# Can you tell me about Addisons Disease?



## knightrider

Hi...can you tell me about Addison's disease and what a dog's life is like that has it? How costly are the meds and what is required? Any later in life complications from the disease? Would you adopt a dog knowing that he/she had Addison's?

Thanks!


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## bigpoodleperson

Hi! My dog has addisons. If it is well controlled then it is not *that* expensive. Prednisone is really cheap, and they will need to be on that for life. Depending on what kind of addisons the dog has (primary or secondary) then they will need another medication (most common and considered the best is a Percortin injection about monthly for life). The injections can be more expensive depending on how much they need and the size of dog. I would say 50-100$/month-ish. 

The dog will need monitoring labwork generally every 3-6 months for life to keep track of how well they are doing and where the electrolytes are (it is the electrolyte imbalance that can be deadly). Stress and illness can really make things worse. When dogs dont eat, having alot of vomiting or diarrhea then they natrually get electrolyte imbalances. For an addisonian dog this can be life threatening. They can get themselves into whats called an "addisonian crisis". They may or may not make it through that. Its just the risk you have to live with. You must know your dog and address any problems/illnesses right away before they get too "far".

Yes, i would absolutely adopt a dog with addisons if i really liked the dog. Personally, it would not sway my decision. Many dogs lead very long and healthy lives with the disease!!


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## whitepoodles

Knightrider:

Yes I would adopt an Addisonian poodle if the alternative was to put them to sleep by their owners.

Since medicating an addisonian dog is costly and you will have to monitor him with several blood test etc... every so often to adjust the medication, I would honestly evaluate my financial situation before embarking on adopting a poodle who has addisons. 

To keep an addisonian dog alive is quite costly and it is better for you to know all about these costs before you adopt the dog rather than find out later and the dog is already adopted and you may realize you can not afford the upkeep of such a dog. 

Addisonian dogs who are carefully monitored by vets can live a good life. They are known not to live a long life, but if well cared for they can have a good quality of life.

Whatever you do, I hope that you put much aforethought into this decision for the sake of the dog.


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## flufflvr

Boy can I ever tell you about Addison's. Their adrenal glands don't work, so they don't make the stress hormones cortisol or adreneline. There's a really good support group called addisondogs online. Just google it and you'll have enough reading info for a lifetime. Liberty was diagnosed when she was almost 2, and she's 6 1/2 now. If you met her, you would never know she had it. 

She gets 2 ml of percorten, a shot, every 32 days. The costs on this varies. The first vet I went to wanted to charge us $160 monthly for the shot. My favorite vet matched the price I found online, and charged $80 monthly for a long time. Just recently they've been unable to do that, so I now purchase the meds from petmeds.com and give her the shot myself. I pay $80 a shot. 

She also takes 2.5 mg of prednisone daily. It's pretty cheap...less than $10 a month. It has no side effects because it's just making up for the cortisol her body would normally make but doesn't. As a matter of fact, if there are any side effects from the prednisone, they're getting too much. You want to give them the minimum amount possible without causing a return of symptoms. If you know they're going to be under stress such as an extra long play session, getting too hot, something physically, mentally, or emotionally taxing, when the body would normally make adreneline, you need to bump up the amount of prednisone just a little to compensate, or their organs start to shut down. 

Avoiding stress can also be a challenge, until you figure out what really stresses them. I don't take Liberty to a groomer, I do it myself, partially because I enjoy it, and partially because I really don't want to stress her out and make her sick, though I'm sure if it became a routine, it wouldn't stress her at all. When we go on trips together, I don't go places where she can't accompany me, because it stresses her out, and it's not worth the risk. I also have a friend come to watch her at my house when I leave town because it would stress her out too much to board her. She has only been stressed out enough to get sick twice in those 4 years, and all that happened was her gut bacteria got out of whack and she needed some meds to get it back in control.

Another common result of Addisons is incontinence. The adrenal glands produce estrogen, which gives the dog control over their sphincters. In a spayed dog, normally they still produce enough estrogen to handle this, but in an Addison dog, their reserve is gone. Liberty takes Proin, and hasn't had an "accident" in years, thank heavens. That's about $10 a month too.

