Man

Our thoughts are with you and hope everything goes well. If there is is anything you want to know about our experience do not hesitate to email me. Regards Man

Hi It has been a while since I have been online but thought some people might be interested in our progress and hopefully be of interest and provide some hope for people with newly diagnosed dogs. The original post is located at Original message with details Dida's crash and subsequent cardiac arrest. It has been almost 18 months and apart from the daily medication and monthly injection Dida is living a full and healthy life, with no apparent side affects the trauma she suffered or with ongoing Addisons. Currently she gets .2ml fludrocortisone acetate daily and .7ml Percorten-V every 30 days. Apart from keeping an eye on her weight and making sure she has access to water there are no issues. There are no dramas with the monthly injection and when she see the syringe being unwrapped Dida jumps up and sits beside me on the lounge waiting (although I think might be more for the treat she knows she will get afterwards LOL) I realise we have been extremely lucky but it also shows Addisons is manageable and never let your vet ignore a blood test that shows an increase in Potassium levels. Regards Man

Hi Sorry for the delay responding I havent been in the forum for a bit but my little girl Dida (Jack Russell 5.5 years) had an Addisions Crash on the 3rd of August and she went into cardiac arrest, the wonderful vets at ARH revived here and she has not looked back. she is on an injection every 25 days and gets an oral dose of medication everyday, apart from that she is back to her normal energetic self and it is didfficult beleive that she was so ill. The cost of the medication is not that prohibitive and she now only requires quarterly visit to the hosptal for a blood test. I hope everything works out for you and my experience has been helpful. If I can help further please let me know. Regards Man

Hi everyone It is hard to believe is has been a month since the crisis. Dida appears to have made a full recovery from the cardiac arrest and her blood test shows she has responded well to the medication. We are now into the daily routine and can give her the injection every 25 days. The vet suggested that based on how well Dida has being doing that we could consider extending the period between injections as a trial and her daily oral med can be varied between .12 and .32 ml per day. I am not sure I want to do that because of the constant monitoring required. She seems so content now I do not really want to introduce any stress levels,at least in the short term. The monthly cost of her medication is very resonable as well, I was a little scared that it would be in the hundreds but around $50 for the oral and the injection it will not break the budget. Regards Man

I think it is because you are such a caring person. Give her a hug from Dida and me, I hope everything improves for you soon. xoxo

Animal Tracks at Homebush is excellent, I have a friend who takes their dogs there. I cannot the praise of the Animal Referal Hospital Strathfield South highly enough for emergencies they operate 24 hours they revived Dida after a cariac arrest and she us now treated by staff there for Addisons. Enfield Vets are friendly, ok for shots and checkups but based on experience not sure I would take Dida back there.

I am not sure what flavour they game me for Dida but only .4ml a day is not much, I always give her a special treat after the medicine and she only get is for that. She now wakes me up every morning just before her medication is due so there is no chance of missing it We as so happy for you that Chloe is improving. Regards Man

I cannot understand how people can dump their pets. I moved to Australia from Hong Kong 3 years ago, I couldnt leave her behind so I bought Dida with me. I think I am the lucky one, she is such a great companion. I am very grateful to the staff at ARH and my partner who didnt hesitate at the cost. Man.

Hi Dida had her checkup at ARH yesterday and the news was great. Her electrolytes are very good and her daily medicine has been reduced to .4ml. The vet was amazed at Dida's recovery and alertness. She is not exhibitng any apparent side effects to the cardiac arrest or Addisons. We will still continue her medication but it is hard to imagine that we nearly lost her and that she was so ill.. Thank you to everyone for your support. Man

Good luck Chloe, We are both thinking of you and hoping the outcome is as great as mine. Man & Dida

I so happy for you, we both got great news this week. I am taking Dida to the ARH on Monday, 1.45pm is her appointment. About the urine infection when the original vet said that Dida most likely had an urinary infection, I did some research and came across and a few articles about putting citrus juice in the water. The article went of to say that it provided some relief for the dog as well as preventative properties. With Dida mandarins are one of her favourite treats and she would prefer the fruit than just the juice even if she has to peel it first. This also included helping herself to the ones ripening on our tree that she could reach Maybe the vet can advise if this would be helpful to Chloe. http://www.uti-in-dogs.com/uti-in-dogs-home-remedies.php is one link I read. Regards Man

Our hopes and prayers are with you all. I hope this pic will bring a smile for you. You both need your strength at this time , it is amazing how a smile makes our little ones brighter.

