Abstract
A retrospective study was performed with 9 cases of spontaneous canine hypoadrenocorticism presented to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Seoul National University. The disease occurred mostly in young to middleaged dogs. Most dogs had chronic nonspecific signs such as episodic anorexia, lethargy and vomiting, but 3 dogs were brought to the hospital with an acute adrenal crisis. Serum biochemical analysis revealed azotemia, abnormal concentration of sodium, potassium, and chloride in almost all the patients. Diagnoses were made based on lack of adrenocortical response to exogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH). Most dogs have been responded well with mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid replacement except for a dog which died during treatment for adrenal crisis. Three dogs treated with fludrocortisone acetate(final median dosage, $31.0{\mu}g/kg/day$) for mineralocorticoid supplementation showed some adverse effects, such as excessive appetite and polyuria/polydipsia. In this study, it was suggested that clinicians should also consider hypoadrenocorticism when they diagnose a patient showing nonspecific gastrointestinal signs with unknown cause or laboratory findings which mimic primary renal diseases.
