Hypoadrenocorticism (commonly referred to as Addison's disease) typically affects young or middle-aged female dogs. In most cases, parts of the cortisone-producing adrenal glands waste away to such an extent they are only minimally functional. As a result, the adrenals don't produce enough of two types of cortisone crucial to your dog's ability to use energy-containing glucose and balance levels of critical minerals such as sodium and potassium. We aren't certain what causes the atrophy, but it is suspected the animal's immune system attacks its own adrenal glands. Occasionally, hypoadrenocorticism is due to a failure of brain-controlled mechanisms that stimulate the adrenal glands to secrete particular hormones. Addison's disease is an uncommon canine disorder and a challenging one to diagnose. With appropriate medication and close veterinary monitoring, a dog with this disease can live a normal life. Although, not curable this disorder is definitely treatable.

A dog suffering from chronic hypoadrenocorticism has recurrent periods of appetite loss, vomiting, diarrhea, and weakness. Since other more common diseases have similar signs, veterinarians often don't initially suspect hypoadrenocorticism. But if your veterinarian thinks your dog may be suffering from this disease, blood test can be preformed to measure adrenal gland function. The test results will determine whether your dog is suffering from hypoadrenocorticism. The first initial diagnostic clues your veterinarian may observe are an abnormal sodium and potassium level. This may than necessitate running an ACTH stimulation test. These tests will determine if your pet is suffering from Addison's Disease.

Dogs suffering from chronic hypoadrenocorticism can, at any time, develop hypoadrenal crisis (the acute form of the disorder). In addition to vomiting and diarrhea, a dog in hypoadrenal crisis is extremely weak may be in acute kidney failure and has a low body temperature. The animal must receive immediate veterinary care to save its life. This includes the administration of large volumes of intravenous fluids (sodium and chloride) and corticosteroids.