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      07-11-2007, 02:13 AM   #1
edgarj
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My dog almost died today, good news

My dog, Jackson, (1.5 yr old Rottweiler) lost his appetite 5 days ago and has eaten very little since, despite cooking him chicken and bacon... foods healthy dogs can't resist, he wouldn't eat anything but still had normal H2O consumption. The vet initially thought it was acute renal failure (poison toxicity... antifreze/rat-poison, or congenital) and we tentatively braced ourselves to the possibility of putting him down. Based on his blood chem, they ran a test for Addison's Disease (a condition suffered by JFK), and the test came back positive.

It's a disease affecting all breed, albeit at a low frequency, and is "the common name for hypoadrenocorticism, or adrenal insufficiency. It is a disease with symptoms that are common to many other ailments, making diagnosis difficult and sometimes a process of elimination. But once Addison’s is correctly diagnosed, a properly treated dog can live a normal, active life." In short his adrenal cortex was failing and he wasn't making specific endocrines needed to balance his Na/K ratio, which led to the lethargy and loss of appetite associated with an Addisonian Crisis...

Good news is that his kidneys arent failing, bad news is that he needs a lifelong steroidal suplement. It's a very managable condition these days, and our vet made a great catch in testing him for this rare condition. Check out www.addisondogs.com for more info if your pooch exhibits acute loss of appetite, GI ailements, hind quarter sensitivity/muscle spasms, and lethargy... it may save a life.

Pictured is Jackson at 6mos and our sweet oddball, Otis (aka "Scrotis")... a Shar Pei/G.Retriever/Lion mix.


Last edited by edgarj; 07-11-2007 at 03:18 AM..
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