I don't know about other Addison dogs, but Liberty's digestive tract was seriously messed up in the time it took to get a diagnosis and get her meds just right. Ever since she has a bit of a sensitive stomach. She takes probiotics with every meal, and I can sure tell if we skip one because she's really gassy. That's about $13 a month. 

The initial costs were around $2000 for diagnosis and treatment. Mainly that was lots of tests, special food because she wouldn't eat, iv fluids, and vet visits a few times a week for about a month. If the dog is already diagnosed, you can cross that off your list. Now she goes in for a blood test at least once a year. Fortunately for us, she's never had an abnormal electrolite reading, so we just continue with the routine. The visit and tests come to around $180 a year. 

So, the yearly breakdown looks like this:
Monthly percorten shots: $960
Daily prednisone: $120
Daily Proin $120
Daily probiotics $156
Yearly Lytes Tests $180
Yearly Total: $1536

Sharing my life with the most amazing dog I've ever met: PRICELESS
I've had to make sacrifices to have her, but she's paid me back a million times over. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Liberty has an amazing temperament. I swear she can read my mind sometimes. She's affectionate, so smart, incredibly intuitive, obedient, funny, sweet, I could just go on and on. She's my heart dog. 

What's her life like? Quite normal. She goes hiking with me on a frequent basis. She's a therapy dog and visits hospitals and care centers weekly. She also does many trainings with me, showing people how to do animal assisted therapy. The only thing different is that at meals, I drop her proin in her mouth, and put the prednisone and probiotics in her dish. I also give her a shot once a month. Otherwise, you would never know she had Addisons. 


What scares me the most isn't the Addisons itself. We've got a really good handle on that. What scares me is if she gets sick with anything else. For example, if she got cancer, or broke a bone, or even had to have surgery for an intestinal blockage, it would seriously stress her body out, and would trigger the Addisons. I'm not sure you could give her enough prednisone to compensate for what the body would normally make in a situation such as that. I truly treasure each day I have with her and pray we have a long time left together.


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## whitepoodles

*Sharing my life with the most amazing dog I've ever met: PRICELESS

I truly treasure each day I have with her and pray we have a long time left together.[/QUOTE]*


Flufflvr:

Your post made me cry.

You are the wonderful and devoted owner a dog only dreams of having.

I admire your love and comittment to your dog, no expense spared. Liberty is very fortunate to have you.


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## Winnow

Well I would not mind the coast as long as the dog is not suffering.

But IMO I would not want to keep a dog alive on pred. It has such bad side affects. After having been on it myself for over 6 months I would not wish my worst enemy to be on pred.


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## Feralpudel

Winnow said:


> But IMO I would not want to keep a dog alive on pred. It has such bad side affects. After having been on it myself for over 6 months I would not wish my worst enemy to be on pred.


Winnow, the side effects happen when you take oral (or injected) prednisone or other corticosteroids greatly in excess of what your body naturally produces (in humans, the equivalent of about 5 mg of prednisone a day, as I recall). In AD, all you are doing is making up for what the adrenal glands should be producing but aren't, so you don't have the side effects. 

From what people have said who have AD dogs, the dog's quality of life is generally very high as long as the AD is well controlled.


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## bigpoodleperson

Agreed. The amount you are giving just replaces what should be there in the first place from the body. There shouldnt be any more supplemented then the body would naturally make on its own. 

Besides have an AD dog, i know many clients dogs who have AD also. One was a little shih tzu who lived to 16 with the disease. If well controlled then it should not affect their day to day living.


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## flufflvr

Yeah, if they show any side effects from the prednisone, they're getting too much. And I agree with you Winnow, if she was suffering, I wouldn't keep her alive. I'm just so grateful for the medical technology that permits her to live a normal life. Seriously, an Addison dog who is well treated looks and acts no differently than a dog without Addisons. 

And Whitepoodles, thank you. I'm glad my commitment to her came through in my post. It really is a mutual thing between the two of us. Liberty gives me soooo much, and I just can't put a price on that.


