Author Topic: Addisons disease.  (Read 1916 times)

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Offline Linda B

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Addisons disease.
« on: October 07, 2020, 04:13:27 PM »
Hi,  at the weekend our four and a half year old cocker was diagnosed with Addisons disease, it was touch and go for a while and thankfully he pulled through. I know its the opposite of Cushings disease and I've read up on it a lot and found conflicting information about it. I have heard that dogs can live to a good age with it, with some adjustments to their lifestyle.
I just wondered if anyone has come across it before and can offer any advice to me.

Thanks

Offline Mudmagnets

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2020, 11:19:32 PM »
Cannot help with condition, but hope you can find out more so you can give your boy a comfortable life.  :luv:
Remembering Smudge 23/11/2006 - 3/8/2013, and Branston 30/8/14 - 28/10/22 both now at the Bridge.

Offline Linda B

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2020, 08:06:48 AM »
Thank you for your reply. We've done lots of research and Hugo's doing really well on his medication and appears to be back to his normal self. He loves having four small meals a day instead of two bigger ones,  he's just a typical greedy cocker  :005:

Offline Mudmagnets

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2020, 08:51:12 AM »
Thank you for your reply. We've done lots of research and Hugo's doing really well on his medication and appears to be back to his normal self. He loves having four small meals a day instead of two bigger ones,  he's just a typical greedy cocker  :005:

That's good to read, mine also have 3 meals a day rather than 2 and seem to like it that way. The younger one has a habit of picking up nasty stuff on walks,  :020: but keeping him comfortable and not hungry between meals seems to help.
Remembering Smudge 23/11/2006 - 3/8/2013, and Branston 30/8/14 - 28/10/22 both now at the Bridge.

Offline Linda B

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2020, 12:52:41 PM »
Thank you for your interest in Hugo.
I hope your dogs continue to have happy and healthy lives for many years to come.
Best wishes
Linda


Offline Mari

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2020, 02:13:54 PM »
Good to read that the medication is working! Must have been scary when he was going through the crisis!
Four meals a day sounds great for a cockers happiness.
Don't have any experience with addisons, but I'm interested to hear more about it. It's always different to hear from someone who deals with it on the daily compared to reading about a disease.
Hope Hugo continues to do well!

Offline Linda B

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2020, 04:31:23 PM »
Thanks Mari, yes it was very scary, although he's four and a half years old, we've only had him 7 months and have totally fallen in love with him, it would have been a double whammy had he died,  as we had only lost our twelve year old girl cocker to cancer in February and we are still grieving for her. So we consider ourselves very lucky to have brilliant vets as Addisons is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are vague.

Offline ejp

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2020, 08:40:47 PM »
No personal experience with a dog with Addisions.  A lady who we used to be on nodding terms with on walks, had a dog with Addisons, he had a crisis which is how they discovered it.  Once they got the medication sorted he was grand, totally normal life and lived to a ripe old age.  Hope Hugo continues to be well.

Offline Linda B

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2020, 02:33:59 PM »
I have heard they can live to a good age but, its good to hear from someone who knows somebody who can verify it.
Hugo's doing very well, we're back to the vets tomorrow for a blood test to check his potassium levels.
Thank you.


Offline annclare

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2020, 11:28:41 AM »
I didn't know Addison's disease was the opposite of Cushing's disease! My 13 yr old cocker Nina was finally been confirmed positive for Cushing's yesterday after waiting 8 months for the test due to Covid. During this time I have read up on the disease and was 99.9% certain of the outcome; I regret the months she has been without the medication which now hopefully will start to do her good. I am grateful for any comments/experiences for Cushing's, as I'm sure you are for Addison's. We live and learn (even after 40 odd years with cockers!) I am sure your little one will do great x   

Offline Linda B

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2020, 01:00:41 PM »
Hi annclare, so sorry I haven't got back to you before. I'm sorry to hear Nina has Cushings, I hope she's doing well on the medication. Over 20 yrs ago we had a cocker with it and he did well on the tablets and lived to a good age, despite putting on lots of weight.  It was a nosebleed that caused him to be pts in the end, the vet thought he had a polyp in his nose and it started to bleed and there was no way of stopping it unfortunately.
We have to take Hugo fortnightly to the vets to check his ears, he has yeast growth and every visit she weighs him and he's put a little bit more weight on each time but, she's not concerned, its the downside of steroids.

Offline ejp

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2020, 09:51:54 PM »
Sounds like Hugo is doing well, do you feel you are starting to get it under control now?

Offline theshrew

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #12 on: December 03, 2020, 02:37:36 AM »
Hi Linda,

TBH i really don't know a great deal about it certainly not enough to advise you.

However my parents had a dog with it which has sadly passed away a few years ago, i think he was probably about 7 - 8 ish although don't hold me to that.

Ill send you a PM with my Mums phone number, she will be more that happy to help and with the lack of info on the subject if your / her vet exchange info 1000000% is for the better.

Offline annclare

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2020, 11:19:44 AM »
An update on Nina and her Cushing's. After only 4 days on the Vetoryl she started to be very sick,several times a day, with the runs and no interest whatever in her food. The vet said she would probably do as well off the medication and there are no other meds to try! I really thought I was losing her but, by at first hand-feeding her, she has now stabilised and is eating well again. I did read somewhere online that they appear to do as well off meds as on (prognosis 2+ years and she has probably had it around 1 year already) and certainly read of no other medication. Her mobility has deteriorated (nothing to do with the Cushings accordingly to the vet. Because I am doing so little myself due to lockdown, etc I am spending a lot of time keeping her as well as I am and am so pleased she has rallied, but as I was all set to administer the meds/ regular blood tests (it's an expensive business but nothing comes cheap) there appears nothing else I can do and I feel somewhat helpless on her behalf.

Offline ejp

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Re: Addisons disease.
« Reply #14 on: December 03, 2020, 09:15:24 PM »
I am really sad to hear that, you must feel very helpless.  IF there is no vet treatment, would it be worth trying a holistic/herbal option to give her system some support?  I really don't have any knowledge of Cushings, so a bit of a shot in the dark.