Author Archives: kenrose

History of Addison’s Disease in Dogs

Hypoadrenocorticism, or Addison’s disease in dogs, is a disorder or the endocrine system where a dog’s adrenal glands don’t produce enough cortisol to support normal bodily functions like heart rate and electrolyte balance.  Although Addison’s disease was first discovered in 1849 by Thomas Addison, the first case of Addison’s disease in dogs wasn’t discovered until a hundred years later, in 1953.

Addison’s disease in dogs is known in the medical field as hypoadrenocorticism: “Hypo” is a prefix that means “under”, “adreno” refers to the adrenal glands and “corticism” refers to cortisone — a steroid released by the adrenal glands. In other words, hypoadrenocorticism means that your dog isn’t producing enough hormones (glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids and androgens) to keep bodily functions working normally.  The condition is also known as adrenal insufficiency and adrenocorticol hypofunction.

History of the Disease

1849: Dr Thomas Addison first described Addison’s disease in humans.

1856-1858: Charles-Edouard Brown-Sequard and Claude Bernard Experiments on animals showed that the removal of the adrenal glands resulted in death. Death would not happen if only one adrenal was removed, and a blood transfusion kept animals alive for some time, suggesting to the scientists that the adrenals secreted hormones necessary for life.

1953: Addison’s disease in dogs first reported in the literature.

1970s: Articles on Addison’s disease in dogs began to appear in veterinary journals.

1980s: Cases of Addison’s disease in cats were reported in the veterinary journals.

What this means to You, as an Owner of an Addison’s Dog

As you can see, although Addison’s disease has been recognized for over 150 years, canine Addison’s disease is a relatively new disease to the field of medicine. Therefore, research is still being conducted into the causes and proper treatment options for the disorder. This information means that you, as a pet owner, need to work with your veterinarian to find the best treatment plan for your pet. There’s no “one-medicine-fits-all” approach, and new information about diagnosis and treatment is being discovered almost every year. Keep up to date with your treatment options, and if your dog is still having symptoms after being treated, discuss those symptoms with you veterinarian so that your dog’s treatment plan can be adjusted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Addison’s dog Symptoms: Panting

One of the most common problems with managing Addison’s disease is what vets like to call “over control,” which can lead to panting, excessive thirst, hair loss and other troublesome symptoms. One of the most common Addison’s dog symptoms is panting. Panting is a way for a health dog to cool down, but if your Addison’s dog is panting, it could be a sign that their medications need adjusting.
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Is Female Incontinence a Sign of Canine Addison’s Disease?

A couple months after adopting our border collie, Shakti, we noticed that she would leave pools of urine when she was lying down. Our veterinarian told us that female incontinence is common in spayed bitches (due to a lack of estrogen and a weak sphincter muscle), and prescribed her DES (diethylstilbestrol). What he didn’t tell us is that incontinence can also be a sign of canine Addison’s disease. A few short months after she started on DES, Shakti had a full blown Addisonian crisis.
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Canine Addison’s Disease Caused by Eating Goat?

When a 6-year old border collie with canine Addison’s disease showed up at Colorado State University’s veterinary hospital with an apparent Addisonian crisis, the treatment seemed obvious: IV fluids and DOCP to return the dog’s sodium and potassium levels to normal. But when the dog didn’t respond to treatment, the veterinary hospital found out the shocking cause of the dog’s psuedo-Addisonian crisis.
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Herbal Remedies for Canine Addison’s Disease

Although there is no herbal cure for canine Addison’s disease, there are several herbal supplements than can help lower your dog’s need for steroids and improve their overall health status. Lowering your dog’s need for DOCP and/or Florinef not only means a lower chance of side effects for your pet, but also can make a huge difference in your pocketbook. This article outlines the major herbal and plant remedies for Addison’s disease.
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Canine Addison’s Disease: What is a mineralcorticoid?

Mineralocorticoids are hormones secreted by the adrenal cortex that regulate salt and water balance in the body. Mineralcorticoid deficiency (as seen in canine Addison’s disease) leads to high potassium levels, low salt levels, and poor heart function. Aldosterone has major mineralcorticoid activity in the body but cortisol also plays a minor part.
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How and where to give percorten-V shots on Addison’s dogs

You can give Percorten-V shots to Addison;s dogs at home. If you’ve never given a dog a shot before, ask your veterinarian to show you how to do it. This is especially important with Percorten-V, because accidental injection into a vein can cause collapse and shock (if you do inject accidentally into a vein, your dog should be taken to a vet immediately for life saving IV fluids and steroids).
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