My dog has low potassium. Is it Addison's disease? Can it be treated?

Hi there, and thanks for posting this question. With Addison’s disease the potassium levels are actually high, not low. And Addison’s disease is very rare in cats as well, but yes It causes a variety of gastrointestinal problems. However, low potassium levels is commonly seen in older cats with chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease eventually decreases appetite because either they are slightly nauseated and just don’t feel like eating or sometimes they become anemic and weak and don’t want to eat. I hope this answers your question and I hope Tony does well. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Addison's Disease cannot be cured, but it can often be managed with life-long medications. It does usually require frequent vet visits for monitoring in the future. However, it can be life-threatening if a dog is sick when it is first diagnosed (or the suspected diagnosis). Without aggressive treatment, dogs can easily die from dehydration and shock caused by the effects on their fluid volume. Here is a great article on Addison's Disease and what to expect from diagnosis and treatment: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=608

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Spud. Addison's disease is not typically associated with hypothyroidism. However, when a dog develops one autoimmune disease, they can be more prone to developing another. Hypothyroidism cannot be diagnosed off of one low thyroid value though as this is not accurate. The thyroid levels can be artificially suppressed by stress or concurrent disease. Levels of thyroid stimulating hormone and free T4 by dialysis need to be evaluated in conjunction with thyroid hormone levels to make a diagnosis. I hope this information helps!

Hello, sorry to hear about Tony. A low potassium may be secondary to a decrease dietary intake. However, if Tony is on amlodipine, then this can cause a low potassium as well. If his kidney values are normal, then it is less likely that he has kidney disease. I would recommend continuing to monitor him and if he is otherwise eating, drinking, and acting normally then you may not need to pursue an abdominal ultrasound at this point. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tony. I agree that he is in the early stages of kidney failure based on the lab results you have provided. Kidney disease can cause low levels of potassium so it is good that you are supplementing him. Kidney values can fluctuate up and down a bit, but you want to assess trends over time to see how he is doing. SDMA and creatinine are more sensitive indicators than BUN. I would ask if his phosphorus level is in the target range for his degree of kidney disease (based on the IRIS staging) and make sure he has had his blood pressure measured recently. I hope this information helps!

I'm sorry to hear that Paddington has not been feeling well. An electrolyte imbalance with a low sodium to potassium ratio occurs most commonly with Addison's disease, but can also occur with kidney diseases or due to medications. I agree with your vet that performing an ACTH stimulation test to rule Addison's disease in or out is quite important. Addison's disease is referred to as the "great pretender" because its clinical signs can be quite subtle in many cases. Exercise intolerance and panting are most concerning for heart disease. I would also recommend asking your vet if chest x-rays could be performed to evaluate the size of Paddington's heart as well as the overall appearance of his lungs and blood vessels. Not every heart disease shows significant changes on an EKG. You may need to consider taking Paddington to a veterinary cardiologist to perform an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to assess the heart's function and ability to effectively contract. I hope that all goes well!