Canine Addison’s Disease (AD), also known as hypoadrenocorticism, is similar to Addison’s Disease in humans. It is caused by faulty or malfunctioning adrenal glands that fail to produce sufficient levels of cortisol and aldosterone hormones, both of which play a critical role in canine health. Deficiencies in one or both of these hormones can affect every part of your dog’s life, all the way from immune function through energy and even behavior or mood.
Diagnosing AD in dogs isn’t easy. In fact, many pups are misdiagnosed repeatedly because the symptoms can mimic other diseases or even behavioral issues. Ironically, this is also true for AD in humans. Without blood testing and regular monitoring, it is almost impossible to be certain about diagnosis.
If you believe your dog may be affected by AD, it’s important to see your vet as soon as you can. In the meantime, the information in this post will help you understand this disease, why it occurs, and how you can help your dog once diagnosed.
What Causes Canine Addison's Disease?
As with Addison’s Disease in humans, Canine AD is often a result of autoimmune diseases where the body attacks the adrenal glands. In rarer cases, it may also be a side effect of trauma, a side effect of certain medications, or a result of over-medicating for Cushing’s Disease. AD in dogs can be primary or secondary. Primary is the term we use to refer to autoimmune AD; secondary refers to AD caused by outside influences, such as medication or damage to the adrenal glands via trauma. This designation is critical because it completely changes treatment options for dogs. Furthermore, AD may be “typical,” meaning it presents in a familiar fashion, or “atypical,” meaning it presents oddly or unusually. Atypical AD is much harder to diagnose and treat, but early intervention helps. Sometimes, veterinarians can’t identify why a dog’s immune system chooses to attack its own adrenal glands. This is referred to as “idiopathic Addison’s Disease.” In other cases, AD may be caused by small, often benign tumors or growths on the pituitary gland, a hormone-secreting gland in the brain that modulates adrenal tissue and adrenal hormone production. Rarely, these tumors can be malignant.Diagnosing Canine AD
We’ve talked a little bit about why AD happens; what about how it’s diagnosed? Every vet follows a slightly different protocol depending on how your dog presents and how severe his symptoms are. Your vet may use one or more of these methods to help get to the root of your dog’s hormone imbalance issues:- Blood tests for kidney, liver, pancreas, and adrenal function.
- Diabetes testing to rule out excessively high or low blood sugar.
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) blood testing to rule out infections.
- Urine or blood electrolyte tests to rule out electrolyte imbalance.
- Antibody and white blood cell tests to identify hidden infections.
- T4, TSH, and T3 thyroid hormone level testing for anomalies.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) tests to identify cardiac abnormalities.
- ACTH-stimulation tests to identify high cortisol hormone levels.