Does anyone have a dog with Addison's Disease? (how much, shepherd, lab)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And if so, did symptoms ever show as seizures? My Aussie, who began having seizures the first weekend I adopted him, has been on phenobarb which seemed to be controlling/preventing all seizures for the past 6 months. Then 2 weeks ago, boom...two of the worst I've ever experienced. Per usual, the vet ran all the bloodwork and I guess posted results as a query across some national vet forum. She's had several responses suggesting to check for Addison's, which we'll do on Friday. Meanwhile, I've been reading a lot online and am curious if anyone else has experienced this, and if so, how has treatment been, etc.?
Thanks in advance!
~PudelPie (and Jackson, The Amazing and Very, Very Handsome Aussie Boy)
Hypoglycemia is one result of Addison's and severely low blood sugar can cause seizures in some dogs.
In my experience, once the dog is stabilized, if the appropriate medication dosage is found and the administration schedule is maintained the dogs do pretty well. Treatment can be expensive, however. Stress seems to trigger episodes so a calm environment is important.
Some breeds, such as Poodles, are genetically predisposed to Addison's (as well as idiopathic epilepsy.) I'm not sure if Aussies are, but if your dog does have it, (and I hope he doesn't) the outlook for a normal life is good.
Hypoglycemia is one result of Addison's and severely low blood sugar can cause seizures in some dogs.
In my experience, once the dog is stabilized, if the appropriate medication dosage is found and the administration schedule is maintained the dogs do pretty well. Treatment can be expensive, however. Stress seems to trigger episodes so a calm environment is important.
Some breeds, such as Poodles, are genetically predisposed to Addison's (as well as idiopathic epilepsy.) I'm not sure if Aussies are, but if your dog does have it, (and I hope he doesn't) the outlook for a normal life is good.
Best wishes!
My dog is being tested for Addison's Disease. He is a German Shepherd Mix...
So far, he's been at the vet's on IV for two days. The did the Addison's Test today so I should know by the weekend what the results are. From what I've been reading, what alls been going on, the CBC chem panel and from what the doctor thinks, it probably is Addisons.
I point blank asked how much the meds were today to keep him stable and the vet wouldn't tell me... (he had to look into it) From reading online, the treatment is steroids... and that required frequent blood tests.
I know that all medication is weight related but what size dog have you had with Addisons and how much approximately were the meds???
Does the dog have a good quality of life once they're stabile ?
Hope you see this, Leorah.
Thanks,
World Citizen
BTW - pudelpie, if you're still wondering about Addisons, here's a link...
In Addison's Disease, the adrenal glands quit working. That results in chronic upset stomach and nausea... The disease is hard to diagnose because it's mistaken for so many other things before it's discovered.
In Addison's, the adreanal glands quit working. Electrolytes get out of balance, and Potassium becomes too high. The treatment is lifelong steroids because their bodies have quit making them... and, no one knows what causes the disease.
Dogs can go along fine without symptoms and then suddenly fall ill. Mine did.
The cost keep a dog alive is approximately $200. per month for the shots, steroids and blood tests. Getting too excited or stressed can bring on an attack even when controlled by these expensive treatments.
So far, that's all I know about Addisons... I have a very sick dog.
I just lost my dog Gizmo a shetland sheepdog to addison's disease he was 13 years old and the vet informed me even with very expensive monthly medication and constant vet visits due to his age it may not have helped him and I would be pro longing his illness. The vet also informed me many dogs get very stressed by the amount of blood work, shots, and medication needed to treat the disease but if they can handle all that they can live a healthy life. I sincerely hope everything goes well with your dog and he is one of the many dogs that can live a normal life!!
I had a german shephard mix that was diagnosed with Addison's. I spent over $3000 (every treatment possible) over a 6 month period and she came back from one of her many stays at the vet's for IV treatment and died that night. She was worth every penny but if my current dogs got it I am not sure I would invest that amount of money because quality of life was not the best near the end.
Our West Highland Terrier had Addisons Disease for about the last 6 years of her life.....she was 13 when she passed away. The quality of her life had significantly declined over the last year or so....due to Addisons and perhaps just to aging......she had lost most of her hearing and sight and seemed to be disoriented at times....she also became "cranky"....but god bless her.....she had justification for being cranky. She never had seizures--unless those episodes of disorientation were petit mal seizures.
Her tx regimen was very expensive....we spent many thousands of dollars over the course of her illness....what with the routine meds and with emergencies. When she passed away it was at home and peaceful.....my DP held her and stroked her belly and talked to her about all the years and people and places they had shared from the time she was a pup......we knew in the morning that it was going to be her last day.....she had stopped eating and drinking and her breathing was labored.....she held on for most of the day and died in the late afternoon.
I still miss her.....and can picture her free from illness....her sweet tail wagging as she pokes her nose into everything.....she was such a blessing in our lives.
Do you know if you are looking at Typical or Atypical Addisons?
No experience with Typical, just with Atypical.
Our dog was a rescue and we got him at 10 yrs old with no history. Six months after he had an Addisons crash, he had atypical Addisons, which is pretty easy to treat but tough to diagnose. Once you get the diagnosis the trick is getting the prednisone dose right and figuring your dog out. With atypical you give a little more prednisone when you think they are going to be more stressed. The work is getting the prednisone to the point where you are minimizing the amount of prednisone in order to minimize the long term side effects. Our dog was a Newf Lab mix and we got him to 15 1/2 years old. The prognosis is pretty good for Atypical if you can get the diagnosis and a vet you can work with.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
How much does maintenance cost???
