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An Owners Guide to Addisons Disease in Dogs

29 12:00:52

An Owner's Guide to Addison's Disease in Dogs






     Addison's disease in dogs, also referred to as hypoadrenocorticism, is not a very common condition. Its condition results from underproduction of hormones from the adrenal glands. These hormones are vitally important, so this is a very serious disease. So, what exactly causes hypoadrenocorticism?

Causes

This condition can occur because of one of two reasons. It usually occurs because of some immune system problem that causes damage to the adrenal gland. Also, the pituitary gland is responsible to stimulating the adrenal glands to produce their hormones. If the pituitary gland doesn't carry out this function, hypoadrenocorticism will develop.

Symptoms

Humans are commonly afflicted with this disease. Addison's disease in dogs produces some of the same symptoms that humans experience. Since it advances relatively slowly, you may notice any symptoms during the earlier stages of the illness. Common symptoms include vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, and hair loss. Vomiting coupled with diarrhea can quickly lead to dehydration. Other common signs of this disorder include bloody stool, abdominal pain, depression, trembling, and decreased heart rate.

Diagnosis

Unfortunately, this disease can often be difficult to diagnose accurately. This is due to the fact that kidney failure can cause some of the same signs. In order to determine if your dog has this disease, the veterinarian may need to inject him with the pituitary hormone to see if the adrenal gland responds by producing hormones. If this doesn't work, then your dog likely is affected by this condition.

Treatment

As you already know, Addison's disease in dogs is characterized by a lack of production of adrenal hormones. Therefore, treatment involves replacing this hormone. The medication can either be injected or taken orally. Your dog may also need to receive other hormone supplements since the adrenal gland won't be producing them either.