Dida's recovery has been remarkable to the extent that it is hard to believe the trauma of the 3rd of August. There appears to be no residual side affects from the cardiac arrest. She is a her happy energetic playful companion again. She has even remembered her trademark hifive trick. She has her first checkup on the 17th. Thank you to everyone who responded and the private messages of support. This forum made me feel a lot better. Regards Man

Greetings Thank you to everyone who replied, Dida was released from hospital on Friday evening and getting stronger. She is currently on .8ml twice a day of a liquid medicine, this will be decreased to 4ml once a day in 12 days time and an injection every 25 days. It appears that there little residual effects of the caridac arrest apart from her hear moving from side to side when she is sitting, but that is getting less as the time progressed. Her muscle co-ordination is improving rapidly as well. THe ARH at Enfield is an amazing place and I doubt if Dida could have been in better hands. For those interested the total cost from the hospital was $3901.50 as well as the $518 charged by the original vet. Regards Man

Hi I was reading an older topic regarding Addisons Disease and found it helpful but could not post into it. I have a a pure bred Jack Russell (Dida) which I bought with me when I moved here from Honk Kong. My dog is 5.5 years old and I am not aware of her being ill in the past, she was a bungle of boundless energy up until last saturday morning. Dida started vomiting during the day could not even keep water down so we took here to the vet Sunday sunday morning. They gave here an injection to stop the vomiting and antibiotics, took a blood sample gave me a bill for $260 and sent here home. Monday morning she was not vomiting but very lethargic so we took here back, the Vet kept here there all day, took an x-ray and urine for testing, we picked here up at 6.15pm after having to pay another $258. We were t old that the blood test showed her potasium levels were high and sodium levels were low but that was probably a result of the vomiting. When we got home she started to deteriorate so I took her to the Animal Referral Hospital at 8.50pm, 9.20pm she went into cardiac arrest. The vet she had immediately diagnosed Addision Crisis and was amazing she worked on Dida for 10 minutes, it was like a scene from ER and the crash team, the vet and 3 assistants all vying for space to do what they needed. Dida responded and started to breathe herself and weak but sustainable heart beat. As soon as the salines drip when in here vitals started to improve but she was in a coma. They then gave me a quote for $1200 for the total treatment. We visited the hospital about 11am the next day and spoke to the specialist; Dida was getting stronger but highly sedated and comatose. The vet said that there was a good chance of a full recovery but to expect a few problems in the early stages, particularly she might have some brain damage and blind. We returned at 6.30pm which is the normal visiting hours and got to see here again, the sleeping pic is what she was like when we arrived. The vet said that she was very happy with her progress, that they had stopped the sedation and that it was gradually wearing off. I was patting her and asked the vet how long would she be in a coma, the reply was that she didn’t know it could be a few days. No sooner had the vet said that, Dida opened her eyes and tried to sit up and looked like she was smiling. She was still pretty groggy but the vet was amazed at Dida’s response to us being there. We didn’t stay too long, we didn’t want her to be restless, but it was such a great ending to a traumatic 24 hours. We hope to have her home in a few days but have to learn how to treat medicate her. At the moment she reminds me of a new born puppy, unable to stand properly and very disorientated, which is understandable given the circumstances Whilst we a currently up for around $1900, Dida is more important than the money, but it is so frustrating to be charged so much by the first vet and if we hadn't have taken Dida to the ARH she would be dead. That vet was convinced she was dealing with a urinary tract infection, the vets response was that these things happen and you cannot be right all the time. Has anyone has experience dealling with an Addisons Crisis victim that has been resusitated? I realise every case is different but it would be helpful to know what to expect. Our vet is confident that Dida's future is quite good. Regards Man