So many disease processes are shared in animals and humans. Many of my clients are surprised to find this out! Today, let’s talk about another one of these diseases……Hypothyroidism. We’ll briefly talk about the anatomy and job of the Thyroid gland, what Hypothyroidism is, what symptoms to watch for, and what can be done to help your pet if they are diagnosed with this condition.
Your Thyroid gland is one of the most important organs in your body. Its jobs consist of aiding in metabolism, heart rate, growth rate, and helps maintain your muscles and bones. It can also affect your digestion, skin and hair! These same functions are true for the dog and cat Thyroid gland. This gland lives in the front of your neck, near your trachea and esophagus.
In dogs, when the Thyroid gland is not working properly, it is usually UNDER producing Thyroid hormone. That’s what we’ll cover in today’s post. In cats, the opposite is true. When the Thyroid glad is not working correctly, it is usually OVER producing Thyroid hormone. We’ll save that for a different conversation. It is rare that dogs are Hyperthyroid, and rare that cats are Hypothyroid. This can be very confusing for many pet owners.
So, Hypothyroidism. What is it? This is when your dog’s Thyroid gland is underactive and not sending enough Thyroid hormone into the bloodstream. It is usually caused by an Autoimmune condition called Autoimmune Thyroiditis, where the body mistakenly makes antibodies against its own Thyroid gland. Typically this is diagnosed in older pets, though the youngest dog that I have diagnosed it in was only 4 years old. Symptoms of this condition include hair loss, changes in coat quality (coat becomes bristly), lethargy (not as active), and weight gain.
If an owner brings a dog in to see me with symmetrical flank alopecia (hair loss near the hips that is similar on both sides), and tells me that they are feeding the same amount of food that they always have been but the dog has gained a lot of weight, I’m suspicious of Thyroid disease.
My first recommendation after a complete physical examination is to run bloodwork. I run a full CBC (complete blood count), a Chemistry panel, and a T4 (thyroid hormone). Why run all three?
These symptoms can also be found in other diseases and we don’t want to miss a different diagnosis by focusing on only one possibility. If the pet is truly Hypothyroid, we will often see an elevation in the pet’s Cholesterol level and a low T4. The best test for Hypothyroidism is done at Michigan State University, as they are one of the leaders in Endocrine Disease Testing. However, while this test gives us around 10 values that all look at different parts of the Thyroid gland’s health, it only looks at the Thyroid gland. It’s a great secondary test once we highly suspect our pet has Thyroid disease.
If your pet has been diagnosed with Thyroid disease, what is the next step? Thankfully, this is usually an easy and inexpensive condition to treat. Dogs are given Thyroid hormone supplementation twice daily by pill. The pills are very tiny, easy to hide in food or snacks, and are inexpensive. After one month of being on the medication, it is important to take your dog in for a repeat T4 test. We need to know if the amount of Thyroid medication we are giving is appropriate. If your dog’s T4 value is within normal range, usually only a yearly test is needed.
Many symptoms of Hypothyroidism can be reversed once on medication. Hair will start to regrow in areas where it was lost or was thinning, weight will start to come off your pet as well, and many times they will have less skin conditions. I’ve seen many success stories once a pet has been diagnosed, then treated.
So, if your Veterinarian is one that recommends Senior Bloodwork, this is just one disease that we are screening for. Best to catch it early and treat it early! If your pet’s bloodwork comes back completely normal - GREAT! And, now you have a good baseline for comparison should something change next year!
Your Thyroid gland is one of the most important organs in your body. Its jobs consist of aiding in metabolism, heart rate, growth rate, and helps maintain your muscles and bones. It can also affect your digestion, skin and hair! These same functions are true for the dog and cat Thyroid gland. This gland lives in the front of your neck, near your trachea and esophagus.
In dogs, when the Thyroid gland is not working properly, it is usually UNDER producing Thyroid hormone. That’s what we’ll cover in today’s post. In cats, the opposite is true. When the Thyroid glad is not working correctly, it is usually OVER producing Thyroid hormone. We’ll save that for a different conversation. It is rare that dogs are Hyperthyroid, and rare that cats are Hypothyroid. This can be very confusing for many pet owners.
So, Hypothyroidism. What is it? This is when your dog’s Thyroid gland is underactive and not sending enough Thyroid hormone into the bloodstream. It is usually caused by an Autoimmune condition called Autoimmune Thyroiditis, where the body mistakenly makes antibodies against its own Thyroid gland. Typically this is diagnosed in older pets, though the youngest dog that I have diagnosed it in was only 4 years old. Symptoms of this condition include hair loss, changes in coat quality (coat becomes bristly), lethargy (not as active), and weight gain.
If an owner brings a dog in to see me with symmetrical flank alopecia (hair loss near the hips that is similar on both sides), and tells me that they are feeding the same amount of food that they always have been but the dog has gained a lot of weight, I’m suspicious of Thyroid disease.
My first recommendation after a complete physical examination is to run bloodwork. I run a full CBC (complete blood count), a Chemistry panel, and a T4 (thyroid hormone). Why run all three?
Many symptoms of Hypothyroidism can be reversed once on medication. Hair will start to regrow in areas where it was lost or was thinning, weight will start to come off your pet as well, and many times they will have less skin conditions. I’ve seen many success stories once a pet has been diagnosed, then treated.
So, if your Veterinarian is one that recommends Senior Bloodwork, this is just one disease that we are screening for. Best to catch it early and treat it early! If your pet’s bloodwork comes back completely normal - GREAT! And, now you have a good baseline for comparison should something change next year!
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