Dog Addison's Disease / Adrenal Gland Disorder Symptoms

Symptoms of this condition may appear for short periods of time then disappear again and are often mild symptoms if noticeable at all.

1. Increased thirst and urination

2. lethargy

3. vomiting and diarrhea

4. weakness and trembling

What Causes Dog Addison's Disease / Adrenal Gland Disorder?

Addison's disease is much the same as Cushing's disease but reversed, in this condition the two glands called the adrenal glands that are responsible for creating glucocorticoid and mineral corticoid chemicals are underperforming and not creating enough of these chemicals to maintain the dogs health levels.

The chemicals these glands produce, glucocorticoid and mineral corticoid are used to control normal functioning of every cell in the body and help then use energy, and regulate the levels of sodium, potassium and water in the body respectively. These two adrenal glands are then controlled by another source that is the pituitary gland in the brain which regulates when and how much of these chemicals to make.

The problem arises when one of either the pituitary gland or the adrenal glands are under producing or failing to send the correct amount of signals to the other and the symptoms noted above begin to arise as the body struggles. This is usually caused without reason as the glands begin to produces less of the needed chemicals.

What Your Vet May Say or Do

When presented to the vet in a semi-stable state the procedure will normally continue by giving specialised blood tests and a test known as the ACTH stimulation test to view the functions of the glands.

Once the condition has been confirmed the only way to better the illness is to use prednisolone and florinef tablets to re-introduce the missing chemicals for the first couple of months before normally relying only on florinef tablets on a daily basis for the rest of their lives.

Bear in mind that if the dog is presented to the vet collapsed then an intravenous drip may be required and then the normal treatment above so the dog can live a perfectly normal life until death in most cases.



Other Possible Conditions

Dog Urinating and Drinking More Than Usual
Acute (Sudden) Kidney Failure
Chronic (long term) Kidney Failure
Cushing's Disease - Adrenal Gland Disorders
Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes)
Dog Diabetes Insipidus (Water Diabetes)
Dog Hyperparathyroidism (Overactive Parathyroid Glands)
Dog Liver Failure and Liver Disease
Dog Tumor (Causing Elevated Blood Calcium Levels)