Addison's Disease in Dogs

Category: Hormonal
Inheritance: Multifactorial
Breeds documented: 18
Published sources: 8

Overview

Small glands near the kidneys make hormones that help control stress responses, hydration, blood pressure, and blood salts. Addison's disease develops when these glands do not supply enough of the hormones the body needs. Signs may be vague and come and go, making the disease easy to confuse with other illnesses. A severe hormone shortage can trigger an Addisonian crisis, a sudden emergency that may cause collapse.

Signs to watch for

Unusual tiredness
Reduced interest in food
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Trembling or weakness
Sudden collapse during a crisis

More common in young and middle-aged dogs.

Emergency Go to an emergency vet now if your dog collapses.

Diagnosis and tests

Vets use blood and urine tests to look for changes that suggest Addison's disease, including abnormal blood salt levels. Confirmation uses an ACTH stimulation test, which measures how strongly the adrenal glands respond to a hormone signal by producing cortisol. Cortisol is one of the hormones these glands make. In some cases, imaging helps rule out other explanations for the illness.

Breeds with documented risk

18 breeds

By breed size

1 Toy
4 Small
10 Medium
2 Large
1 Giant

All 18 breeds, A to Z

Basset Artésien Normand Source skk.se
Bearded Collie Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cairn Terrier Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Canadian Eskimo Dog Source canadianeskimodogclub.com

English Cocker Spaniel Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Kishu Ken

Lapponian Herder Source kennelliitto.fi
Leonberger Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Miniature Labradoodle Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Miniature Poodle Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Portuguese Water Dog Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Standard Labradoodle Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Standard Poodle Sources pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Swedish Lapphund Source skk.se

Toy Poodle Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

West Highland White Terrier Source pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Inheritance

This condition has more than one known form, and different breeds inherit it in different ways. The sources list the form found in each breed.

Multifactorial
Several genes and the environment together set the risk. Diet, growth rate, weight and exercise can all play a part. There is no single DNA test. Screening the parents (for example hip or elbow scores) and choosing from lines with good results lowers the risk, but does not remove it.
As stated by OMIA
Autosomal recessive, incomplete penetrance
Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever
This is inherited like a recessive trait, so two copies are needed. But not every dog with two copies develops the condition. Age, other genes and environment also play a part. A DNA result shows risk, not certainty.
As stated by UC Davis VGL

We've gathered what published sources say about this condition, so you can talk it through with your vet. It isn't veterinary advice: you and your vet know your dog best.