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Addison's Disease, or Hypoadrenocorticism, is a rare but serious disorder where the adrenal glands secrete an insufficient amount of adrenal hormones. This is an extremely serious disease as these hormones are essential for a wide variety of functions.

Primary adrenocorticism affects glucorticoid and salt/potassium balance. It is not known why it occurs but is believed to be an inherited disorder.

Secondary adrenocorticism usually only affects the glucocorticoids, and is believed to occur most often when prednisone or other cortisone being administered for medical reasons are suddenly withdrawn. It may also occur as a result of pituitary cancer or other processes that interfere with production of the hormones that stimulate the adrenal glands.

Initial symptoms include gastrointestinal problems, such as vomiting, lethargy and poor appetite. When an affected dog is stressed or when potassium levels are high enough to interfere with the heart, more severe symptoms may be seen including severe shock which can be fatal, heart arrythmias can occur, or the heart could even stop. In some cases, especially secondary, no changes in electrolyte balance can be detected.

Some breeds appear to be more susceptible to the disease than others and these include: the Great Dane, the Labrador Retriever, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Portuguese Water Dog, Rottweiler, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Standard Poodle, and the West Highland White Terrier. In addition, studies have found that 70 to 85% of dogs with Canine Addison's Disease are female and that affected dogs are most often aged between 4 and 7 years.

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Bloat — Gastric Torsion (Gastric Dilatation Volvulus (GDV)) — This condition is caused by a twisting of the stomach and thus trapping the stomach contents and gases resulting in a rapid swelling of the abdomen accompanied by pain and eventual death if untreated. It is a true emergency, requiring immediate veterinary action. This condition is most often seen in large, deep chested breeds. Anyone owning a deep chested breed, susceptible to Bloat should be prepared to handle the emergency procedures necessary, including having readily available the name and phone number of emergency clinics and/or who to call after hours. For more information on what you can do in the case of a Bloat emergency, see First Aid for Bloat in the Health & Nutrition section of the Canada's Guide to Dogs website.

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Chronic active hepatitis is a liver disease where there is inflammation of the liver and death of liver tissue present. Dogs that are affected with this disease develop a slow, progressive liver failure. Researchers have found in some breeds a familial predisposition to the disease. In Bedlington Terriers, the disease has been found to be the result of an autosomal recessive gene, and there is a marker test from Vetgen to test for it. In Dobermans, the disease seems to affect more females than males.here.

Symptoms of the illness usually don’t appear in the dogs’ early years, not until there is significant damage to the liver.Usually CAH appears around 5-7 years of age. Some of the early signs of CAH are loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, vomiting yellowish bile, weight loss, depression, increased water intake, increased urination, and sluggishness. As the disease gets worse, jaundice may appear (the whites of the dogs eyes will appear yellowish), and clotting problems may occur. Fluids can build up in the abdominal area, so that a dog may look like it’s in whelp. Behavioral changes may occur, such as the dog might stand and stare at the wall, or in a corner, or just stand and be confused. All of this is due to toxins that have built up in the body that used to be metabolized by the liver.here.

In some breeds copper will build up in the liver. This will vary from breed to breed. Copper will be stored in larger than normal amounts in the liver.

Yearly blood screening is always important to the health of your dog. To have a yearly baseline to judge future blood tests can prove to be valuable in assessing the health of your dog. One of the first signs of liver trouble would be an elevated ALT. To further define liver problems, a vet will usually perform a liver biopsy. This would give a definite diagnosis of CAH. This would determine to what extent the liver is damaged as well as establishing copper levels, if any. A vet will often do a guided needle biopsy, with the assistance of an ultrasound, to visualize the area of the liver in to determine which area to biopsy. This test is usually accompanied by bile acids tests before and after to complete a correct diagnosis.

Dogs can often be treated with medications and special diet, depending on how damaged the liver is when diagnosed with CAH. The dog will never be cured but can be maintained for a time if the condition is caught early and treated properly. Each dog’s case will vary. VetGen

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Von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) — vWD is a blood disorder — a deficiency in clotting factor VIII antigen. Similar to hemophilia in humans, dogs affected by the disease do not effectively utilize their platelets for blood clotting and therefore are more likely to have excessive bleeding episodes upon injury. vWD is a common inherited disorder. A DNA test to detect vWD is available from VetGen.

• Puppy Shots and Dog Vaccinations
• OFA DNA Disease Testing