06/09/2024
Addisons please read this is important information
I've been on a deep Addison's rabbit hole the past 24h, and there's still a lot to learn and a long way to go but we're feeling very positive. Before we got the diagnosis on Tuesday we were struggling to make sense of why he was fading before our eyes - struggling with lethargy, pain, and everything else. It was even the cause of his haemorrhagic diarrhea 6 weeks ago that nearly took him from us.
But today with just one dose of the treatment he is amazingly bright and a different dog.
Addison's is hereditary, but as you say there's currently no test.
I've been directed to The Standard Poodle club and the Breed Health Coordinator has asked if we are ok to enroll Aonghus in a study of Addisons by the University of Minnesota & Clemson Universities under Drs Friedenberg and Leigh Ann Clark. It aims to assess his DNA and look for traits which could one day help identify a test, so hopefully one day it'll be easy to screen for it, much like all the other health tests. She said right now "no lines are totally free", so as a breeder it must be pretty much impossible to avoid, especially as it might not be recognised in pups for years, and the last instance could be generations and generations back.
For now though, it's all good. We're happy and Aonghus is well!
For anyone wondering what to look for, the picture below was maybe the first sign. He got discolouration on his back and when the hair was short you could see the skin actually had a darker pigment. Addison's can cause hyperpigmentation. This was attributed to allergies/skin infection/maybe sebaceous adenitis.
Following from this, he seemed to become more stiff and more lethargic. He seemed to be in pain sometimes, walking with his head down, an arched back, and tail down. Really not happy.
We were doing physio and hydro which maybe helped a bit, but he wasn't really getting stronger. Addison's causes muscle and possibly joint pain (I need to read more about this). It causes general weakness and weight loss and muscle loss.
Our vet prescribed galliprant for Aonghus - an anti-inflammatory painkiller and Skylocalm, a drug to help with his allergies.
Some mornings he would vomit after eating.
Some days he would just turn his nose up at his food and leave it.
This is quite common it seems, symptoms can wax and wane.
This all went on for about 18 months.
The real issue was in July when he experienced the horrendous AHDS (acute haemmorhagic diarrhea syndrome).
That started with some vomiting, lethargy, then within a few hours his paws were stone cold which was a sign of him going into shock. 3 or 4 hours later he was passing blood like nothing I've ever seen.
While in this condition he was tested for Addisons by a cortisol check - unfortunately the result was high so they didn't think it was indicative of Addisons and didn't do the "gold standard" test which is a low-dose ACTH Stimulation test. Addison's was incorrectly ruled out - but I understand why, his cortisol was high which makes no sense.
He luckily survived that episode and was discharged without us knowing the root cause.
I have since spoken to that vet team to make them aware, as maybe another dog in the future can reach a diagnosis faster. They are reviewing their cortisol test with their lab analyser supplier.
6 weeks later - this week - we saw him decline further, blood tests indicated kidney failure. On admission to hospital where we thought at best we might get a few weeks more with him a vet recognised the symptoms as Addisons. He had low sodium and high potassium readings. He was also slightly anaemic.
This finally prompted an ACTH test which proved positive. Within 24 hours of that test and starting treatment his levels were all normal and he was running after his brother in the garden. Absolutely unimaginable the night before.
Prior to that, he hadnt run for months.
The ACTH test wasn't expensive. I think it was maybe £40-50. Id say if anyone is unsure or suspicious about any symptoms their poodle has, absolutely get the test. There's nothing to lose.
This is the study Aonghus is going to be a part of:
Addison’s disease (also referred to as primary hypoadrenocorticism) is an immune-mediated disease in dogs and humans in which the body attacks the outer layer of the adrenal glands. This leads to a deficiency in key hormones (cortisol and aldosterone) which regulate responses to stress and water/e...
