Asha – the not so standard poodle!

Asha the 6-year-old Standard Poodle has had a difficult year, presenting to us for the first-time way back in February for vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and inappetence.   We saw her repeatedly over the coming months, with recurrences of gastrointestinal upset, anaemia, and hypoproteinemia (lower than normal levels of protein in the body).  After significant diagnostics and work up for this very interesting case, Dr. Susi diagnosed her with Primary Atypical Addison’s Disease.  Addison’s disease in dogs is a malfunction of normal hormone secretion from the adrenal glands, usually affecting a few important regulatory hormones. In Asha’s case, only her glucocorticoid (cortisone) secretion is affected – this is what makes her case ‘atypical’. It can be very difficult to diagnose as often the symptoms are vague, only some parts of the body are affected, and bloodwork can be inconclusive or indicate other possible issues.  An ACTH stimulation test (where a synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone is injected and cortisol levels in the blood are tested) is required to be performed to confirm if a dog is Addisonian.

Due to Dr. Susi’s incredible investigative work, and her loving owner’s fantastic care, Asha has responded fantastically to therapy. Her family has told us how much more work she has become since starting treatment as she has so much energy to burn!  Asha will require medical management for the rest of her life and ongoing tests to make sure her medication is correct; however we hope that with our support, and that of her owners, she has a long and happy future ahead.