Introduction
Addison’s disease, also known as hypoadrenocorticism, is serious condition which cannot be cured, but it can be treated. The condition itself interferes with the adrenal glands’ ability to produce the proper amounts of cortisol hormones in the body. Normally by the time a dog is diagnosed with Addison’s disease, emergency medical treatment is needed. Once the dog has been stabilized the owner can treat the dog at home through oral medications.
Addison’s disease can cause a variety of symptoms in dogs ranging from gastrointestinal upset to coma. The disease will generally cause a progressive amount of symptoms overtime as the dog’s body becomes damaged from the effects of insufficient cortisol production. Treatment for Addison’s disease focuses on stabilizing cortisol levels and attending to any harmful symptoms, such as shock, vomiting, or diarrhea, that the disease has caused.
Treating Addison's Disease
The treatment of severe Addison’s symptoms includes placing the dog on an intravenous saline solution and giving the dog injections of synthetic cortisol. The synthetic cortisol medications used are generally dexamethasone and prednisolone. These treatments will also stabilize and recover dogs that have progressed to a coma state from the disease.
In most cases the treatments for Addison’s disease will need to be continued for the rest of the dog’s life. After the dog’s hormone levels are stabilized, and the dog has recovered from any other effects of the disease, the owners can take the dog home and treat the dog with oral dexamethasone and prednisolone medications.
Dog’s receiving Addison’s treatment therapies will need to have urine and blood tests performed periodically to monitor their cortisol levels. Some dogs have elevated blood potassium levels from the disease; in this case they need either an additional oral drug such as Florinef, or a once a month injection, Percorten V, to balance the blood potassium levels.
Through proper lifelong treatment therapies and monitoring, many dogs with Addison’s disease have the chance to live a long, healthy, and happy life.