints of the disease Maren?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Keith Jenkins said:


> Anyone with insight to Addison's disease?... We have yet to run an ACTH Stimulation test to determine 100% but my vet has not ruled it out.


Some sources I had saved:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/is...gnosing-Addisons-Disease-in-Dogs_20365-1.html

http://www.addisondogs.com/addisons/

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2097&aid=520


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## Edward Egan (Mar 4, 2009)

Hi Keith, sorry to here about your Rotti. I hope your able to work things out for Schnauzer.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Benjamin Allanson said:


> Yea I could see that happening. This isnt tested for though until the worse symptoms start showing correct? Hence the ACTH test. Thats kinda more what i meant when I said that. Not something you would blatantly see is an issue. Is there anything on the normal panel that would show hints of the disease Maren?


Yes, there are multiple electrolyte abnormalities and other values on bloodwork that would point in that general direction, such as anemia of chronic disease, high potassium, low sodium, sometimes low blood glucose or high BUN and creatinine. But no, I would not routinely tell a client to do the ACTH stim for a ADR ("ain't doin' right") dog unless the signs warranted testing for it. Unlike most of the time in human medicine, we cannot order an MRI for every little thing and we have to pick our diagnostics judiciously.


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## Benjamin Allanson (May 2, 2008)

Thanks for the info Maren. Yea its too bad working dogs dont get free health insurance


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