We have had Leo since a few months after we got married in 2000. After a few years, Leo started having symptoms that could describe a number of diseases and illnesses. We went down a long road of emergency office visits, IVs and exploratory surgery before on one trip to the animal ER, a doctor suggested that he may have Addison's disease. We took him back to his regular doctor. They ran some test. They came back positive. He had Addison's. We were not ready to lose him. Addison's dog live a relatively normal life and normal life span. The down side, he needed really expensive medication monthly to keep him alive. So we decided he was worth it and went forward with the treatment (Florinef). He had to take 7 pills twice a day (if I remember correctly). After we started treatment, he would be fine for a while and then crash again. This happened pretty often. Then he was switched to the once a month injection (Percorten). This was a huge difference and Leo acted like a puppy again. We did run into a couple more crashes here and there and need to adjust dosage, etc. He was also taking a steroid daily because his body made none.
This march, he started showing symptoms of having another Addison's crash. We took him to the vet expecting to put him on an IV for a day or two and bring him back home. That didn't happen. After getting blood work results back, it turned out to be something else. It mimicked his normal Addison's episodes. Even his doctor didn't believe it. She ordered the blood work two more times getting the same results. She even sent it out to the state lab, and got the same results. He had yet another disease. This one was worse and sudden. He had Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia. He was anemic and needed a blood transfusion. Even then, that may not save him. We decided if was time to give up the fight. I know he was tired of fighting. It showed. He had aged a lot over the past couple of years. It was time to let him rest. He will definitely be missed.
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