| Ginnie, thank you for your segment on the GDCA Addison study. I do hope that those owners/breeders of dogs with this desease will participate.
The more we learn about the health issues our breed is experiencing, the better the future will be for our Danes AND their owners. However, looking at the response to the cardio study, I am not very optimistic. Ingrid |
| We lost our little boy "Conroe" to Addisons in March of this year... it was very heartbreaking. Our vets, caring as they were, had never seen an actual case of it. While it can be detected by comparing sodium/potassium ratios, it also mask itself resembing other diseases. Learn the warning signs I beg you for the sake of your companion... Not a day goes by we don't think of our little boy who never even made it to 3 because of this disease... |
| hi Ginnie! Klondike (harle, age 8 1/2) was diagnosed at age 4 1/2. What we've been through is certainly worth a story, as you know! He's been a lucky boy - I don't think all owners would have wanted to spend the $2000+/yr. that it's cost to keep him a happy, healthy boy since his Addisonian Crisis.
I just haven't gotten digital pics, my neighbor with good cam has been away so much (like right now!). I'll try to get someone else to take pics (wish you still lived in Rochester!). I'll check into study - don't know if breeder will be helpful - that may be tough part! |
| Doug, we were writing at the same time --- just want to say how terribly sorry I am about your Conroe - I can understand your pain. My vet also didn't recognize it & Klondike went into cardiac arrest . . .seconds were all that made the difference between life & death. Everywhere I go I try to talk to dog owners about it & I've met many who lost their dogs to it. Ginnie is awesome for having this website for this sort of thing - it helps many.
Ginnie, I love that lemon-face! |
| Thank you Nancy... I'm so very glad they were able to pull Klondike through... Conroe's heart attack was too massive... they tried to revive him but to no avail. he was such a sweet boy... thanks again... |
| Thank you for featuring Addison's on DaDane, Ginnie! Although most people think it's an UNcommon disease, it's actually just UNDERdiagnosed ...and Danes are among the five breeds most affected!
Basically, Primary Addison's Disease occurs when the adrenal glands cease to produce the hormones necessary for metabolism (cortisol) and balancing the electrolytes in the blood (aldosterone). Diagnosis is difficult, because the symptoms wax and wane -and mimic many other conditions. Only an ACTH test will correctly identify Addison's...and many vets are learning that they need to run this test whenever nonspecific G.I. symptoms are present -and especially if they suspect renal disease (before euthanizing a dog that can be treated easily for A.D.!) My girl, Catherine, was diagnosed with Primary Canine Addison's Disease in 12/99 -and she's so well maintained by her monthly injection (and a daily "pinch" of pred) that she has no idea she's even got a disease! Just ask the neighborhood squirrels! <lol> Keep up the good work -spreading the word about this and other health issues that affect our sweet Danish babies! Let's hope we can locate enough volunteers for this study -the more we know, the better prepared we are! It's already proven to be genetically linked in Standard Poodles, Portugese Water Dogs and Leonbergers -leaving only mixed breeds with a higher incidence of Addison's than Danes! |
| Thanks, Ginnie, for selecting our little Heidi for DaDane of DaWeek! What an honor! And yes, folks, this photo IS for real!
Thanks also for all the health issues information with which you help to educate the public! |
| Thanks for bringing an underdiagnosed disease, such as Addison's to people's attention. Great Dane's are at a higher risk of developing Addison's than most other breeds, nearly 8 to 12 times more likely than all other breeds according to two studies.
