Symptoms: pancreatitis? Addison's?

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Hi everyone, thanks for letting me join!

Maizy is my 2 year old Australian labradoodle. We got her from a wonderful breeder as a guardian home. Her breeding career has ended, she recently had her 2nd litter 4 weeks ago.

The breeders vet had diagnosed her with Addison's, but didn't draw a baseline cortisol or do the ACTH test. I got a copy of her lab work and brought it to my vet, who hasn't called me back yet. I spoke with her over the phone and she wasn't convinced it's Addison's based on symptoms. I'm a RN and looked over her bloodwork and all that's elevated is her amylase and lipase. Everything else is normal. Her sodium:potassium ratio was fine. The breeder's vet did give her a Percorten injection. And prescribed prednisone 10mg every other day.

So, pancreatitis?

Her symptoms are lethargy, vomiting bile (only in the morning) loss of appetite and hair loss. Her skin is darkened where the hair is gone.

We brought her back home with us on Tuesday and she's really perked up a lot! She even played fetch with me today in the snow!

Any ideas? Maizy is like my child (and I even have human children!)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't think anyone here is qualified to make a diagnosis or even guess at whether this is pancreatitis, Addison's disease, or something else. I think it's important when you are dealing with a possible serious illness to take advice only from veterinary professionals who have examined your dog and have also seen the test results. 

There are other things that could be causing these symptoms. Perhaps further testing is needed. I do think you need a definite diagnosis.

I do not think that Percorten and prednisone would "perk up" a dog with pancreatitis, but would certainly help with the symptoms of Addison's disease. I certainly hope it's not Addison's, though. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And you really do need an ACTH test to diagnose Addison's: http://www.addisondogs.com/addisons/

The sodium and potassium levels can be perfectly normal in a dog with Addison's Disease. 

[Jennifer and Jack]

I am NOT qualified to give you a diagnoses at all but I am a human with Addison's disease.    Addison's is for sure life threatening if that is what she has and it is not treated.   As you know from being a nurse Amylase and Lipase can be elevated for so many reasons… was it really elevated high or just slightly?

When I was diagnosed with Addison's disease and the ONLY positive way to be diagnosed is an ACTH stimulation test with a baseline Cortisol …. If that blood work was done after she started Prednisone which has very little affinity to help with electrolytes but the Pecorten would keep it in check, then the blood work is not going to show if there is Addison's or not because in theory you are treating it

I also had brown spots all over my body, my gums and joints, that is because ACTH is attached to the pigmentation hormone I for the life of me can't remember right now, so when the cortisol level drops the brain sends ACTH to stimulate the adrenal glands to get moving and when they don't respond they send more, which you can see through the brown spots.

I for sure would NOT stop the prednisone as it will not hurt her until you get it figured out and if she does have Addison's it will hurt her not to have it. Dr Mark Peterson is an Vet Endocrinologist, he is really a great guy. The replacement dose he has you start with is 0.1mg per KG for the prednisone daily but it can be increased as needed… and again I am not telling you the dose for you to give.. just telling you what he says, each animal is different

I feel God awful when my steroid level is off, I even get confused.. I am exhausted and run down, Of course I am not a dog and dogs may react differently.  I also have lost hair, tons of hair before getting on the right meds 

The only true test for Addison's in humans or dogs is the ACTH stimulation test ……..again, I am not anywhere near qualified to say, no one can, not even a vet, only the test can tell if the adrenals are responding properly to the hormones secreted.

If it is Addisons it isn't the end of the world, it is just something that needs to be monitored, blood work checked periodically and shots and or pill combo's … and of course extra doses of meds during stressful times.

There are quite a few dogs on here with it, my dog has low cortisol but hold his electrolytes just fine. Please keep us updated on what the vet says and of course if she isn't acting right take her right in to the ER.

Sorry she is having some issues.

 

[Jennifer and Jack]

Oh that is weird, but you can have relatively normal electrolytes and still have Addison's, usually it is called secondary or non-primary addison's…….   

Weird about the amylase and lipase……   

I hope she checks out okay, if she does have Addison's, you would have to be careful about not putting stress on your dog…… My little bugger is super, super sensitive to me as I have health challenges and it really stresses him out when I am sick. He was never taught that, he is just super in tune…. I hate it for him and I have to give him extra steroids too when he worries about me..

So if Maizy has a job that would cause her stress that wouldn't be ideal, but we are putting the cart before the horse, lets see her feeling better and with a proper diagnoses.. I wonder what the vet diagnosed her with addison's if no cortisol, acth and her electrolytes were normal…. I wonder if her VS were out of range or something.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My experience with Pancreatitis was that the symptoms were significantly more acute.  There was vomiting after eating anything (not just bile), total loss of appetite, and severe lethargy....and there is a test to confirm Pancreatitis.  I agree with everyone that you need to take Maizy to your Vet for some more definitive answers.

[Texas Doodle Mom and Molly Rose]

I also agree with pancreatitis symptoms being acute.  My sheltie had a flare-up at 10 years old (and that's when we discovered her bladder cancer and gallbladder mucocele, on accident while investigating the pancreas), but we were able to manage it with medication/diet.  It was very serious and brought on suddenly.  She was given 6 mos. to live b/c of the cancer that we found at that time, but made it 2.5 years longer!  Anyway, we sprinkled Tylan powder (the tiniest bit) on her food each day or sometimes every other day to help.  This was recommended by the vets at Texas A&M.  For her bladder cancer, she took piroxicam, and for the gallbladder, ursodiol (prescribed by Gulf Coast Vets in Houston).  She had one more flare of the pancreas at the very end and we knew what it was immediately.  Regardless, be sure to get her to the doctor (a specialist beyond the local vet if you don't feel they have pinpointed it correctly at the vet) as soon as you can. 

I understand her being a therapy dog by "just being there."  I'm going crazy while we are dog-less.  My plan to train our Doodle to be a therapy dog will also benefit me, for sure.  Will be thinking of you all.