Addison’s Disease in Dogs: What It Is and How It Is Treated
Addison’s disease in dogs (hypoadrenocorticism) is an illness that can manifest itself in various symptoms, including lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea.
Addison’s disease may cause shock and even death in extreme situations. It impairs a dog’s capacity to react effectively to stress and causes widespread malfunction of many organ systems.
Fortunately, the illness is treatable with medicine and most dogs that undergo therapy recover entirely. If correctly identified and treated, these canines may have a long and happy life.
Understanding the signs and risks of Addison’s disease, particularly in dogs prone to contracting it, might be the difference between a fair outcome and a terrible prognosis. That’s what the information below will help you achieve.
Table of contents
- What Is Addison’s Disease?
- Forms of Hypoadrenocorticism
- Causes of Addison’s Disease in Dogs
- Symptoms of Addison’s Disease in Dogs
- Diagnosing Addison’s Disease in Dogs
- Treating Addison’s Disease in Dogs
- Recovery and Management of Addison’s Disease in Dogs
- Veterinary Cost
- Preventing Addison’s Disease in Dogs
- The Takeaway
- Nutrition Strength Adrenal Support for Dogs
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What Is Addison’s Disease?
Addison’s disease, formally known as hypoadrenocorticism, is a severe condition with potentially terrible repercussions for dogs. However, with adequate treatment, canines diagnosed with Addison’s disease can fully recover.
Addison’s disease develops when the adrenal glands fail to generate the hormones they are in charge of. Cortisol and aldosterone are the two primary hormones produced by the adrenal glands.
Cortisol regulates metabolism and glucose production, the breakdown of fat and proteins, regulates blood pressure, suppresses inflammation, stimulates the development of red blood cells and counteracts stress.
Aldosterone controls organ function by balancing your pet’s sodium and potassium levels, essential for maintaining ideal fluid levels in your pup’s body.
Forms of Hypoadrenocorticism
Primary Hypoadrenocorticism
The basic type of the condition, primary hypoadrenocorticism, is defined by a lack of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids.
Primary hypoadrenocorticism is mainly caused by immune-mediated loss of adrenal cortical tissue. Аbout 85 percent to 90 percent of adrenal tissue must be damaged before significant biochemical and clinical symptoms arise. Less frequent causes of adrenocortical degeneration include:
- Iatrogenic administration of mitotane or trilostane for hyperadrenocorticism therapy.
- Adrenal neoplasia, infection, or infarction.
Reactions against the dog’s own structures are not excluded. Autoantibodies to a P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme were recently more prevalent in canine hypoadrenocorticism patients than in control dogs.
However, further research is needed to determine the function of antibodies against this enzyme in the pathophysiology of hypoadrenocorticism.
Atypical Hypoadrenocorticism
Adrenal destruction is said to spare the glomerulosa layer in a limited group of “atypical” dogs (about 5 percent – 10 percent), resulting in an isolated glucocorticoid shortage. They suffer from the so-called atypical Addison’s disease in dogs.
Most dogs with isolated glucocorticoid insufficiency do not advance to clinically severe mineralocorticoid shortage. However, a recent study found that these dogs may have low or undetectable aldosterone levels despite seemingly adequate electrolyte concentrations.
Secondary Hypoadrenocorticism
Secondary hypoadrenocorticism is caused by a central (anterior pituitary) ACTH shortage, culminating in solitary glucocorticoid insufficiency. Mineralocorticoids are unaffected since ACTH has no effect on their release.
This disease is usually caused by the sudden termination of long-term exogenous therapy of corticosteroids or progesterone analogs. Secondary hypoadrenocorticism is caused by congenital pituitary gland abnormalities, such as a cystic Rathke’s pouch, neoplasia or trauma to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland.
Critical Illness-Related Corticosteroid Insufficiency
Critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI), also known as relative adrenal insufficiency, has been linked to severe diseases such as sepsis, septic shock or trauma.
The syndrome is temporary, and the adrenal function returns to normal when the underlying problem is corrected. Critically sick patients with resistant hypotension despite vigorous fluid treatment and pressor medications should be examined for CIRCI.
Causes of Addison’s Disease in Dogs
In most instances, the etiology of Addison’s disease in dogs is unknown. Most of these samples, veterinarians believe, are the outcome of an autoimmune disease.
Addison in dogs may also be caused by adrenal gland damage, such as a metastatic tumor, hemorrhage, infarction, granulomatous illness, adrenolytic drugs like the drug mitotane or treatment that inhibits adrenal enzymes like trilostane.
When anything interferes with the adrenal gland, the body cannot generate glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, notably aldosterone and cortisol. This causes various symptoms, including mortality in severe instances of Addison’s disease.
Scientists may not know what causes Addison’s disease, but any dog, purebred or mixed-breed, may acquire it. Some breeds, however, seem to be prone to the condition, including Standard Poodles, West Highland White Terriers, Great Danes, Bearded Collies, Portuguese Water Dogs, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers and Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers.
Addison’s disease may affect any breed of dog, including mixed-breed dogs, regardless of age or gender. However, it is more frequent in young, female and middle-aged dogs.
Symptoms of Addison’s Disease in Dogs
The vast spectrum of symptoms associated with Addison’s disease makes it difficult to diagnose. It has been dubbed “the great imitator.”
In general, dogs with Addison’s disease may have recurring attacks of diarrhea, a poor appetite, a progressive loss of body condition and an inability to adapt correctly to stress. It is crucial to understand that the symptoms of Addison’s disease might fluctuate.
Reduced aldosterone production has a significant effect on the body. It causes variations in serum salt, chloride, and potassium levels, affecting the kidneys. This, in turn, causes difficulties with the heart and circulation system.