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## Winnow

Thank you for telling me that 
It sounds better. 

I would just hate for my dogs to go through the side affects of pred, I would rather put them to sleep.


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## Jkline65

*I adopted an Addisons Spoo*

I adopted and Addisons poodle from the breeder who had her. She had 4 other Spoos and 6 kids and Addie dogs need to avoid stress. Her house was stressful I'm assuming...Loud I'm sure. She wanted to find a good home for her and I made the cut. Best decision I have ever made. The meds aren't cheap. The prednisone is cheap. The Compounded fludrocortisone that she takes twice a day AM and PM is where the cost comes in. I get it from a compounding vet pharmacy in AZ. It is shipped directly to me on a regular basis. She also takes a
Pepcid every morning. I haven't figured out the monthly cost to be honest. I may not wanna know. I think its about $35.00 a month for the pills and I get a 90 day supply at a time. 
If you didn't know she was sick you would not know from her behavior or her disposition. She is worth every penny. I have not had to go the injection route and hope not to. I'm not sure if there is a pro or con of either, not sure. I know the shot is more expensive than the pills. The pills in my opinion would seem to keep a more steady stream of the drug in her system which would seem to be a better situation than a big hit of it and waiting for it to wear down. I'm no vet so what do I know.
All this to say she is wonderful and worth it. Plus you can get a puppy and there is still no guarantee it won't get it. 
She was in her second pregnancy and got sick and had an infection in her something other female related. After so long of an infection the Addison's kicked in then. Her puppies were taken c section and were all fine and as of yet none if them have it. This was 4ish years ago. She was also spayed immediately with the c section. I guess she was very very sick initially. I have never had any issues though yet. and i pray (literally) that I don't.
:angel2:


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## whitepoodles

Your dog is extremely fortunate to have you as his loving owner. Not too many people would embark on adopting an Addisonian dog .

Her puppies should be carefully monitored since this ailment is genetic.

It is not the meds which cost that much as is the vet visits and lab tests to monitor the status of an addisonian dog. 

There are very bad cases while others are mild, there are cases where no matter how much meds and good dog husbandry is provided the dog will eventually succumb to this condition while others are fairly easily treated and continue to do well on the meds with minial side effects as well as outcome.

I hope your dog falls into the latter category, and will , given your wonderful care, enjoy a long quality life. You go girl !


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## A'n'A Mom

Since WhitePoodles brought up the genetic aspect, I urge any of you with AD dogs to register your dog with the Poodle Health Registry. 

The most recent research indicates that the Addison's Disease mode of inheritance is most probably polygenic, not recessive as was thought earlier. Thus, it becomes truly critical for breeders to research the entire breadth of the pedigree, not just the direct ancestors. The conscientious and responsible breeder will want to know the health status of offspring of their dog's littermates, or cousins and aunts and uncles. 

Only the OWNERS may register their dogs with PHR....the breeder can't do it according to the PHR rules. It's something each of us as Poodle owners can do and should do to help the future health of the breed we love so much.

Poodle Health Registry
Poodle Health Registry Database


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## whitepoodles

A'n'A Mom said:


> Since WhitePoodles brought up the genetic aspect, I urge any of you with AD dogs to register your dog with the Poodle Health Registry.
> 
> The most recent research indicates that the Addison's Disease mode of inheritance is most probably polygenic, not recessive as was thought earlier. Thus, it becomes truly critical for breeders to research the entire breadth of the pedigree, not just the direct ancestors. The conscientious and responsible breeder will want to know the health status of offspring of their dog's littermates, or cousins and aunts and uncles.
> 
> Only the OWNERS may register their dogs with PHR....the breeder can't do it according to the PHR rules. It's something each of us as Poodle owners can do and should do to help the future health of the breed we love so much.
> 
> Poodle Health Registry
> Poodle Health Registry Database



Totally agree with AnA mom. This is why it is imperative for all breeders to keep in contact with the client long after the puppies are sold. Breeders should encourage their clients to stay in touch with them and let them know if anything cropped up. If clients are encouraged in this manner by breeders , then the breeder will be informed and in a much better position to decide which dogs to spay/neuter as a result of producing genetic mishaps, and which ones to continue breeding from. This type of knowledge will no doubt help the poodle breed in future.


