CONCURRENT HYPOADRENOCORTICISM AND HYPOALBUMINEMIA IN DOGS - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

A retrospective study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of hy poalbuminemia in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism. During a 94-month inte rval, 17 of 44 dogs (38.6%) with hypoadrenocorticism were found to hav e hypoalbuminemia. When compared to all dogs with hypoalbuminemia (9.8 %) observed in the hospital population during this same interval, ther e appeared to be a significant association between canine adrenocortic al insufficiency and hypoalbuminemia. The pathogenesis of the hypoalbu minemia in this study is speculative; possible mechanisms include gast rointestinal blood loss, protein-losing enteropathy, malassimilation, or decreased albumin synthesis. Renal protein loss was not supported b y routine urinalysis findings.