Why is my Addison’s dog 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.

Over control usually happens when a veterinarian attempts to tightly control electrolytes by finding that “perfect balance” in tests rather than to use a more holistic approach and to gauge a dog’s overall health and appearance in conjunction with laboratory test results.

In reality, it’s recommended by most veterinarians that electrolytes should be slightly out of the normal range to provide a buffer than avoids excessive medication dosing and unwanted side effects: excessive thirst, excessive urination, lethargy and panting.

If your dog is suffering from any symptoms of medication overdose, including panting, but there electrolyte ranges are normal in tests, consider asking your vet to lower the medication dose for your Addison’s dog and retest so that the electrolyte range is slightly out of normal. This simple change could eradicate those unwanted side effects.


4 Comments on “Why is my Addison’s dog panting?”

  1. D. Gunderson says:

    My standard poodle likes apples! Are they good for addisons?

  2. Mary-Anne says:

    My female chocolate Lab was diagnosed with Primary Addison’s disease – and of late she has had two rather nasty Urinary Tract infections. Is this one of the side effects of canine Addison’s? She was prescribed Florinef and is given that medication twice daily – however now I am adding cranberry tablets to her meal – hoping that this will help with these UTI’s. Will this help?

  3. Cathy Gottermeier says:

    My 9 year old cockapoo was recently diagnosed with Addisons’ disease. We are trying to determine whether to go with the pills or the injections. The vet indicated there could be long range side effects from the pills. Any suggestions on helping us decide. We are not as concerned about the cost as doing the best thing for our dog. thanks.


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