Addison's disease symptoms - Symptoms of Addison's disease are very similar to other diseases and they seem rather vague. Symptoms may include but are not limited too; middle age female dogs, usually over 7 years of age, depression, lethargy, weakness, not eating, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea, drinking more, urinating more, dehydration, and a fast heart rate in some patients. Many times these symptoms may go unnoticed or correctly diagnosed and the patient finally presents in a Addisonian crisis. During an Addisonian crisis the patient may present in acute collapse and in shock. This is very serious, deadly, and scary to watch. Blood work will show low sodium level, high potassium level, and high kidney enzymes. Many veterinarians will first think kidney failure, which is more common then Addison's, and will recommend IV fluids. The IV fluids will correct the electrolyte imbalance and the dog will start to feel a lot better. The veterinarian may then start to think the patient could have Addison's instead of kidney disease and recommend other tests.
Diagnosing Addison's disease - Addison's is diagnosed by a series of blood tests. A chemistry panel will show a low sodium level, a high potassium level, the resulting Na:K ratio will be low. The kidney enzymes will be high. The Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test will give a definitive diagnosis for Addison's disease. The patient will need to be at the veterinary clinic for about 2 hours to complete the test. The test is done by drawing a sample for a baseline reading, a synthetic ACTH hormone (Cortrosyn) is given by injection, then a post blood sample is taken one hour later. Dogs with Addison's have a low cortisol concentration that will go unchanged even after the synthetic stimulation.
Treatment for Addison's disease - Treatment consists of replacing the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid steroids. The drugs of choice are usually Prednisone (glucocorticoid) and Percorten-V or Florinef (mineralocorticoid). The dose of Prednisone will taper over the course of a few weeks. It is very important that these drugs are given as prescribed.
Read more at Suite101: Addison's Disease in Dogs: Canine Hypoadrenocorticism, Symptoms and Treatment
Addison's Disease in Dogs: Canine Hypoadrenocorticism, Symptoms and Treatment
***This says usually dogs over 7; my dog was 3.