Have any of you guys and gals heard anything about chessies with Addisons disease. I have a friend whos dog has this and was wondering if there was any better ways to cure this.

Right now shot once a month and he is on Thyroid medicine and Pregnazone once a day.

So far she has spent $16,400 and the dog is only 20 months old.

Yes, I have heard of Chesapeakes with Addison's disease, but I have no personal experience with it. Chesapeakes seem inclined to develop autoimmune diseases (including DM and autoimmune thyroid disorders). In most cases, Addison's disease is caused by immune cells that attack a part of the adrenal glands (which produce a couple hormones). I agree that your friend has spent a phenomenal amount of money on their dog, but the treatments seem rational.

Many animals with autoimmune disorders are predisposed to have problems with their thyroid function, so it isn't surprising that the dog would be treated with thyroid hormone. In addition, providing additional thyroid hormone often improves the status of dogs with other (non-thyroid) autoimmune problems. It's a good sign that a vet is attuned to these possibilities.

People with Addison's disease are often given the two hormones that would have normally been made in their adrenal glands. I don't know what this would cost, but it's got to be sky-high.

Prednisone is often prescribed to "tone down" immune responses, which can make animals more prone to develop infections. It's a balancing act.

Be grateful if you haven't had to deal with something like this!

Claire

I havn't seen Addison's in a dog that young before. That is also alot of money spend to find out. I also haven't herd of treating with thyroid medication or that pregnazone medicine. Unless the dog is hypothyroid I wouldn't give it thyroid medicine. Hypothyroid is also uncommon in a young dog. When we have a dog with addisons we do an injection of Percortin every three weeks. That is the only drug the animal is on and has good results with it. I might concider a second opinion. Here is some info on Addison's.
HYPOADRENOCORTICISM (ADDISON'S DISEASE) IN DOGS
Dr. Bari Spielman
PetPlace.com
Endocrinology & Metabolic Diseases

OVERVIEW
Hypoadrenocorticism, also called Addison’s disease, is an endocrine disorder that results from a deficient production of adrenal gland hormones. There are two adrenal glands in the abdomen that lie just in front of the kidneys.

The most common cause of Addison’s disease in the dog is destruction of the adrenal gland tissue by the animal’s immune system. Infrequently, certain infections, medications, cancer or diseases of the pituitary gland may also cause Addison’s disease.

Addison's disease may also be caused by the abrupt discontinuation of steroid medication. Dogs that have been on long-term steroids should be slowly weaned off such drugs. Abruptly stopping the medication can result in an Addisonian crisis.

Addison’s disease is an uncommon disorder in dogs and is extremely rare in cats. It is thought to be familial and inherited in Leonbergers, standard poodles, and Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers. Certain other breeds may also be predisposed, such as the Airedale, bearded collie, German shepherd dog, German shorthair pointer, Great Dane, St. Bernard, English springer spaniel, West Highland white terrier, wheaten terrier, and Portuguese water dog.

Hypoadrenocorticism most often affects young to middle-aged dogs. About 70 percent of affected dogs are female. Neutered male dogs are more likely to develop hypoadrenocorticism than intact male dogs.

In hypoadrenocorticism there is usually a deficiency of two different groups of hormones, the glucocorticoids and the mineralocorticoids. The primary glucocorticoid hormone is cortisol, and it is responsible for combating stress, helping to maintain blood sugar. The major mineralocorticoid is aldosterone. Aldosterone regulates the water, sodium, potassium, and chloride concentrations in the body. Most naturally occurring forms of Addison’s disease affects both hormones. Addison’s disease secondary to the abrupt withdrawal of steroid medications affects only the level of circulating cortisol.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The clinical signs seen with Addison’s disease are somewhat variable. They may be mild and very vague initially. With an acute crisis, the signs are more pronounced and profound. Clinical signs include:

Lethargy, weakness
Poor appetite
Vomiting
Weight loss
Depression
Dehydration
Diarrhea
Excessive thirst and water intake (polydipsia)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Low body temperature, shaking, collapse, low heart rate
DIAGNOSIS
Because hypoadrenocorticism can mimic many other diseases, diagnostic tests are needed to confirm the presence of Addison’s disease, and to exclude other diseases that cause similar signs. These tests may include:

