CIMDA

Well things just got more complicated! Test results showed Villain had seriously low output from his adrenal glands so vet checked his electrolytes and has diagnosed Addisons. The vet agrees I can continue to wean him off his pred and he's currently on 2.5mg x 1 a day. He has however prescribed Florinef to stop any potential crash.
Everything about this diagnosis would make sense given his previous symptoms but we never has a clean diagnosis before. 3 days in and he's doing great however, he's also been diagnosed with demoed ex so doesn't look great at the moment. He's booked in for a shampoo on Tuesday morning.

Would be great to hear back with any general tips or advice now we have a firm diagnosis in terms of living with Addisons. Thanks

Hi, it's almost 7 months since I posted as we've basically just been on a regime of weaning off the pred. Background was that we never got a clear diagnosis before we put him on steroids (he was so poorly, he couldn't take anymore tests) however, it looked like it was either Addisons or steroid responsive meningitis. We've had a few hiccups with his withdrawal but within the last fortnight he's been down to just .25mg per day and absolutely full of beans. Lovely to see after him being so spaced out for so long.
Unfortunately, the withdrawal seems to have exposed an underlying skin condition and poor Villain is very quickly losing his hair. His paws are virtually bald, around is eyes is now very thinned out and the hair on his ears is literally coming out in little clumps. It definitely appears to have accelerated in the last week which is why it doesn't seem to correspond with the prolonged use of steroids.
A trip back to the vets but it has them puzzled. We're currently waiting for the result of an ACTH and the vet recommended we increase Villains pred to 5mg a day in the meantime. I was interested to hear if anyone had similar experience or insight into what was most likely. You've steered me very well in the past and as always, I'm grateful for any advice.
Kerry and villain

Hi,

Following the previous attempt to wean Villain off his pred - we agreed with the vet that we'd stick to the 2x5mg per day for the foreseeable. We also discussed the possibility of Addisons and after a conversation with the lab, got confirmation that the usual test would be affected by his steroids so we would need to go via a different route. We wanted to leave him alone for a while without prodding and pocking but unfortunately he started with the constant shivering yesterday together with vomiting and a little diarrhea so we needed another trip to the vet. His temp was sky high and signs were that of a non specific infection  so we've come home with antibiotics. We took the opportunity to test his electrolytes and they came back as 4 so understand this is in the normal range but still have another (more expensive) one to do to get greater certainty.
Keeping a close eye on him today as he's still off his food and very sleepy - might need to get back down to the vets if he doesn't rally soon.
Anyone on the forum familiar with coping with infections as a side effect of the pred use?
Could also use some info on the alternative tests that can be done for Addisons and what the future could hold if that's what he is diagnosed with?

Thanks in advance as always.

Regards Kerry