The Truth About Dog Addison’s Disease

Addison’s disease is a pretty rare occurrence in dogs. When the adrenal gland is affected, it’s much more common for there to be problems with canine cushings disease. Hypoadrenocorticism is a condition that occurs when the adrenal glands produces too few hormones. This disease is very serious since the hormones produced by the adrenal glands are quite important. You may be wondering what exactly causes hypoadrenocorticism.

Causes

There are two reasons why this condition occurs in dogs. It usually occurs because of some immune system problem that causes damage to the adrenal glands. Problems with the pituitary gland can also cause the condition since it’s responsible for stimulating production by the adrenal glands.

Symptoms

This disease commonly affects humans. Humans and dogs displays some of the same symptoms. Since it advances relatively slowly, you may not notice any symptoms during the earlier stages of the illness. Common symptoms include vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, and hair loss. If your dog is experiencing diarrhea and vomiting at the same time, he can quickly become dehydrated. Some of the other common signs of Addison’s disease are abdominal pain, trembling, and depression.

Diagnosis

Vets sometimes have a hard time diagnosing this disease accurately. This is due to the fact that some of these same signs are caused by kidney failure in canines. To see if the adrenal glands respond, the vet may inject your dog with pituitary hormones. If the adrenal glands don’t respond to this, your dog probably has Addison’s disease.

Treatment

As you already know, Addison’s disease in dogs is characterized by a lack of production of adrenal hormones. To treat the condition, your dog needs these hormones replaced. Dogs can be given this medicine by mouth or by injection. Your dog may also need to receive other hormone supplements since the adrenal glands won’t be producing them either.

All owners should know their pet can fall victim to various health problems in their lifetime. You can read up on many different potential health problems at dog-illnesses.com. Click over right now.

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