[Dailydrool] possible diabetes, Cushings, etc....another possibility

[Pam Bankston]

I haven't posted in an eon...but recently noticed the discussion on 
possible diabetes or Cushings in your basset.  There is another 
possibility...Addison's disease....also a disease of the endocrine 
system.  As per Washington State Univ. College of Veterinary Medicine:* 
"Addison's disease (hypoadrenocorticism) is caused by a lower than 
normal production of hormones, such as cortisol, by the adrenal glands.  
The signs of Addison's disease may be severe and appear suddenly, or may 
occur intermittently and vary in severity. Signs may include weakness, 
depression, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and occasionally 
increased thirst (polydipsia) and increased urine production 
(polyuria).  The history, physical examination, and initial laboratory 
tests provide suspicion for Addison's disease, but a more specific test, 
an ACTH challenge, should be performed to confirm the disease." *

There are three types of Addison's: primary, secondary & atypical.  My 
Sebastian has atypical Addison's and the best type to have....the least 
drugs.  I give him 5mg. of predinisone daily...and I have to pay close 
attention to his life, basically....and what I mean by that.....stress 
is a huge enemy of Addison's.  When guests stay at our house, or I take 
a trip with the bassets or just about anything that is unusal in 
Sebastian's daily life, I have to give him additional prednisone to 
allow his body to produce enough cortisol during that stressful period.  
I also have a blood panel done twice a year to check various levels, 
including potassium, sodium, etc.  The atypical is the easiest to 
treat....one drug....prednisone...and over a short period of time I got 
it down to the lowest possible dosage (as prednisone, while a miracle 
drug, is very nasty to the body over a long period of time.)  Sebastian 
will be on prednisone for the remainder of his life.  It is critical to 
have the ACTH response test administered to definitively diagnose 
Addison's.  Sebastian was diagnosed in the summer of 2006.  The only 
bumps along the way....was learning about the stress related 
problems...such as having to urinate frequently and often could not wait 
to be let outside.  I learned that those symptoms occurred when 
Sebastian wasn't getting enough prednisone (almost always associated 
with something unusual going on in our life...such as houseguests, 
etc.)  I was told to give him a little extra prednisone during those 
times.  That took care of that problem, as I learned to plan ahead.

Addison's, as far as my experience and several other Droolers whom I 
consulted with at the time of Sebastian's first onset, is VERY 
manageable and really doesn't affect our lives in a big way at all.  I 
will say.....if Addison's is the ultimate diagnosis....most likely there 
will be, following the medication plans for your basset, a BIG change in 
the look, feel and quality of your basett's fur!  After being on the 
prednisone for a while, Sebastian's fur...which was fairly average for a 
big basset....straight, not tremendously thick, etc.....became 
incredibly thick and massively curly!!!!  He reminded me of sheep before 
shearing!  It was too weird!  Other Drooler's bassets with Addison's had 
the same reaction.  Most vets think it's the prednisone...especially at 
first.  After about a year or so, Sebastian's fur returned to its former 
state.  Was pretty funny for a while, however!

FYI....John F. Kennedy & his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver both had 
Addison's disease.
Pam Bankston, owned & operated by Sebastian & Bogart in Wisconsin
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20100228/3a007f57/attachment-0002.htm>