It's true that the waxing and waning symptoms often mimic those of other problems. This makes it difficult to diagnose. That is why I always suggest Addison's as a possibility when a dog's health, particularly one suffering from ongoing GI issues, just isn't quite right. There is lots of great information on Addison's at www.AddisonDogs.com, I encourage your readers to visit the site and familiarize themselves with the common symptoms. I have two dogs with Addison's disease. They were featured in an article I wrote for the Whole Dog Journal on Addison's disease. Our Great Dane, Booker, was diagnosed at 10.5 months of age. He turned five in August and is enjoying the puppyhood he never had. Our Boxer, Tyler, was diagnosed with atypical Addison's disease when he was about 16 months old. He too is doing well and enjoying life. Early diagnosis and proper medications are critical to a dog with Addison's. We've also found a fresh, raw diet, and complementary veterinary care have made a huge difference in their well-being. Thanks again for bringing this important health topic to light! Shannon Wilkinson www.AddisonDogs.com |
| My dane Cissie was diagnosed addison 5 years ago at the age of 4. Prior to finally being correctly diagnosed she had had many bouts with pimples on her chin and neck area. Even had several biopsies of that area. She also went thru a period of horrendous shedding, I actually thought she might go bald. Her appetite has never been what I consider Dane-like, and throwing up was the norm for her. Since being diagnosed and stable on her DOCP injection and daily predisone, she has no more pimples, no excessive shedding and is a much better eater. Had I not found the right vet, she would have died years ago and I would have missed out on a lot of joy, just living with her brings me. I think addisons is a lot more prevalant in danes then is suspected. Thank you for bringing this serious health problem to the attention of dane owners..... |
| Bless you Ginnie for bringing Addison's Disease to a new height of awareness. I am the proud mama of Merlin (AD1/99) and Spike (AD7/00) who were litter brothers. Both my boys have sinced crossed Rainbow Bridge, but were able to live full and happy lives inspite of their Addisons. All the credit goes to Susan Ellam and her wonderful group at www.k9addisons.com who have been helping folks with their AD pups and kitties since Sept98. For that I am very thankful. One thing I would like to point out is once we were past the initial diagnosis of AD and my boys were regulated on compounded fluodrocortisone, the cost to me for their meds was a mere $50.00/mo each - a small price to pay for their love and devotion in the precious short time we shared together...fact is, Addisons is so manageable, I recently rescued a Dane diagnosed with Addisons with the help of MAGDRL- Goliath (AD7/03) is a 3yr old harli whose owners found it necessary to give him up. He is a very sweet boy and the joy he brings me fills the void in my heart left by Spike and Merlin. I truely feel he was heaven sent. Goliath's breeder has generously volunteered his information to the GDAC's Addison's study. God bless her and those like her who heart is in the right place in doing whatever it takes to put the brakes on this darn disease. Thank you again Ginnie.....hugs to all,
Diana w/Goliath (AD 7/03) in SW Pa. and our Angels^j^Spike & ^j^Merlin http://greatdanes.0catch.com http://www.k9addisons.com |
| Ginnie, greetings! As you may recall, Krueger's partner-in-crime, OP, was diagnosed with Addison's disease earlier this year. His first symptom was that he would just stop and lay down on our daily walks. Then he had trouble getting off the couch. (Yeah, I know, tough life, eh?) We were treating him for a bad back... his coat, which is abnormally thick and curly to start, got even more weird, spotty and shaggy with unbelieveable shedding. He looked like a Shetland pony with a bad hairdresser. He was tired and depressed and thirsty. We were traipsing from veterinary specialist to veterinary specialist, both holistic and allopathic. I kept telling them that "something is just off". To me, the most frightening thing about Addison's disease is that the symptoms are so nebulous. I strongly feel that Addison's is under-diagnosed. |
| I think Merrell makes an excellent point. Early symptoms of Addison's are better recognized in hindsight (pain and weakness in the rear, limping, loss of appetite, changes in hair coat, depression, something *just not quite right*).