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## A'n'A Mom

whitepoodles said:


> Totally agree with AnA mom. This is why it is imperative for all breeders to keep in contact with the client long after the puppies are sold. Breeders should encourage their clients to stay in touch with them and let them know if anything cropped up. If clients are encouraged in this manner by breeders , then the breeder will be informed and in a much better position to decide which dogs to spay/neuter as a result of producing genetic mishaps, and which ones to continue breeding from. This type of knowledge will no doubt help the poodle breed in future.


And whitepoodles, I agree with you 100%. Upon diagnosis of any disease, whether the owner thinks it's genetic or not, the first call should be to inform the breeder. However, it's still really important that we follow-up that call with a PHR registration. There are a number of breeders who include a pamphlet and information about PHR in their new-puppy packets.

People move and lose track of each other, not to mention the dogs. Other breeders may not be as forthcoming with issues in their dogs. Breeder's records have often been destroyed by well meaning, but uninformed relatives when something happens to the breeder or they retire. Think of all the historical records that have been lost regarding the ancestors of our current dogs! The central, public health resource for Poodles is the PHR. It's there 24/7 for anyone who wants to look...and the amount of health data in the PHRDB, both good and bad, increases every day. The more medically supported data is in the database, the more useful it becomes.

Researchers have been working on the Addison's inheritance problem for a long time and it's likely it will be several more years minimum before we have an answer. In the meantime, the best chance breeders have to avoid breeding an AD affected Poodle is knowledge.... and IMO, it's our responsibility as owners to do that for our breed.


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## whitepoodles

A'n'A Mom said:


> And whitepoodles, I agree with you 100%. Upon diagnosis of any disease, whether the owner thinks it's genetic or not, the first call should be to inform the breeder. However, it's still really important that we follow-up that call with a PHR registration. There are a number of breeders who include a pamphlet and information about PHR in their new-puppy packets.
> 
> People move and lose track of each other, not to mention the dogs. Other breeders may not be as forthcoming with issues in their dogs. Breeder's records have often been destroyed by well meaning, but uninformed relatives when something happens to the breeder or they retire. Think of all the historical records that have been lost regarding the ancestors of our current dogs! The central, public health resource for Poodles is the PHR. It's there 24/7 for anyone who wants to look...and the amount of health data in the PHRDB, both good and bad, increases every day. The more medically supported data is in the database, the more useful it becomes.
> 
> Researchers have been working on the Addison's inheritance problem for a long time and it's likely it will be several more years minimum before we have an answer. In the meantime, the best chance breeders have to avoid breeding an AD affected Poodle is knowledge.... and IMO, it's our responsibility as owners to do that for our breed.


Very well put.
Just a thing I want to mention. I had an Addisonian's dog , not the one I kept but a dog I sold to a client who did come down with Addisons at age 7. I advised the owner to put it on PHR and she assured me she will. Todate this dog is still not registered on the Data Base.. 
At times a breeder will request such info put by the client themselves and there are clients who would while others dont feel it is important. So it also depends on the client as much as it depends on the breeder and some clients are totally oblivious that by sending such info to PHR it can actually help others in future.


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## A'n'A Mom

WP,
You can always go ahead and fill out the PHR forms for them, just ask them to sign and tell them you'll send it in for them. While PHR requires proof of a medical diagnosis, the form that proof can take varies. For AD, PHR can accept a copy of a Florinef or PercortinV prescription, a copy of the ACTH stim test results, a copy of an invoice from the vet clinic that shows the diagnosis, or the vet's signature.


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## whitepoodles

A'n'A Mom said:


> WP,
> You can always go ahead and fill out the PHR forms for them, just ask them to sign and tell them you'll send it in for them. While PHR requires proof of a medical diagnosis, the form that proof can take varies. For AD, PHR can accept a copy of a Florinef or PercortinV prescription, a copy of the ACTH stim test results, a copy of an invoice from the vet clinic that shows the diagnosis, or the vet's signature.


