Addison's took my dog out.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’ll spare the details.

But last week my dog collapsed. He spent a night at the vet’s on an IV, catheter, and got some treatment.

Diagnosis: Addison’s Disease. Adrenal glands stop doing whatever it is that adrenal glands do. (people tell me JFK had it, for what that’s worth)

Prognosis: Not bad. Treat with a daily dose of prednizone (cotisone) and they can be happy.

Anyway, this whole weekend. . .my dog – who was 9 – was acting like he was 3 again. Crazy, active, attentive, barky.

Last night, he collapses again at 2:30. Just like Tuesday, pale gums, couldn’t walk. Options, as I saw them:

  1. Take him to the ER. Get him pumped full of meds again. Pay through the nose. Maybe go through it again in a week.

  2. Wait and see. If he’s better by 9:00am, we’ll take him to our vet when he opens.

Well, we went with (2) and by 5:30, it was clear he was dying. He gave up the biscuit at 6:30. It was a little rough, but I figure if he only had 4 natural hours left, it would have been artificial to keep him going.

Addison’s is a tricky diagnosis, apparently. It’s pretty rare, for one, so the vet doesn’t naturally go there. The early signs can just be weakness in the hind quarters, and stomach problems and lethargy – all stuff that I just figured, “ah, he’d getting old”. The late signs can look like kidney failure. I’d never heard of it.

He was a good dog. He was the first dog I got on my own, and I’ve had him almost the entire time I’ve been in Baltimore. He packed enough living for 4 dogs into his 9 years. We feel good about it though. We took one shot with keeping him going, but didn’t string it out, and he had a great last couple of days. :frowning:

2

Oh hell. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even know that dogs got Addison’s Disease but it’s horrible that it seems to hit them much worse than humans. How rotten for yo :frowning: u.
I’m glad the dog didn’t suffer long, though. So he lived enough for 4 lifetimes in his 9 yesars? Then if we multiply that by 7 years - that was quite a dog. What a sad thing to lose your first very own dog, though.

3

I’m so very sorry, Trunk. At least he didn’t suffer for long–watching my dog Bucky die from brain cancer was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. He’d be fine for a while and then he’d have a seizure, but he’d seem okay after that. The vet didn’t catch it was cancer all at once, and, well, it was sad. But we had plenty of time to say goodbye and I know he had happy times because we were with him. I’m absolutely certain that your dog was happy to have you with him to the very end, and I know it helps to be with your dog. You did everything you could for him and that’s a very good thing.

4

That sucks, man. I’m sorry.

5

Thanks. I’m not really a “warm and fuzzy” kind of guy, but I appreciate the thoughts (I don’t mean that to sound rude).

I thought the “Addison’s” angle was sort of interesting. I hadn’t even heard about that disease before.

No fun losing a dog. One of our best friend’s had to put hers down just a few week’s ago and it was easy from the outside to tell her, “it’s best for the dog, and for your own sanity”. You always have to get a point where you need to make the call and it’s pretty easy to second-guess yourself.

This truly was a bolt out of the blue. Just yesterday, he was flying around after balls. If he’d collapsed during the day, I’m sure we would have taken him in.

6

I’m so sorry…

As a Toller (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) owner, I know a lot about Addison’s - it’s something we have struggled with in this particular breed. It’s hard to lose a pet. You’re in my thoughts.

E.

7

An Addisonian crisis is a medical emergency for both people and pets. Unfortunately Addison’s, in the beginning anyway, can seem like a lot of other much less serious things.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we all could just go peacefully in our sleep when the time arrives. :frowning:

8

I am so very sorry. Losing a pet is so hard. Your dog sounds like he lived a good life. (((hugs)))

9

Trunk, not being too touchy feely, but if I was your dog I’d come back to tell you you played it just right. Take the shot, but don’t prolong the suffering. I am sorry for your loss.

10

Glad he had some spunky days at the end for you to remember…