Catherine would have been an easy diagnosis to miss, especially since she didn't actually have an Addisonian crisis or *crash.* Her initial symptoms were nothing more than a slight limp in her right hind leg, progressing to weakness in her rear end and difficulty on rising. If her vet hadn't prescribed Rimadyl for what was thought to be a "sports injury" -and the Rimadyl hadn't exascerbated G.I. issues (lurking under the surface) and caused her to stop eating entirely, we might not have caught it as early as we did! Over a period of less than a month, my girl's weight dropped from 126# to 99# -and the only clinical evidence we had was slightly elevated potassium and liver enzyme levels. We were lucky that our vet kept on researching and that he contacted Dr. Deborah Greco for her input, or Catherine's outcome might have been tragically different! Sometimes when they hear hoofbeats, they really do need to look for "zebras!" |
| THANKS GINNIE, for putting addisons disease out there to help educate. but, THANKS even more for all YOUR help in getting my little girl SNEAKERS diagnosed a few years back. if it wasn't for you, we may not have gotten the additional 3 1/2 years with our little girl. we lost her in august 2002. she was finally diagnosed at the age of 2 after MANY visits to the vet who just insisted there was NOTHING wrong with her. i started researching different diseases on your web site and came across ADDISONS. i told my girl back to the vet and asked him to test her for it, he said there was NO WAY she had addisions and sent us off to a heart specialist, who gave her heart a clean bill of health, after many emails to ginnie we were off to yet ANOTHER vet where we INSISTED she be tested, he was reluctant, but he tested anyway. called us at 10:30 at night to give us the news, it was addisons.
she started medication and make an amazing turn around. she made it another 3 1/2 years before it took my sweet girl away. THANKS GINNIE, for helping her give us those precious years. WE MISS YOU SNEAKERS! |
| My dog Marityn had addison's disease.
and she was taking florinef everyday. Since it is expensive to buy florinef in US, I would like to share the information that I have with you. There is a company called "PetPharm" in Canada who sells florinef much less price than here US. It costs about $25.00 (US doller) for 100 tab. x 0.1MG. They are very reliable. No matter how much it cost, I was ready to give my dog Marityn best treatment available. but it will help if you can get same exact florinef much less cost. here is the intormation. Petpharm Phone: 888-423-9444 fax:888-423-7860 address: Broadview Ave. Tronto, ON M4K 2M7 I lost Marityn by Rat poison 6/13/2005. this is most saddest things happened in my life.... Now she is at hartsdale pet's cemetary. she is having another life at such a beautiful place with all other dogs. but there is nothing I can do for her anymore.. I took her to emagency animal hospital as soon as I realized her gum and tongue looks very pale. but she died at the hospital less than 24 hours. I wanted to stay with her at the hospital if I were allowed. but I wasn't. when I got phone call from vet. to see her because her condition was getting worse. I run out of house and got there less than 20 min. but vet saids. she just pass away. I regret so much that I could not let her see me at the end, so she could feel that she was not alone. my precious Marityn died at hospital all by her self... how much she wanted to come home with me. she was very sensitive dog so she will never pee or poo in small crate while she was at the hospital. so not only she suffer from sickness, she suffered not be able to go to pee. and I was told by vet that she has died between the time ofon the way comming at the hospital. Marityn's mouth was completely cold. that makes me think she may have died before vet call me to come...??nobody at the hospital monitor her as often as it should be?? was she left alon??. and when I asked vet what time she had died, vet could not answered and she evaded to my question. when I asked vet if Marityn did pee and poo in crate also if she ate the food that I handed to vet at hospital to give it to her later on, she saids ""yes"" to everything. but I was with her full 10 years, and my feeling tells me Marityn did not do any of them. Vet could have told me, she does not know when she died or did pee or not. they must give owner accurate information. I really wish that I could be next to her crate and monitor her... Marityn had excellent vet.1999-2003. but she quit that vet. office. office where she used to work for does not tell me where she works now. and I met other vet at aspca and mentioned about excellent vet that I had. and this vet at aspca is friend of other vet. so I asked her where my old vet. works for now. but she said that she will say hello for me. and did not give me information about my old vet. either... is any of you know how to find her?? Her name is Tara Scales DVM. she used to work at manhattan vet. group in manhattan. now she may be brooklyn or new jersey. I have 2 more dogs so i really need good vet. to takes care of rest of my dogs. please enjoy be with your pet EACH DAY, Marityn and I had to say good bye suddenly. We were not ready...but we had no chice. Marityn will be forever in my heart and continue loving her same way as I have been in past 10 years. thank you |
| We have had our 4 year old lab/shepard mix in the ICU for the past 3 days, fearing that he had cancer. Fortunately, his brilliant vet finally diagnosed him with Addison's disease. Unfortunately, out two human sons may not be able to afford college (after paying for the dcop) but atleast we have many more years with our canine son "Henry." |