Dogs Worldwide

I’d like to share an experience with you and your readers in the hope that it will help someone who has a dog with a similar problem. A few months ago my 5-year-old Doberman lost patches of hair on both sides of her trunk. Other than that she seemed OK except she had lost a little of her zip, seemingly overnight.

These two signals suggested to my vet that she might be low on thyroid output. The vet had a baseline thyroid test done (a T4) and it revealed a low normal level. Not satisfied, she elected to submit a second blood sample for a more specialized test called a complete thyroid hormone panel. The latter test indicated that our “Gerta” was indeed hypothyroid and we immediately started her on thyroid replacement tablets.

My suggestion: Listen to the doctor and don’t take preliminary lab tests for granted. “Gerta” is now doing great on her medication, but I dread thinking about what condition she’d be in by now if we hadn’t done further testing. – Leo M.

A: I first want to thank Leo for taking the time to share his positive experience. Hypothyroidism is a disease or condition caused by a deficiency of the hormones normally produced by the important thyroid gland. Considered one of the “master” glands in the body, it is a two-lobed gland that is situated in the throat region, just below the larynx. When there is a decrease in the normal levels of these hormones in an animal’s body the entire system of cellular metabolism markedly slows down, and as a result, the body will begin to lose its ability to function properly in several areas.

This problem is seen in virtually every breed of dogs – mixed breeds as well – with golden retrievers, Dobermans, Irish Setters and miniature schnauzers believed to be the most commonly affected. Those afflicted with this problem should not be used for breeding as it is considered an inherited characteristic and is probably autoimmune related in most cases.

If allowed to progress untreated, hypothyroidism results in many disturbing pathological changes such as profound weight gain, intolerance to cold, slow heart rate, corneal ulcers, deafness, pattern hair loss with generalized dry coat and anemia. Eventually these patients also present with a high blood cholesterol level – a red flag suggesting a lab work up for hypothyroidism.

Two types of hypothyroidism exist in dogs. The first and most common condition is recognized as primary hypothyroidism in which the thyroid gland atrophies, or wastes away, resulting in an inability of the gland to secrete the vital hormones that regulate metabolism. The other type is known as secondary hypothyroidism that involves the destruction or malfunction of the pituitary gland rendering it unable to produce the important thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH. When TSH is not produced, neither will thyroid hormones produce.

Dogs with secondary hypothyroidism have a guarded to poor prognosis while those with primary hypothyroidism usually respond well to simple once or twice daily oral dosing with synthetic thyroid supplementation. This usually is required for the remainder of the patient’s life in concert with occasional veterinary re-examinations to monitor and evaluate blood levels.

DR. WILLIAM K. FAUKS is a retired Oklahoma City veterinarian. If you have any questions regarding the health of your pet, please write to “Ask a Vet,” at 3142 Venice Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73112, or e-mail bfauks1@aol.com.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 23:27 and is filed under Breeds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.