Concurrent hypoadrenocorticism and hypoalbuminemia in dogs: a retrospective study.

A retrospective study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of hypoalbuminemia in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism. During a 94-month interval, 17 of 44 dogs (38.6%) with hypoadrenocorticism were found to have hypoalbuminemia. When compared to all dogs with hypoalbuminemia (9.8%) observed in the hospital population during this same interval, there appeared to be a significant association between canine adrenocortical insufficiency and hypoalbuminemia. The pathogenesis of the hypoalbuminemia in this study is speculative; possible mechanisms include gastrointestinal blood loss, protein-losing enteropathy, malassimilation, or decreased albumin synthesis. Renal protein loss was not supported by routine urinalysis findings.