Addison's is a disease that affects a dog's chemical balance. Common symptoms are listlessness, muscle pain and depression. Although Addison's is treatable with medications, a dog who has Addison's may experience more fatigue and difficulty during pregnancy. There are also certain drugs that are dangerous for a dog when she is pregnant.
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Addison's Disease
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Addison's disease occurs when a dog doesn't have an adequate supply of cortisol in her bloodstream. As a stress/action hormone, cortisol normally triggers reactions, energy expenditure and muscle movements.
Causes
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Causes for Addison's range from a malformed pituitary gland (controls the release of cortisol) to brain tumors. It can also be caused by a lack of building blocks for producing cortisol or overuse of damaging medications like steroids.
Addison's and Pregnancy
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Addison's disease does not directly affect or endanger a dog's pregnancy. The normal fatigue and depression of Addison's can be exacerbated by the fatigue of pregnancy. Dogs who are both pregnant and afflicted with Addison's should receive high-nutrition food and plenty of water.
Dangerous Medications
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Prednisone, a medication commonly prescribed for Addison's, is very dangerous for pregnant dogs. The estrogen present during pregnancy works with prednisone to abort puppies. Dogs should be taken of prednisone immediately if they become pregnant. This is true of all synthetic corticosteroids that are often used to treat diseases like Addison's.
Considerations
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Addison's is a genetic disease, meaning that it gets passed from parent dogs to their puppies. It's important to take into consideration that a dog with Addison's is likely to have puppies with Addison's. Puppies normally present with symptoms of Addison's early, and can live a healthy life on medication, but breeding dogs with genetic disorders is usually discouraged.
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