Friends of the Animals Rescue Society (FOTA), is a reputable, non profit organization dedicated to helping old, abused, and abandoned dogs.

On August 15th, 2002 a dog named Angie came into our care.
Angie is a 2 1/2 year old Komindor/Great Pyr/Irish Wolfhound X. She was extremely anorexic, her spine felt like cotton reels and she had no tummy, just a hollow. Her coat was badly matted and full of fleas. Her ears were totally blocked with filth, her nails two inches long and both eyes infected, there was a large patch of fur missing from her back right leg and several sores in that area. We thought we were dealing with a starvation case, we had no idea of the complications that would come about because of Addisons Disease.

When we cleaned her ears out we found a tattoo and were able to trace it to Petland in Alberta. In tracing the tattoo we also discovered that in August 2000 a embedded chain had caused a severe laceration of her right back leg. Because the injury had been neglected and untreated the flesh narcocised and caused damage to the tissue and muscle.

When we took her to the vet she weighed a mere 52 pounds, less than half what her weight should be. Our vet diagnosed Angie as a simple starvation case but the next day Angie took a turn for the worse an we had to rush her back to the vet, her gums were white and her organs were shutting down one by one, she had no blood pressure and it was nearly impossible to take blood from her collapsed veins. She was put on IV with extra vitamins added and blood samples were taken. The next day she was in renal failure and we were told she probably had Addison’s Disease, she was started on the meds for Addison’s and another blood test was done to confirm the diagnosis. After four days on IV and extra vitamins Angie was able to come home, she was very sick but alive.

Two weeks later she had another blood test and she had gained 12 1/2 pounds. Unfortunately after the vet visit Angie crashed and had to be rushed to the vet for a steroid booster. Ten days later into the vet for another blood test, this time she had gained 9 pounds. Her dosage of medicine for Addisons Disease was adjusted to allow for the extra weight she had gained, but once again she crashed after the vet visit and this time ended up back on IV.

Time and knowledge has told us that the medicine that Angie was on was not strong enough. We now have that medicine adjusted and she is responding so well. You can visit Angie/Angel on our website www.fota.ca - just click on her picture. Angie is almost up to 80 pounds now and is a happy bright and wonderful dog.

We have joined the k9 addison’s, a group of dog owners from around the world whom share their info and experiences with each other, every day we learn something new about this disease. We are convinced once Angie has gained all her weight back and she is stabilized she can have a wonderful and normal life even though she will always have to take medication. If you ever find yourself lucky enough to meet this special dog, your life will be richer and you will know why Angie is worthy of all the support we can give her.

We want to find the perfect home for Angie who will have Addisons Disease for the rest of her life. We are hoping that with the public support we will find that home, and also be able to set up an "Angel Fund" that will pay for Angie's lifetime medical care. She is an awesome dog and so worthy of the this support.

Friends of the Animals is now actively promoting Addisons Awareness. We have a link to Addisons information on our website and we are always available for your questions. This disease is so manageable once diagnosed and the dogs can have a normal and wonderful life once on medication. So many dogs die undiagnosed because Addisons Disease masks itself by appearing to be other diseases and dogs die everyday unnecessarily.

Please go to http://www.k9addisons.com and empower yourself with knowledge about Addisons Disease.

If your dog starts throwing up or has diahreaa or suddenly appears to start going downhill for no reason, please remember you read this and remember the website www.k9addisons