I have tried doing this as well, but my efforts met with resistance from the client. She apparently blames me for the Addisonian dog and I told her that it happens to all breeders and that if a breeder breeds long enough they will come up with genetic mishaps. We cant fight mom nature unless we locate/isolate the gene marker for AD, SA, Epi etc... and try to breed away from it. It is sad when you have a client who instead of appreciating your efforts they go against doing the right thing.. and without their consent not much can be done... can it ?


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## A'n'A Mom

WP,

That's really too bad...for all of us and for the breed as a whole. But thank you for your efforts.

I just wish others realized how important it is. For example, I'll bet they never considered that by not registering an AD affected dog, the owners have denied that information to the owners of any siblings. As you know, AD can mimic any number of other diseases and I hear horror stories of owners who go through literally thousands of dollars worth of tests before the vet considers Addison's. If they're lucky, they get the ACTH stim test in time. But a severe AD crisis can kill a dog very very quickly if it's not caught and treated in time. (Thinking of poor Gorky and his mom/family--I still weep for them..) Having the information that a sibling/littermate had been dx'd with AD could save both the dog and their budget!!

Even in my most cynical moments, I cannot believe that any breeder sets out to breed a litter of dogs who will become sick. It just doesn't make sense...or cents. Now, that doesn't excuse a breeder doing his homework and being responsible about the breedings. But, even if a breeder tests both sire and dam for Addison's prior to the breeding, the only thing that test assures them is that they do/don't have Addison's on the day the test was done. It doesn't guarantee that they won't develop it later or and it doesn't guarantee that the pups won't develop it. It sucks.

The good news is, as others have said, Addison's can be managed in most dogs as a chronic illness. The wonderful people on the K9Addisons Yahoo group are so knowledgeable and extremely helpful. They know more about AD than most vets! A well managed Addisonian won't even know he has a disease.

Okay, I realize I'm preaching to the choir...forgive me. Off my soapbox now


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## whitepoodles

A'n'A Mom said:


> WP,
> 
> That's really too bad...for all of us and for the breed as a whole. But thank you for your efforts.
> 
> I just wish others realized how important it is. For example, I'll bet they never considered that by not registering an AD affected dog, the owners have denied that information to the owners of any siblings. As you know, AD can mimic any number of other diseases and I hear horror stories of owners who go through literally thousands of dollars worth of tests before the vet considers Addison's. If they're lucky, they get the ACTH stim test in time. But a severe AD crisis can kill a dog very very quickly if it's not caught and treated in time. (Thinking of poor Gorky and his mom/family--I still weep for them..) Having the information that a sibling/littermate had been dx'd with AD could save both the dog and their budget!!
> 
> Even in my most cynical moments, I cannot believe that any breeder sets out to breed a litter of dogs who will become sick. It just doesn't make sense...or cents. Now, that doesn't excuse a breeder doing his homework and being responsible about the breedings. But, even if a breeder tests both sire and dam for Addison's prior to the breeding, the only thing that test assures them is that they do/don't have Addison's on the day the test was done. It doesn't guarantee that they won't develop it later or and it doesn't guarantee that the pups won't develop it. It sucks.
> 
> The good news is, as others have said, Addison's can be managed in most dogs as a chronic illness. The wonderful people on the K9Addisons Yahoo group are so knowledgeable and extremely helpful. They know more about AD than most vets! A well managed Addisonian won't even know he has a disease.
> 
> Okay, I realize I'm preaching to the choir...forgive me. Off my soapbox now


 NO !! not soap box at all. This forum needs people like yourself who keep on educating others.. This is what I feel any dog forum is about, so that newbies and newcomers to the breed are not going it alone but have us breeders educating them and putting them in the proper direction, so keep on posting ...
There are many breeders who breed and definitely as you state do not breed with the purpose of getting genetic mishaps, but there are breeders out there who inspite of knowing that a certain litter produced "this and that" they go on using the same sire or dam and breed her or him to other studs/bitches. My opinion is... If a stud is bred to a number of bitches and consistently produces genetic mishaps with each litter he produces than by all means he MUSTnever be used at stud and neutered. Same thing applies to a bitch. Sadly not every breeder thinks the same.


