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17 comments on “What is the life expectancy for a dog after Addison’s diagnosis?”

1. Taylor on July 22, 2010 at 8:39 am said:

   Hi Nanette,

   We did some checking for you, and here is a good article from eHow on your question:

   Canine Addison’s Disease is caused by the failure of the adrenal glands to produce cortisone and aldestorone. While the disease can be fatal it should not be considered an automatic death sentence. With the proper treatment, the dog can be expected to live a normal life.

   Occurrence of Addison’s Disease
   1. Addison’s occurs most often in young to middle aged dogs with a tendency towards females. Labrador Retrievers, Standard Poodles and Portuguese Water Dogs are suspected to have a genetic link to the disease.
   Symptoms
   2. Dogs with Addison’s Disease may appear weak with a reduced appetite and pain in the hind quarters. Vomiting, diarrhea and tremors are also common symptoms. In advanced stages the heart rate slows to the point death may occur.
   Prognosis with Treatment
   3. Hormone replacement therapy is the common treatment for dogs with Addison’s Disease. According to the Web site ProVet.co.uk, the dogs receiving treatment can be expected to live between 2 and 7 years after diagnosis.
   Prognosis without Treatment
   4. Left untreated, Addison’s Disease results in increases in the sodium level in the dog’s blood and an increase in potassium. This slows the heart rate and drops the blood pressure, referred to as Addison’s Crisis and leads to death. The length of time from diagnosis until death depends on the aggressiveness of the case and how early it is diagnosed.
   Treatment
   5. Veterinarians have a variety of hormone replacement drugs at their disposal. Estimated costs for treatment vary with the cost of the hormone replacement drugs approximately $30 per month. Treatment will be required for the rest of the dog’s life.

   Read more: Life Expectancy for Canine with Addison’s Disease | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5534176_life-expectancy-canine-addisons-disease.html#ixzz0uQTZi5al
2. mara on April 4, 2011 at 3:16 am said:

   3. Hormone replacement therapy is the common treatment for dogs with Addison’s Disease. According to the Web site ProVet.co.uk, the dogs receiving treatment can be expected to live between 2 and 7 years after diagnosis.

   This is for cushings disease not addisons! two very different illnesses.
3. Anthony on September 20, 2011 at 7:02 am said:

   Mara, ty you so much for saying that i got scared when i first read that on ehow.
   Doc told us Canine Addison’s Disease with treatment will not affect dogs life span.
4. Pv on March 31, 2012 at 11:04 am said:

   My American Bulldog was diagnosed at the age of 2 with Addison’s Disease. She gets 5mg of pred every 3 days and a percortan shot every 30 days. She is currently 13 1/2 years old!
5. Caroline on May 22, 2012 at 5:48 am said:

   PV – that is probably the most encouraging message I’ve read!

   My papillon was diagnosed at 4 and has been living with Addison’s for over 2 years now. Sometimes I worry that he may not make it to old age.. I especially worry about the pred making him more aggressive or the occasional vomiting and bloody diarrhea.

   Does everyone with Addison’s pets deal with these side affects, or is it just me?
6. Sheila on May 30, 2012 at 12:58 am said:

   hi my GSP was diagnosed with addisons when she was 3 and for the past 6 years she has been on flourocortisone and medrone daily And she has no problems at all and she is. Now 9
7. tracie on July 4, 2012 at 2:23 am said:

   Hi all.
   My dog was diagnosed with Addisons at age 7 and I had the last six years living with her with it.
   It was often a struggle,but we managed,and I like to think she was happy.She maintained a good quality of life,but I would state that for the first 4-5years post diagnosis she had a crisis/near crisis every 8 mths,and we had to keep adjusting her meds. She also had frequent UTI’s and bouts of vomitting and passing faeces intermittantly.Then as she turned twelve old age caught up with her,and this last year she was ill almost every month,had to have frequent bloods taken,various skin ear and eye infections and more frequent bouts of loss of bladder and bowel control. I had to make the choice to let her go yesterday aged 13yrs and 10mths.Devestated by the loss of my long time companion.
8. Tom on July 7, 2012 at 3:13 pm said:

   Caroline, symptoms you describe are typical. As is frequent urination after pred is taken. Our dog is a tall papillon about 18 lbs. Takes .6 ml of percortem monthly and 1.25 mg pred every 3 days – this is less than recommended, but makes the trips to the bathroom less frequent. Doing well after 3 and 1/2 yrs. currently about 6 or 7. If you are careful in watching tithe bowels, adding metronidiazole to settle the stomach works.
9. Jerry on July 17, 2012 at 4:33 pm said:

   I have a West Highland Terrorist that was diagnosed with Addisons at one year old. We went through the flourocortisone and predisone thing but wasn’t working, I suggested to the vet percortan, but he would have no part of it, so I changed vets. He has been on percortan and very little pred. Shot ever 25 days, and less than a mg of pred a day. Today he turned 13, thing that irks me is the drug companies, I get the percortan at cost, relative is a vet. Initially I paid $90 per bottle, now it is $165.50 for about 3 shots. Drugs are meant to help, not line some CEO’s pocket. I guess they aren’t Dog Lovers.
10. Judy on August 18, 2012 at 2:36 pm said:

