Natural Pet Health

Addison’s disease is a rare condition that can affect dogs and cats of any breed or age. This endocrine disorder occurs when the adrenal glands fail to manufacture enough adrenal hormones.

Certain breeds of dogs are genetically predisposed to getting Addison’s disease.

Poodles, Airedales, Saint Bernards, and German Shepherds are among these breeds.

The adrenal glands are in the stomach area right in front of the kidneys. These important glands produce corticosteroids, adrenaline, mineralocorticoids and androgens.

Without these hormones it becomes difficult for your pet to metabolize their food and maintain a regular balance of potassium, salt and H2O. Blood pressure, stress and heart rate are also controlled by the hormones produced in the adrenal glands.

Addison’s disease in dogs is an endocrinal disease that is caused by a reduction of the steroid hormones. It is also referred as hypoadrenocorticism, a term that implies adrenal insufficiency. It is entirely the opposite of Cushing’s syndrome in dogs, which is caused by hyper-function of the adrenal glands or an increase in the production of hormones.

The adrenal glands are triangle shaped glands that sit on top of the kidneys. The glands are made up of two layers – the outer layer is the cortex and the inner layer is the medulla. The cortex secretes corticosteroid hormones. The medulla is part of the sympathetic nervous system and secretes epinephrine in response to stress.

Most diseases that strike your dog as he gets older are basically diseases of captivity. What this means is that these are the health conditions that are caused due to the fact that your dog has been kept in captivity as against the wild and has been exposed to environmental toxins that he would otherwise have been a stranger to.

With better medical facilities our pets live longer than ever before. This is definitely much longer than they would have lived in the wild. However, this comes at a price that they have to pay with serious illness like Cushing’s disease and cancer. While cancer is a dreaded disease, Cushing’s is equally frightening in terms of the problems it creates for the pet and the owner.

Hyperadrenocorticism in dogs or Cushings disease is a serious condition that affects multiple organs. It has the potential of causing serious and complex medical conditions like heart failure, inflammation of the pancreas and kidney related disorders like diabetes.

Cushings disease in dogs is instrumental in the weakening of all muscles including heart muscles that are required to pump blood to various parts of the body. In such conditions epinephrine is used to induce controlled contractions in the heart muscles to resuscitate and resume heart functions.

Epinephrine is secreted by the adrenal medulla in response to stress. It stimulates the part of nervous system that controls involuntary actions.

Though canines and humans are very different in physiology, there are some universal truths that apply to both. And one such universal truth lies in the realm of diet and health.

Centuries ago, humans uprooted dogs from their natural habitat and domesticated them to help them in hunting and guarding. They were removed from the basic source that provided all nutrition that was required in terms of food. Human intervention continues to come in the form of comforts, food and safety. And unfortunately not all of it is actually beneficial for the pet.

There are a fair number of diseases that are unique to domestic dogs. These diseases have not been known to occur in wild dogs and therefore, it can be assumed that these are in some way, caused by human intervention.

A small puppy can bring great joy to you and your family. This new pet can also be a constant source of heartache and discomfort when they fall sick. Dogs can soon become an essential part of the family and seeing them suffer from any disease or discomfort can cause considerable agony.

Though minor problems can be managed easily, serious conditions tend to get complicated if adequate care is not given in time. The only way to ensure early detection of problems is to astutely observe their behaviors.

In order to ensure the best outcome, adrenal problem in dogs need to be detected and diagnosed as early as possible.

Prednisone is a synthetic corticosteroid used by many veterinarians to treat a wide variety of conditions in dogs including:

* Disorders of the central nervous system.
* Endocrinal disorders like Cushings disease and Addisons disease.
* Neoplastic conditions that is growth of tumors.
* Immune mediated diseases.
* Emergency situations like spinal chord trauma.
* Inflammation related respiratory and bowel disorders.

Side effects of prednisone depend directly on the quantum and duration of the drug administered. Short term use of prednisone is less likely to cause any damaging side effects. It is only when the dose reaches an immunosuppressive level when the side effects start causing concern.

The symptoms of Cushings disease in dogs are often mistaken for normal signs of canine aging. But in fact, such symptoms may surface due to a hyperactive adrenal gland.

Although this disease cannot be cured completely, timely and adequate treatment can result in a longer and higher quality of life for the suffering dog.

The medical term used for Cushings disease is hyperadrenocorticism. Since the symptoms of the disease mimic the symptoms of other common diseases, the condition is often misdiagnosed or ignored.

Symptoms -like an increase in urination with pale, diluted urine, obesity with a pot belly, lethargy and intolerance to exercise, excessive thirst, a thin skin or alopecia (hair loss) – need to be taken seriously and warrant a visit to the veterinarian.

A mammal’s body is very complex. It involves a series of preset and complicated actions, reactions and reciprocal actions. These processes are carried out between the various body systems that work together to keep the body functioning properly.

Overall health can be maintained only by ensuring a fine balance between the enzymes, hormones, and various other chemical compounds that are responsible for metabolic activity. Though the mammalian body has been designed to maintain this fine balance, some external or internal factors can disturb the balance causing ailments, diseases, and other conditions. These factors include trauma, disease, age, diet, or a change in the internal chemical environment.

It is often easy to miss out on some of the symptoms that surface in your dog. Since dog has given companionship, loyalty and affection to humans, the least that man can do is to ensure that their pets are healthy and well taken care of.

Sometimes symptoms like excessive urination, hair loss and too much of huffing and puffing can be the first warning signs of endocrinal diseases like Cushing

s disease or hypothyroidism.

Disturbances in the required levels of thyroid hormones cause hypothyroidism (less secretion of hormone) or hyperthyroidism (increased secretion).

Most cases of hypothyroidism in dogs results from an autoimmune system dysfunction. This affects the lymphocytes causing them to decreases in size in some cases.