[forbiddenminni]

Hello! I had posted on here last week because my german shorthaired pointer (Hunter) was very sick! We still do not have a diagnosis of what could be wrong! The vet called me today and explained that there could be a possibility that he may have Addisons Disease if he continues to act the way he has been! Now, I have researched a little bit about it before we take that path of getting him tested, and all the symptoms he had last week point to that. He was vomitting, had diarrhea, lack of appetite, shaking, and sometimes having problems jumping on and off the couch. If anyone has a dog who has this disease or knows the disease well, I'd love feedback on how you went about testing your dog and how your dealing with the disease today. I was told this is not curable but that there are vacinations and medications given to your dog through out there whole life to monitor this disease.

[lulusmom]

My dogs have cushing's (aka hyperadrenocorticism) which involves the overproduction of the adrenal steroid, cortisol. Addison's (aka hypoadrenocorticism) is the exact opposite, meaning the adrenal glands are not producing any or enough cortisol. If not treated this can be a life threatening condition.

The symptoms you describe are commonly associated with Addison's but there are other conditions that share those symptoms as well. Therefore, most experienced vets will run a battery tests to rule out any other possibilities before doing an acth stimulation test, which is the gold standard in diagnosing Addison's. The test is done by drawing a sample for a baseline reading, a synthetic ACTH hormone (Cortrosyn) is given by injection, then a post blood sample is taken one hour later. Dogs with Addison's have a low cortisol concentration that will go unchanged even after the synthetic stimulation.

Once diagnosed, the condition can be successfully treated and a dog can live out their life expectancy with a good quality of life. Treatment consists of replacing the adrenal steroids with Prednisone (glucocorticoid) and Percorten-V or Florinef (mineralocorticoid).

Testing for Addison's disease - DVM

If your dog is ultimately diagnosed with Addison's, I highly recommend that you join a forum so that you can communicate with people that can share their knowledge and experience. I didn't do any research but I know there is a good support group at AddisonDogs_ : AddisonDogs_

I hope this help.

[Lara's mom]

That was a really good answer. The forum wouldn't allow me to add to your reputation so, I thought I'd tell you so in the forum. A support group can make all the difference when you're dealing with a chronic condition.

[lulusmom]

Thanks for the kind words, Lara's Mom. You are absolutely right about the support groups. I have two dogs with cushing's and I probably would not have any hair left if not for my support group at k9cushings.com. Some of these dratted diseases are enough to send you over the edge, not to mention just about bankrupting you. The selfless hand holding and learning from those that have already walked in your shoes is invaluable.

[CorkyMax]

I know this is an older thread but this post belongs here! This disease is sometimes hard to diagnose as a lot of the symptoms are also symptoms of other things. I can remember more than 1 member wondering what could be wrong with their dog and a lot of these symptoms they were talking about would fit this disease. This disease can kill if you don't get it under control. So it is important to read this if you may have a dog that could have this and you wouldn't know!! And there is some good info about prednisone and how it can lead to this disease. Anyone who has a dog (or had a dog) on prednisone should be aware of Addison's Disease. Giving a link to info on this disease. Addison's disease in dogs | PetDoc