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## bigpoodleperson

> I have tried doing this as well, but my efforts met with resistance from the client. She apparently blames me for the Addisonian dog and I told her that it happens to all breeders and that if a breeder breeds long enough they will come up with genetic mishaps. We cant fight mom nature unless we locate/isolate the gene marker for AD, SA, Epi etc... and try to breed away from it. It is sad when you have a client who instead of appreciating your efforts they go against doing the right thing.. and without their consent not much can be done... can it ?



Great posts WP and AnA!! WP, i was in the same situation, but reversed. My breeder blamed the addisons on me (vaccines), and didnt like the fact that i told her about every health problem Riley has had. I thought good breeders wanted to know about health issues? I did registure Riley with PHR, but she did not support me on this. I dont blame her on the addisons at all as i understand it cant be predicted or tested for.


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## whitepoodles

bigpoodleperson said:


> Great posts WP and AnA!! WP, i was in the same situation, but reversed. My breeder blamed the addisons on me (vaccines), and didnt like the fact that i told her about every health problem Riley has had. I thought good breeders wanted to know about health issues? I did registure Riley with PHR, but she did not support me on this. I dont blame her on the addisons at all as i understand it cant be predicted or tested for.


Bigpoodleperson:

You did the right thing by contacting the breeder to let her know. 

Your breeder on the other hand leaves much to be desired and I believe should not have (ever) responded to you and your grievances in such a way.

I always say there are breeders and then there ARE breeders.

It is also known that Addisonian crisis can be brought on and exacerbated by stress (it has to be tantamount) and multiple vaccines and over vaccinating a dog, however, the dog him/herself has to have the predisposition for this genetic ailment for it to express itself during his/her lifetime.

If your puppy did not have the predisposition to Addison's no matter what stress or over vaccination they would encounter , their immune system would of been of such strength that they would of not come down with Addison's.

However when you have a dog which is genetically predisposed to this disease, anything including stress and/or multiple vaccines (each year) will exacerbate and bring on this ailment.

Your breeder failed to tell you the aforementioned and counted on you being unaware that the puppy had predisposition to Addison's or else would of not come down with this condition.

I always make sure, because I know how rampant Addison's runs in stand. poodles that my clients fully aware that both stress and Over vaccinating may cause the dog to come down with Addison's , but I also tell them that in order for the puppy to come down with the disease he/she has to have the genetic predisposition.

I would not ever lie to a client and inspite of some breeders telling me quote:
Why are you telling your puppy clients about bloat, torsion and other ailments, you are scaring them" and my response to this comment was , at least I am preparing the new owner for what may occur and as such they will recognize the symptoms and immediately take the dog to the vet.

If a breeder avoids telling thier clients about standard poodle genetic ailments they are not only doing a disfavor to the client but also endangering the lives of puppies they sell by not allowing their clients to recognize certain disease symptoms and rush their dog to the vet in order to save their lives.

When clients go to a breeder looking for a puppy, the last thing they want to hear is Oh my line is clear. and I always tell people who call me for puppies never to believe any breeder who makes such a statement.

I wish more breeders disclose genetic ailment symptoms to their clients, which can make the difference between life and death to the puppies they sell.

Addisons can be predicted if either the dam or sire of the puppy or his full or half litter mate is addisonian. It runs in families but it can also be brought on by stress and multiple frequent vaccinations (and not separating the vaccines).

And.. yes, good conscientious breeders do want to know about ailments cropping in their line and will not shove them like dirt under a rug.


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## Jkline65

*side effects of too much prednisone*

My vet just had me cut back on Maggie's Prednisone. 
I just read on here in this post that the danger of prednisone is only in getting too much. What are the symptoms of too much prednisone? I guess I'm asking what you look for to make you think they are getting too high a dose of prednisone. This is all so confusing. I never knew my dog pre addisons so I guess I don't know what to look for.


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