Canine Addison's Disease, Learn the Warning Signs

By Luella May

The immune system is the body's defense against foreign invaders that
cause illness. However, sometimes this protective system turns against
us, destroying one's own healthy tissues and organs. This is called an
autoimmune disease.

We have become familiar with autoimmune diseases in humans, examples of
which are Diabetes, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, etc. However, many of us
don't realize that our most cherished companions, our faithful dogs, can
also suffer from autoimmune diseases. Examples are systemic lupus
erythematosis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and polyarthritis. But today
I would like to focus on Addison's Disease, a rare condition that too
often is very difficult to diagnose. Addison's disease should not be
confused with Cushing's Disease. Actually it is the opposite. Cushing's
can be caused when the body makes too much cortisol. Addison's on the
other hand is caused by the failure of production of cortisol, the
technical name of which is hypoadrenocorticism. Although any dog can
become victim to Addison's, this disease occurs primarily in young to
middle-aged female dogs.

The difficulty in early diagnosis is that this disease begins very
gradually. It is usually difficult to diagnose as the symptoms can be
mistaken for less serious conditions. These symptoms include depression,
lethargy, weakness, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss,
excessive drinking and urination, dehydration and a quickened heart
rate. Because of their vagueness, it is important to address the
possibility of Addison's with the vet in order to allay the onset of
serious complications. When this disease progresses, it can result in
what is called an Addisonian Crisis, which can be life threatening. An
Addisonian Crisis is caused by a drop in blood sugar and can result in
the dog becoming comatose. Unfortunately, at this late stage is when
vets are able to diagnose this condition, the immediate treatment of
which is hydration. Although there is no cure for Addison's it can be
treated effectively, making it possible for the dog in question to live
a normal and high quality life.

Addison's is diagnosed by a series of blood tests. The tests will show a
low sodium level, a high potassium level, and kidney enzymes will also
be elevated. The patient is finally diagnosed when their low cortisol
levels remain unchanged after an injection of ACTH.

Conventional medicine addresses Addison's by giving drugs that replace
mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. However, natural supplements
are extremely effective in slowing down the progression of Addison's.

Herbs that support the proper functioning of the adrenals a

* Dandelion
* Parsley
* Spirulina
* Nettle

Garlic, Echinacea, and Astragalus are important to strengthen the dog's
immune system.

Other supplements beneficial to addressing Addison's a

* Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids,
* Vitamins C, E, and A.

In conclusion, although Addison's is a very serious illness, it does not
have to be a death sentence. The key is to remain watchful and if you
suspect Addison's, intervene as soon as possible. You and your dog can
live happily for many years to come.

Char wrote:

Herbs that support the proper functioning of the adrenals a

* Dandelion
* Parsley
* Spirulina
* Nettle

Garlic, Echinacea, and Astragalus are important to strengthen the
dog's immune system.

Other supplements beneficial to addressing Addison's a

* Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids,
* Vitamins C, E, and A.

You forgot to add that all these can be found in raw meat.


--
Phil L
RSRL Tipster Of The Year 2008

Phil L wrote:
Char wrote:
Herbs that support the proper functioning of the adrenals a

* Dandelion
* Parsley
* Spirulina
* Nettle

Garlic, Echinacea, and Astragalus are important to strengthen the
dog's immune system.

Other supplements beneficial to addressing Addison's a

* Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids,
* Vitamins C, E, and A.

You forgot to add that all these can be found in raw meat.

Thank you Phil! I didn't write the article. It was written by a friend
name Luella May. Good point though.

On Dec 3, 4:46*pm, Char wrote:
Canine Addison's Disease, Learn the Warning Signs

By Luella May

Addisonian Crisis is caused by a drop in blood sugar

NO. Addisonian crisis is caused by hyponatremia and hypovolemia,
leading to circulatory collapse, aka SHOCK.

and can result in
the dog becoming comatose. Unfortunately, at this late stage is when
vets are able to diagnose this condition, the immediate treatment of
which is hydration.

True..... Hydration, NOT glucose. While the fluids used may contain
dextrose, the key ingredients are water and sodium, not the glucose.

Anyone trying to treat this disease solely with homeopathic remedies
will be taking their dog's life into their own hands. Supplement all
you want to, but do not cast aside veterinary intervention for
Addison's Disease.

Linda H.

Char wrote:

The herbs mentioned are not part of a homeopathic remedy at all. Indeed,
a homeopath may not agree that they are needed and may say they will
hide symptoms instead of helping. A homeopathic remedy would cause the
body to cure itself by giving a remedy similar to the problem and
causing the body to turn on a defense against the problem. That is a bit
different than taking herbs to help an immune system.

I was just wondering why you mentioned homeopathy when it wasn't
mentioned is all. Does this explain the difference a little better?

I don't think I explained this well enough so I will try again. The
herbs are given on a regular basis to sooth and to boost the immune system.

Homeopathic remedies would be totally different. There are two basic
kinds of homeopathic remedies. Both work to make the body recognize a
medical condition and push it to heal itself. Some give them dry,
combine them and give them a few times. It can work but is crude
compared to what a classical homeopath does.

A classical homeopath would give water based remedies, use one single
remedy at a time and give them once till the effects are seen. This is
the method I've used. It is simpler and you can know what exactly is
working. If good results are seen then you may be dosed a second time to
see if progress continues. Once progress stops another remedy may be
used to continue healing.

Most the ones in the health food stores are different in that
homeopathic remedies are designed for a particular person based on their
medical problems as well as their personalities. Outside of a few
emergency remedies all classical remedies are one of a kind, made for a
particular person who has a particular set of symptoms and is a
particular type of person. The health food store remedies are usually
several ingredients and assume that they will cure anyone with those
particular symptoms which is absurd and cause people to claim that
homeopathic remedies don't work when nothing could be further from the
truth.

I studied homeopathy a very long time before deciding it does work. Bad
experiences with the first homeopath I studied almost caused me to write
it all off. However, I ditched her and moved on and did find remedies
that worked for me and my pets. I would not have blind faith in
something such as this and did try using some of the emergency remedies
with quite a lot of success.

I've heard that Australian Bush Flower Essences can work just as well
and are a bit easier to find the right remedy and that is what I'm
looking into now.

The whole point here is obviously you don't know much about homeopathy
since you thought the herbal remedies listed in this article was
homeopathy and that you should not write off something (anything!) until
you have taken a serious look at it. There are a lot of alternative
solutions of many kinds out there. Some can do better than modern
medicine and should be used instead of them. Some just assist a cure and
should be used alongside more mainstream "cures". This depends on the
situation and I don't recall the original author ever telling everyone
not to use alopathic cures.

Alternative medicine can take a lot longer to help than alopathic
medicine so if help is needed fast it is almost always preferred to use
what the traditional vets prescribe. However, traditional medicine as a
rule involves side effects that are more severe than the natural
remedies and so they should be balanced with each other as each case
permits.