Complete medical history and physical examination

A complete blood count (CBC), blood biochemistry profile and urinalysis

An ACTH stimulation test (the diagnostic test of choice)

Chest and abdominal radiographs (X-rays) and possible abdominal ultrasound, depending on the clinical symptoms
TREATMENT
Treatment depends on whether the onset of illness is acute with severe symptoms, or whether more mild, chronic signs are present. For acute disease (an Addisonian crisis) treatment may include:
Intravenous fluid therapy

Electrolyte and acid-base monitoring

corticosteroid and mineralocorticoid replacement therapy
Treatment for chronic disease may include:

Corticosteroid and mineralocorticoid replacement therapy

Daily salt supplementation
HOME CARE
At home, administer any prescribed medication precisely as directed by your veterinarian. Observe the dog’s activity level, appetite and water intake. Also, report any occurrence of vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and change in appetite to your veterinarian immediately. Regularly scheduled veterinary visits are needed to monitor the disease and response to treatment. Such exams often involve various tests to monitor the levels of sodium and potassium in the blood.

Some dogs have different medication needs during times of stress such as travel, surgery, or hospitalization. Be sure to discuss this with your veterinarian if you anticipate times of stress in the future.
PREVENTATIVE CARE
There is no preventative measure for the naturally occurring forms of this disease. If your dog is receiving steroid medication, do not stop the medication abruptly. By doing so, an Addisonian crisis can occur. This is the only form of Addison's disease that is preventable.

THERAPY IN-DEPTH
Treatment of hypoadrenocorticism must be individualized for each patient. Treatment may necessitate immediate hospitalization in those cases of extreme weakness, collapse, or shock. However, in other cases, medical management can be instituted as an outpatient. Treatments may include:

Very aggressive therapy is indicated for those cases in shock, those with severe electrolyte abnormalities, abnormal kidney function tests, high calcium levels, low blood sugar, and abnormal heart rhythms.

Intravenous fluid therapy is very important, and often involves administration of a normal saline solution to bring sodium levels back up to normal, and to lower calcium and potassium levels.

Other therapy may also be needed to lower blood potassium.

Glucocorticoids (dexamethasone or prednisone) are indicated during treatment of an acute crisis state. Depending on the individual case, they may or may not be recommended for long-term therapy.

Mineralocorticoids are started in all cases of hypoadrenocorticism. They are available in either injectable (DOCP) or oral (Florinef®) forms, and are usually required for the lifetime of the dog.DOCP (desoxycorticosterone pivalate) Percorten-V® is an injectable medication that is administered by your veterinarian every 3 – 4 weeks, with the exact interval being established by frequent blood test monitoring.

Florinef® (fludrocortisone acetate) is an oral medication administered once or twice daily. It is the more commonly used mineralocorticoid, although it requires excellent owner compliance and is quite costly.

I will forward this to her yojojo. He is hypothyroid that is why he is on thyroid medicine.

When she said how much money her and her boyfriend spent on the dog I said I would have just put him to sleep and she look at me and her jaw dropped. She was like no way I could have done that.

She not only had 1 or 2 opinions but she had 4.

HI!
I feel deeply for these people as I lost a very very good field bitch at four with a different but just as debilitating medical condition "Cystic Lesion in the Frontal Lob of the Brain".This was discovered at the Univercity of Guelph Vet. College-Cdn. after many grand mal sezures that showed up out of the blue. We save her using very powerful drugs Dexamethasone ,Phenobarbital,Doxycycline and then slowly moved her to Prednisone at ever reducing level of medication.
BUT the hard questions have to be asked "What is the long trem life style going to be for "the animal"
I took my girl Hunting and trained her on what she loved, knowing that in the near future the hard decision would come.
Get an honest opion form a very knowledageable Vet. and ask him staight up what his true recomendation would be and then the decision will utamately have to be made by you.
BEEN THERE DONE THAT AND HATE THE PROCESS !!!!!
Always think of the animal First !!!!!!
I hate to have put things so bluntly but there is no way to side step on some realities of
animal ownership .
Martin Pinder
P/S It's never the monitary cost !!It's the quality of life for the animal !!!!!

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