The second primary steroid hormone impacted by Addison’s, cortisol, is involved in practically every essential tissue in the dog’s body. It affects glucose synthesis, metabolism, fat and protein breakdown, blood pressure, inflammation, red blood cell formation, and stress reactions.
The symptoms most typically seen by pet owners and veterinarians are caused by decreased aldosterone and cortisol production.
Depression, lethargy, anorexia (lack of appetite), weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, alopecia (hair loss), increased urination, increased thirst, dehydration, shaking, weak pulse, irregular heart rate, low temperature, a painful abdomen, hypoglycemia and skin hyperpigmentation are all symptoms of Addison’s disease.
Diagnosing Addison’s Disease in Dogs
Addison’s disease in dogs is often diagnosed after an Addisonian crisis. During an Addisonian crisis, the condition progresses to an acute stage. Dogs encounter potentially fatal symptoms such as shock and collapse.
Once the dog has been stabilized from the crisis, vets will run a battery of tests to discover what caused the collapse and rule out alternative possibilities. They will likely do blood testing to get a complete blood count, biochemistry and urinalysis.
Anemia and excessively high levels of potassium and urea in the blood, and abnormalities in sodium, chloride, and calcium levels in the blood are symptoms of canine Addison’s disease. A urinalysis may also indicate low urine volumes. Your veterinarian may perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) to look for your dog’s heart abnormalities.
The adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test is the gold standard for diagnosing Addison’s. This test measures the function of the adrenal glands by administering the synthetic hormone ACTH.
Cortisol concentrations are measured before and after ACTH administration by veterinarians. This indicates whether or not the adrenal glands are working correctly.
Treating Addison’s Disease in Dogs
In an Addisonian crisis, treatment centers on vigorous intravenous fluid therapy and injectable steroids. Treatment of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and / or irregular cardiac rhythms may also be required. Most dogs react rapidly to treatment for Addison’s disease in dogs and usually recover completely.
The most significant aspect of Addison’s therapy is the replacement of mineralocorticoids (like aldosterone, which is the steroid hormone). This may be accomplished by taking fludrocortisone orally twice a day or injecting DOCP (desoxycorticosterone pivalate) every 25 – 30 days. With your veterinarian, you will be able to design a treatment plan based on your pet’s diagnosis.
Fludrocortisone contains both glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid action and should be given to your dog. Dogs given injectable DOCP, on the other hand, need extra glucocorticoid supplementation (such as oral prednisone) since it only has mineralocorticoid action.
Some experts feel that DOCP balances electrolytes better than oral fludrocortisone. Still, it typically comes down to each veterinarian’s choice and the best formulation for the dog.
Some dogs, for example, may not respond well to injections, while others are more difficult to manage orally. Based on their diagnosis, your veterinarian will be able to decide what is best for your dog.
Electrolyte blood tests and ACTH stimulation testing are frequently done at various intervals after commencing treatment, commonly on days 10, 30 and 90. Mineralocorticoid medicine is often modified when electrolyte levels have stabilized. Levels should be checked many times per year to ensure the dog’s appropriateness.
If your dog is under stress, you may increase the glucocorticoid dose. Veterinary appointments, automobile excursions, pet owners traveling out of town and other activities, for example, may all develop stress in Addisonian dogs. Increasing the levels of steroids for a brief period may help avoid lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, and, in particular, an Addisonian crisis.
Recovery and Management of Addison’s Disease in Dogs
Dogs experiencing an Addisonian crisis are routinely treated with intravenous fluid to rectify electrolyte imbalances, steroids, and medicines to correct aberrant cardiac rhythms. This therapy typically results in a fair likelihood of recovery and dogs react swiftly.
Addison’s condition requires ongoing care. Blood test monitoring may be required often at the start of therapy and for the first three to six months as your veterinarian determines the appropriate drug dose intervals. Most dogs with Addison’s illness fare well after being diagnosed and have long, happy lives.
Veterinary Cost
The cost of diagnosis may be low or high. It depends on how much the dog’s symptoms complicate the diagnostic procedure and how many other issues the dog may be experiencing at the same time. Addison’s disease dog treatment cost between $500 and $1,500 on average (though the low end of this estimate would not include an ultrasound).
Dogs that need intense care throughout the diagnosis procedure will almost always incur more significant veterinarian expenditures. Bills in the hundreds of dollars are not uncommon in certain unusual circumstances.
Medical therapy may cost as little as $50 per month or as much as $200 per month, depending on the dog’s reaction to treatment and the drug(s) used. Frequent lab tests must be integrated into the pricing structure to ensure that patients react effectively.
Preventing Addison’s Disease in Dogs
Addison’s disease in dogs cannot be prevented. The only exception is a medication-induced Addisonian crisis. If your dog uses the Cushing’s disease drugs mitotane or trilostane, make sure you know the signs of Addison’s disease in dogs.
That is essential because an accidental overdose might result in a crisis. Keep these drugs out of your dog’s reach at all times, and closely check your dog’s meds.
Addison’s disease may be caused by a fast withdrawal from a medication like prednisone. Following your veterinarian’s treatment recommendations is the safest way to avoid significant consequences like Addison’s disease.
The Takeaway
Addison’s disease in dogs is a hormonal illness in which they cannot generate adequate levels of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. Lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea are just a few of the most common symptoms. Addison’s condition is often overlooked until it becomes a medical emergency.
Understanding the indications, symptoms, and treatment choices can help you get your dog the medical care he or she needs to have the best prognosis. This way, you can be sure that your dog will live a long and happy life.
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Image source: Wikimedia / Mark Galer.