    I have a PWD who was diagnosed with Addisons at the age of 6. She has a pecortin injection every 27 days and takes 1 mlg of pred. daily. She is now 11.5 and the pred is taking its toll. As incontenince becomes a problem our vet has started Proin, 50 mg’s 2 x a day and estrogen weekly. She is basically in good health otherwise and very active. Some issuse with skin problems are arising, not sure if it is related.
11. nyx on September 11, 2012 at 7:44 am said:

    One of my chihuahuas was diagnosed at about four years after she crashed. She lived to be 16 and finally had heart and breathing issues at the end, common old age ailments. The Addison’s was always kept under control. We did have a couple more incidents over the years where meds had to be adjusted but you’ll get used to how your pet behaves – you’ll notice when something’s off and the vet can do a blood workup to check electrolytes, etc., and adjust dosage. With Angelbat we did shots for a few years, then switched to pills every 12hrs. When she got older and had poor teeth I crushed the pills, mixed them into a slurry with a little warm water and used a little oral syringe to squirt it into her mouth. They get used to these changes very quickly and adapt to new meds and ways of living comfortably. Don’t let anyone tell you an Addisonian pet has a limited lifespan or enjoyment of life. Angelbat was a happy, much-loved girl who lived well into old age. You will probably have to make adjustments to your own lifestyle to care for a pet who requires more attention than an average, healthy dog but it’s worth it and you’ll work those things out naturally as you go along, just as you would for a sick child, elderly parent, spouse or friend.
12. nyx on September 11, 2012 at 7:58 am said:

    Caroline – yes, typical symptoms. The various meds can cause upset tummies and, eventually, perhaps ulcers. If you see dark tarry stools then I would suspect blood is getting in the stool from an ulcer. Your vet can give you an exact dosage for anti-acid pills, same ones you buy at the grocery for humans. I crushed them into a slurry for Angelbat as the Addison’s meds evenutually led to bouts with a bad tummy. You’ll get used to the signals your pet gives you – Angelbat would do a “play pose” with her butt up in the air and a sad face when her tummy was acting up and I’d see a change in her stools. Your vet can also give you a liquid tummy medicine to help settle your dog’s stomach when needed, kinda like when we take pepto but don’t give your dog pepto or any human meds unless the vet says to – even simple over the counter meds can affect the meds your dog needs to control the Addison’s.
13. nyx on September 11, 2012 at 8:05 am said:

    Tracie – I’m so sorry – I have been heartbroken with the loss of each and every pet but Angelbat was the only one I actually had to take to the vet to be put to sleep at 16yrs after a long, happy life dealing with Addison’s. I held off as long as possible and I know that she had just gotten to that point where she was scared and confused and in pain, had trouble breathing and couldn’t get off her blanket to pee, which upset her because she was always very good about getting to the pee pad, even near the end, she wanted to much to do it in the “right spot” and not in her bed. She was put on antibiotics for a possible bladder infection and that cleared up a lot for her, she still couldn’t get out of bed to pee but the accidents happened much less frequently. It can be a lot to deal with and you just have to remember that your girl knew how much Mama loved her and cared for her and kept her healthy and happy until the very end. I miss all my darlings but I know that they were well aware, every single day, how very loved and adored they were. It still hurts but if you’ve done the very best you can by them, they know it – you need to take some comfort in that.
14. Ayesha Hameed on October 6, 2012 at 7:07 pm said:

    With nutritious foods and supporting the needs of the reproductive cells, the skin is certainly more brilliant…sory my english is suck
15. Alicia on May 1, 2013 at 9:15 pm said:

    My dog Kobe is in the early work of being diagnosed currently, he’s only two years old. Naturally I’m shocked and worried about him. Seeing as I’m only 21 me and my boyfriend are worried about about cost, I wanted to know if anyone can help me figure out what I’m looking at for prices on meds. What can they range from? Naturally I would do anything to save my boy I love him so much, I’m so worried. I do have to say, reading some of these now and seeing that he can make it has helped a lot.
16. Charlie on May 10, 2013 at 11:08 pm said:

    The cost depends on the weight of the dog. CVS has a program for uninsured people and pets, the program alone brought the cost of the fludrocortisone from .75 a pill to .34 a pill. Every other pharmacy was .50 to a 1.00 per pill.
17. MIKKEL on May 14, 2013 at 9:31 am said:

    I have an English Mastiff, female, developed Addison’s at 2, she’s now 5 & doing poorly. Obviously as a pet willing to foot the bill I love my dog. The bill is $180 every 3months for Percorten-it’s the only med that worked, plus prednisone. Now however I’m dealing with myocardial issues and fluid in her coughs. Having loved my dog and loving my dog understand that Addison’s will shorten your animals life. Excepting this is another story.