Canine Addison's (Hypoadrenocorticism)

In this episode, Dr. Lottie walks through how Addison’s disease develops, why it is known as the ‘great pretender’ and the best tests for diagnosis

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Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:52 Case
02:20 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
05:48 Clinical Signs
07:38 Diagnosis
11:19 Treatment
15:13 Key Points
16:42 Outro

Recommended Reading

• AAHA (2023). Selected Endocrinopathies of Dogs and Cats Guidelines. https://www.aaha.org/wp-content/uploads/globalassets/02-guidelines/2023-aaha-selected-endocrinopathies-of-dogs-and-cats-guidelines/resources/aaha-selected-endocrinopathies-of-dogs-and-cats-guidelines.pdf
• The Canadian Veterinary Journal Canine hypoadrenocorticism: Parts I & II. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2797351/ and https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2808283/#sec3
• Nelson, R.W. and Couto, C.G. (2019). Small Animal Internal Medicine. 6th ed. Elsevier. [Ch. 6: Endocrine Disorders]

References

• Lathan, P. and Thompson, A.L., (2018). Management of hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease) in dogs. Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports, 9, pp.1–10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2147/VMRR.S125617 [Accessed 22 Oct. 2025].
• Spence, S., Gunn, E. and Ramsey, I., (2018). Diagnosis and treatment of canine hypoadrenocorticism. In Practice, 40(7), pp. 281-290. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.k3311 [Accessed 22 Oct. 2025].
• Van Lanen, K. and Sande, A., (2014). Canine Hypoadrenocorticism: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 29(4), pp.88–95. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.tcam.2014.10.001 [Accessed 22 Oct. 2025].
• Klein, S.C. and Peterson, M.E., (2010). Canine hypoadrenocorticism: Part I. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 51(1), pp.63–69. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797351/ [Accessed 22 Oct. 2025].
• Klein, S.C. and Peterson, M.E., (2010). Canine hypoadrenocorticism: Part II. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 51(2), pp.179–184. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808283/ [Accessed 22 Oct. 2025].
• American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), 2023. Selected endocrinopathies of dogs and cats guidelines. [pdf] Available at: https://www.aaha.org/wp-content/uploads/globalassets/02-guidelines/2023-aaha-selected-endocrinopathies-of-dogs-and-cats-guidelines/resources/aaha-selected-endocrinopathies-of-dogs-and-cats-guidelines.pdf [Accessed 22 Oct. 2025].
• Nelson, R.W. and Couto, C.G., 2019. Small Animal Internal Medicine. 6th ed. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

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