Addison' disease.

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

There is a very strong possibility one of my dogs has got Addisons. We will not know for sure until sometime in the new year.

However, I have been worrying myself with Dr. Google and would love some insight if anyone has a dog with this disease? Our vets have warned it could become very expensive with monthly injections etc. as that is a concern for us mainly because she is no longer insured for anything connected with this illness that started earlier this year. So insurance funds and more all spent out. We already have the Librela injections monthly, a very expensive prescription diet and six/eight weekly full set of blood tests. Apologies if it sounds like it is all money based, it really isn't but that obviously it is a concern as our pension pot is not limitless and we have had some hefty vet bills over the past two weeks also.

Anyone currently treating their dog for Addison's are the costs as daunting as we have been warned, and is the ongoing treatment successful? She is now 8 years old, currently has severe hip dysplasia and elbows not too good but the pain is controlled at the moment with the librela, a recent flare of most likely Addisons that she now seems to be recovering from but is still on steroids, antibiotics and omeprazole and also a probiotic.

 

[Clodagh]

A good friend’s cockapoo has it. She was retired but had to go back to work to afford the treatment.
The dog is still sick most nights and to my eyes looks in constant hunching misery, but I presume it’s going ok although they have just increased the treatment again.
She’s had it for 3 years now.

 

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

Thank you for that Clodagh, it confirms my fears unfortunately. The 'in hunching misery' describes exactly how Jessie has been until she perked up on the steroids a couple of days ago and how she looked earlier this year with her first bout. It is not a good look.

 

[druid]

Zycortal isn't that expensive. The dosing is usually every 25 days which is a pain in the arse with dogs on something like librela

The oral Prednicortone tablets are very cheap.

Once the zycortal is fine tunes dose wise dogs generally so very well on it.

 

[skinnydipper]

Could you save yourself some hassle and money by buying the Librela and Zycortal on line and giving the injections yourself at home?

 

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

Is Zycortal the monthly injection they are talking about @druid? When I googled the price it looked anything from 70 to 100 a month. She is currently on Pred steroid which is pennies, I assume that is the same as Prednicortone?

 

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

Could you save yourself some hassle and money by buying the Librela and Zycortal on line and giving the injections yourself at home?

Yes we have already thought of that, and will make that suggestion at some point as I have been intending to ask if we could do that for the Librela. I am sure we could manage, hopefully.

 

[olop]

My mums old dog had Addison’s disease, this was many years ago and back then they struggled to pay for the medication so I assume it’s still very expensive. If I remember right they used to go to a human pharmacy to get it with a vet prescription as it was much cheaper.
He was diagnosed at 5 years old but lived until about 10 when his kidneys failed. If I remember right he was always thirsty and going to toilet but not sure if this was the medication or the Addison’s itself.

 

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

If I remember right he was always thirsty and going to toilet but not sure if this was the medication or the Addison’s itself.

I think that may be the steroids as Jessie is the same since taking them. The thing is we are sort of juggling two health issues here, the hip and elbow dysplasia is going to be an issue sooner rather than later, despite the Librela. but I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it. Thanks for your reply @ olop.

 

[olop]

I think that may be the steroids as Jessie is the same since taking them. The thing is we are sort of juggling two health issues here, the hip and elbow dysplasia is going to be an issue sooner rather than later, despite the Librela. but I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it. Thanks for your reply @ olop.

No problem, this was about twenty years ago now so hopefully there is a better (and more affordable!) way of treating it now. Hope she will be ok xx

 

[druid]

Is Zycortal the monthly injection they are talking about @druid? When I googled the price it looked anything from 70 to 100 a month. She is currently on Pred steroid which is pennies, I assume that is the same as Prednicortone?

Yes it is.

Depends very much on her size but 70 sounds reasonable for a lab. She will need both zycortal (or the oral options) plus pred as there is two types of steroid that need replacing in Addisons (mineralo and cortico steroids)

 

[Mrs. Glittery Jingle Balls]

Thank you. She is on the smaller size, just 28 kg normally but drops weight quickly with these flare ups. Hopefully it won't be too prohibitive.

It sounds incredibly mean to consider costs but we never expected her insurance to run out in one fell sweep. 200/250 is doable but anything getting over the 300/350 would be a struggle frankly.

Ho hum, if she remains well and is happier it would be well worth it.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

My boy lab has Addison's diagnosis when he was about 9 months. His growth plates fused early we think as a result so he lived his whole life as a grumpy legged Sausagedour despite being a full lab. He has 1/2 pred a day or a whole one if times of stress and answers injection once a month. Originally he had fludrocrotisone tablets daily but they stopped supplying them so we switched to the injections, which actually he did better on.

He only ever had two proper crisis' and actually lives to nearly 13, his sister who was perfectly healthy died a year later so I'd say he had a normal life span. He was a wonderful happy special dog

Cost wise was about 100/150 a month to start but he developed arthritis too so was on librella (with no side effects) and monthly costs went up to about £250

 

[rara007]

Well controlled the quality of life should be good, and if you’re already on regular bloods, monitoring the electrolytes shouldn’t add much more to get the dose sorted vs people not getting any blood panels done. Good luck!

 

[Britestar]

Friends dog had it and was well stabilised on monthly zycortal and preds.

Hers was not insured, and she's a single parent but was able to afford it.

She said the biggest issue she had was the lack of adrenaline so on occasion the dog got herself into trouble as she didn't react in a way to get herself out of danger.

Sadly she passed away earlier this year from a liver tumour, but had lived 8 years with Addisons.

 

[Boulty]

Generally once stabilised they mostly do well but sadly yes would be on treatment for life (which would normally be the injection combined with tablets) and would require blood tests to monitor (more frequently to begin with whilst fine tuning dose and then maybe a few times a year depending on anything else she has going on?)

Definitely worth discussing getting a written prescription for both zycortal and librella and injecting at home if you’re happy to (NB not all vets are happy with letting people self inject librella. Also worth noting the long shelf life of zycortal once broached so if dosing is such that you have a part dose left over then you may not need to open a new bottle every single time as you’ll catch up with yourself sometimes, obviously how to store safely to allow this would need discussing with your vet).

 

[scats]

I groomed a collie with Addisons. He had monthly injections and seemed to have a good quality of life.
He passed away last year quite suddenly, though he was an older boy.