Hypothyroidism in dog

Canine hypothyroidism is a very common disease found in Canines. Thyroid gland is a platform for various activities inside the body. The gland’s main function is to regulate metabolism. Canine Hypothyroidism is a state that occurs when there is a lack of thyroid hormones inside the body. When a dog catches the disease, it will show a lot of symptoms, like trouble with weight loss and gain, hair loss and skin irritation. The disease can be easily diagnosed through blood tests that will check the level of thyroid hormones like thyroid 3 and 4.

The dogs that suffer from hypothyroid dogs will respond to treatments through medication for synthetic thyroid like Soloxine. The dogs will suffer with low thyroid levels if no treatment is done. If the dog suffers from any chronic skin problem that comes repeatedly, then it may be having hypothyroidism.

Cause of hypothyroidism

It results due to the impairment of thyroid hormone secretion and production. The pituitary glands, thyroid gland and the hypothalamus influence the secretion of thyroid hormones inside the body. The dysfunction or complications in the pathway of the hypothalamus, pituatory and thyroid will create hypothyroidism. More than 95% such cases occur due to the disfunctioning of the thyroid gland. It is learnt that in most cases, the damage of the thyroid system is due to the death of the immune cells of a dog. This eventually affects the thyroid glands. Another reason for the destruction of the thyroid glands is due to the atrophy caused to the thyroid tissues which results in the infiltration of fat tissues.

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

The symptoms are varied and non specific. There are no certain symptoms that can be diagnosed for hypothyroidism. Some partial symptoms that will help in detecting the disease are lethargy, obesity, anemia, dry hair, slow heart rate, hair loss, cold intolerance, hyper pigmentation of skin cells and high level of cholesterol.

Who is affected by hypothyroidism?

The onset of symptoms is varied, the disease generally occurs in middle age dogs that are between 5-10 years. It is least affected in miniature or toy dogs like Chihuahua, bulldogs etc. The disease is affected dogs that are large or average sized.
The dogs that are predisposed with hypothyroidism are Labrador, Doberman, Spaniel, Terrier, Irish setter and German shepherds. The hybrid breeds are also under the risk of getting affected. Female dogs are more likely to be affected by hypothyroidism compared to their male counterparts.

Treatment for hypothyroidism

This disease can be treated easily. The treatment starts with giving the dog daily doses of thyroxine which is a thyroid hormone. The frequency and dosage will vary based on the intensity of the disease and the animal response to the drug. The blood sample and the weight of the dog are recorded regularly to analyze the response of the dog to the treatment. After the therapy starts, the dog must undergo treatment for the rest of its life. Once the treatment begins the symptoms gradually decrease and the dog regains its health and fitness.