Canine Addison's Disease?

Question

Have you ever had to deal with it? My ex-husband and I just lost our dog to it, and I'm wondering if it's a common affliction in dogs.

Lena was a Yellow Lab mixed with an Irish Wolfhound. She was so pretty....:(

Answer 1

Sorry to hear this.
Addison's disease is not really common, most vets will probably be able to count the total number of Addison dogs they diagnose in a lifetime of practice on their fingers. That being said, the total number spread over all vets is surprisingly high - one of the two owner support lists for addisoian dogs has 2,000 members. There is a definite breed predilection with the most heavily affected breeds having 2% of the breed clinical for addisons but no breed is clear (though some have a incidence well below average)and the most commonly affected "breed" is the mixed breed.

Edit: 2 westies: be aware not all dogs with addisons have e-lites out of normal range - mine didn't.
check out www.k9addisons.com for more info

Answer 2

I have two Westies, a breed that is more prone to Addison's disease. It's a tricky disease to diagnose without testing and is sometimes called the "fooler" disease, because dogs are thought to be in renal failure when it's Addison's. I have blood work done every year to check the electrolytes levels, high levels can indicate Addison's. It's not uncommon in particular breeds, there's a support website to help owners. I'm really sorry about your dog.

Answer 3

I'm sorry to hear about you losing your pup to Addison's I've never dealt with it, and hope I don't have to. I don't know exactly how common it is in dogs, but it certainly one that dog owners should be aware of. According to my "Hound Health Handbook", by Betsy Brevita, DVM, it's seen mostly in young and middle-aged animals, and Standard Poodles, Labradors and Portugese Water dogs seem to have some predisposition to the disease. But it can occur in any breed or mix.