Addison's dog still sick on meds? Low energy, confused, peeing more.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If there is evidence of lethargy in a dog with a history of Addisons disease, it is always best to make sure that there is nothing to worry about in terms of disease control. It is possible that this is nothing to worry about. However, given the possibility of this being related to the Addisons disease history, I recommend that if this continues, you have Bonnie evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Hi there! I'm sorry to hear that Bindy is having side effects from her medication. I would not recommend stopping her meds or making any dosing changes without talking to the veterinarian who is treating her, because this can cause serious problem or even death for patients with Addison's disease. I would definitely recommend discussing your concerns with Bindy's regular veterinarian, since it's likely that her steroid doses can be reduced if they are causing side effects - most dogs this size do not need this much prednisone to control their Addison's symptoms, although each individual patient is different. A medication called DOCP (desoxycorticosterone pivalate) can also be used in place of the fludricortisone if needed, which she may tolerate better. Your veterinarian can discuss these options with you and help you make changes to her medication safely.

Hello. Having a chronic condition like Addison's can stress the body & cause an artificial lowering of T4. You should insist that your veterinarian run a full thyroid panel, not just look at T4 which can be artificially lowered in many non hypothyroid situations. In addition, we generally treat Addison's disease with a mineral corticoid along with a glucocorticoid like prednisone. I would ask your vet about this as well. You need some more information on your pet. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Given the progression of her symptoms I recommend you get her reassessed by your vet to determine the underlying cause; unstable addisons, pancreatitis, kidney/liver disease and dietary sensitivities can all cause intermittent vomiting and can all be managed once diagnosed accurately. Your vet will likely want to run blood tests to assess what is going on and diet manipulation a change in her regular prescription may be required

Addisonian dogs can live completely normal lives with appropriate medications and dosing, so no, I would say that she shouldn't always be like this. Your vet might also re-consider the dose of prednisone - they actually need very little, so that's worth double-checking. Also doing another cortisol level might shed some light on things. If her cortisol level is normal at the current dosing, there may be something else going on, such as pain or anxiety, that's causing the tremoring.

I am sorry the K-Cl was diagnosed with Addison's disease. Good news is that once treatment is start they usually do really well! If they are vomiting you may need to have him examined to ensure he doesn't need any fluids as he could be in an addisonian crisis. Finally addison's is usually the cause of having too low of two different type of stress hormones. So you may also want to talk to you vet to see if he needs to be on an additional medication besides just prednisone like florinef or percorten injections - these may help speed up his recovery. Also know that addisons is a life long condition so these medications will likely need to be continued long term. I hope your sweet baby starts feeling better really soon. Please feel free to contact us again on the forum or to set up a consultation if you have additional questions or would like more information. Below I have attached a link with more information on addison's disease http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=608

Addison's is a very strange and difficult disease to fully comprehend in terms of its cause and effects on the body. I dont know exactly what your dog is being treated with, but the mainstay of treatment is replacement of steroids, both mineralcorticoid and glucocortocoid. Certainly with steroids there can be negative effects on the body such as weight gain, polyuria and sometimes med induced cushing's disease. However, steroid level is usually we regulated and momitored at check ups. I dont think that the levels of medication used could lead to such a sudden onset of organ failure. The bad effects of steroids are usually gradual and cause the cushings disease as opposed to organ failure. If Sadie is in orhan failure it is unlikely due to her meds. Cushing's can cause massive elevations in liver enzymes and a pot belly but not so much fluid build up. The other thing to consider is that she may have had an issue from birth effecting her in more ways than just an adrenal problem. And finally, without the medication for addison's it is unlikely that she would have made it to the age she has. Many dogs go into addisonian crises and die. It is unfortunate and sad that this is happening to Sadie, but you have done all you can for her, and likely given her much more life than she would have had otherwise.