Addison's Disease In Dogs

It has been a while since I posted about my dogs. The following subject is very important to me because Corky, my heart dog, has Addison's Disease.
He was a year old when I got him from the breeder. This breeder is very popular and her pups sell

quickly, so it was very unusual for her to have an older dog. I have a suspicion that he was always "just not quite right" and that's why he wasn't sold or adopted.  He seemed fine to me other than the fact that he just couldn't put any weight on. I worried about it to the vet one day, saying that he had no reserves if he got sick. She wasn't concerned, saying that it was better for a dog to be too thin than the opposite.
Our Addison's journey started, like so many other dogs, with a misdiagnosis on both our parts. My dogs each get a bone once a week for their teeth but I had been in the bulk barn and for some reason, decided to get them rawhide bones. (Don't! Ever!) They loved them and before I knew it, had stripped and swallowed half of them. The next day, Corky was very "off" and wouldn't eat. The day after that, he wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink, and I took him to the vet, thinking he had an impaction from the rawhide. She took X-Rays, palpated his stomach, but couldn't find anything except a stomach full of air, gave him something for his stomach and sent him home.  I can't remember the exact timelline because it was a stressful blur, but 3 emergency trips later, she diagnosed him with kidney disease and finally, after 5 days of no food or water, put him on intravenous fluids. The only thing that saved his life is that the vet thought he was in such bad shape, she didn't want to leave him alone in the clinic overnight, and suggested that I take him to the Atlantic Vet College. Within an hour of admittance, he was diagnosed with Addison's Disease but by this time he had been without proper treatment for days and it was touch-and-go if he'd survive the crisis. Luckily for him and especially me, he made it through, but he was so weak and still not eating that he had to stay at the college for 4 days. The only way I got him eating again was to stop on my way to visit him and get a roasted chicken burger, throw out the bun and hand feed him the chicken.
This is a long post, but Corky's story is so similar to so many other dogs that it is important. Some vets have never seen a case of Addison's Disease. Because it was rare, it wouldn't be something they would look for. It's still fairly rare, but becoming common enough that every practice would probably have at least one Addison's dog. If they were diagnosed before their death. The genetic pool of dogs has become very small and diseases that require two recessive genes, like Addison's, are becoming more common. Poodles are highly represented but getting a Doodle won't decrease your chances because we're seeing more incidences in Labradoodles and Golden Doodles.
Knowing the symptoms could save thousands of dollars and your dog's life.
Addison's Disease occurs when the adrenal glands, located on the kidneys, fail to produce enough hormones to sustain life. The sodium levels drop dangerously low and the potassium rises dangerously high. One of the hormones produced is cortisol which regulates stress in the body and this is why so many dogs are diagnosed after a stressful occasion. They have been boarded for a week, they've had a trip to the groomer, they flew, had their teeth cleaned...anything they might have been stressed over requires the cortisol they are not producing and their body starts to shut down.
Some dogs just gradually fail, over such a period of time that you don't realize how sick they are until they are really sick. Corky probably fell in this group with his lack of appetite. I did agility with him and he loved it at first but had got a little reluctant and I had blamed that on my training. He had been sleeping more but I attributed that to the fact that he wasn't a puppy any more.  Little, imperceptible things that you'd never add up.
The main symptoms of Addison's:
Lethargy
Lack of appetite
Weight loss
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Dehydration
Collapse
Exercise intolerance
Frequent drinking or urination
Tremors or shaking
Low heart rate
Coat Changes
Hind end weakness
If your dog is experiencing any of these symptoms, when you are having them checked, ask your vet about Addison's. The only definitive test for Addison's is the ACTH test. It isn't cheap but if your dog could have Addison's, it could save its life. Not to mention spending a few hundred to save thousands. Many Addison's dogs are initially diagnosed with kidney disease because the symptoms can be similar and a dog with Addison's will have abnormal kidney values. Ask. It is truly worth it to ask.
Any breed or mix of dog can be affected by Addison's Disease but some breeds are highly represented, like Standard Poodles, Portuguese Water Dogs, West Highland White Terriers, Great Danes, Labrador Retrievers, German Shorthaired Pointers, Bearded Collies, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, and recently Labradoodles and Golden Doodles. Jack Russell or Parson Russell Terriers seem to be showing up more and more on the Addison's sites. But the disease doesn't discriminate.
If your dog is diagnosed with Addison's Disease, if properly treated, they can live a normal life and have a normal life span. They will be on lifetime medication and optimizing that medication is key. As I said, many vets have never seen or diagnosed a case of Addison's Disease and their treatment plans are guided by the drug companies and often much more than needed.
I was incredibly lucky when I started my Addison's journey with Corky to find two Facebook pages: Addison's Disease In Dogs, and Canine Addison's Resources and Education (CARE). Unlike most FB pages, these two have years of research and education behind them. The file section of CARE has research papers done by reputable scientists and surveys done on hundreds of dogs. Their membership is in the thousands, which tells you that the disease is not as rare as is thought.  The administrators of both groups are extremely knowledgeable and the membership includes many vets.
Corky is now a happy, healthy dog, with (almost too much!) padding on his ribs and a regained love of

agility. He has typical Addison's and must receive a shot of Percorten once a month and a small dose of prednisone daily.  He happily takes his 1/2 mg prednisone rolled up in a piece of chicken and doesn't even move when I give him his subQ Percorten shot. I keep a record of all blood test results and his injections. My vet has been wonderful, reading all of the information I printed out for her and jumping on board with low dose protocols developed by Dr Julia Bates. We work together to optimize his health care and it's great to understand what is going on. I read both Facebook pages daily and every day I learn more from them about understanding the disease and how to read and interpret blood tests. CARE has produced a wonderful brochure about recognizing Addison's Disease and they will send copies free of charge to anyone wishing to read or display them.