Thyroid problems anyone? (Dogs)

[A*lil*Loopy]

I figured I'd ask and get some input from anyone here because I'm curious. I'm going to get Bastiens' thyroid checked as someone mentioned that his weight issue may be a result of that.
He's 30 pounds of pug that runs constantly, doesn't overeat, but still jiggles an awful lot.

So if you have experience with this, please share your story so I can see if it relates. Anything else I can watch for, etc.

He'll likely be tested near the end of the month when he goes for his shots anyway.....love vet day, I haul all of the dogs at once. Easier to keep them all on schedule.

[LadyNina]

A lot of times, a thyroid problem is mistaken by allergies. There are alot of the same symptoms. Weight gain/loss, shedding, itching, chewing at paws, hot spots.

Ma03, I believe has just gone through it with her golden. She'll probably be able to help you out more.

I know pugs are prone to obesity, but sometimes, it's more serious than just being plump.
Good luck with the lil guy, and please keep us updated!

[tippikitty]

Yes Ma03's dog has this issue. He is doing so much better now. You could pm her.

[A*lil*Loopy]

Bastiens' skin and fur are fine, he's happy and loveably weird but his weight is a concern. He has never had weight loss, he just grew and grew and well, you get the picture.
That is the only thing that has me worried. I've already lost one pug to heart failure and refuse to have it happen again if I can help it.

But like I said, he doesn't eat a lot, certainly no more than any of the other pugs and he runs at least twice as much. I just figured that thyroid may be an option to check out.

If Ma03 happens by, she can give me some input.

[leafs93]

Loopy I just had my dog into the vet because I was worried about thyroid problems. My vet told me the major symptoms of a dog with thyroid issues is that they are cold all the time. Always looking for somewhere warm to lay down, shivering. She said the next biggest thing to watch for is not wanting to do anything, always laying around, tiring out quickly with things they normally do. Is your dog experiencing any of these symptoms?

[MaO3]

Hey loopy,
My boy has recently been diagnosed with underactive thyroid. He's had a lot of problems in the last couple of years and we were about to resort to allergy shots at a cost of more than $500. I actually went for a second opinion and am sooo glad I did.

My boy was overweight, and lethergic(sp)- for the last few years I'd called him fat and Lazy. He wasn't a big eater but he just got bigger and bigger. He was over 90 lbs, too much for a golden. He had terrible skin problems, diagnosed as yeast infections. He scratched, and chewed on himself until he blead. It was terrible. Anyway - last summer he had a really rough time and we ended up having to have his tail shaved right down to the skin. A golden retriever with no tail hair, he looked like crap. It took his hair a really long time to grow back and that was the factor that clued the vet into his problem.

She asked if I'd had his thyroid checked and it never had been.SO we had the blood test done and a few minutes later I was told that Murph had a level of 0.4. He went on meds that day and 1 month later his level was 2.7. His hair is growing, he's lost more than 10lbs (nice and slow). He has more energy and is HUNGRY all the time now.

It appears that he's now metabolizing properly and thats why he's hungry all the time.

This site shows you a list of the symptoms
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1597&articleid=449

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/dog-hypo.htm

The bad news is that they must stay on the medication for the rest of thier lives, the good news is they work quickly and the pills are very small and relatively inexpensive.

[A*lil*Loopy]

I'm beginning to doubt that it's his thyroid. He's far from lazy, even for a pug. He occasionally over-heats and has to get off the bed (he sleeps between us), his appetite is healthy but not overly so, he plays hard and sleeps hard, but is always up to follow me around.....no matter how quiet I am.

His coat is now soft, ears are fine, he's just not fitting the signs except for being the fat kid. I'll have to check with the vet when he goes for his shots and see what they think.

I just want to err on the side of caution.

I could just be paranoid, I've lost two pets in six months and almost lost my horse the other night, have to put down a horse in the next few weeks. (OMG, I feel like grim reaper for pets /ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cry.gif )


Thank you for the input and the information, it helped.

[MaO3]

Loopy before we found my boys problem I switched him to a low fat lower protien food - seniors actually to help with Murphs weight. He did loose some weight, not a lot but it was helping him a little.

Perhaps your fella needs a food change? I don't know, but it maybe something to consider if the test comes back clear.

I'm sorry to hear that you've had such a rough spell with your babies. I hope that things turn around for you.

[A*lil*Loopy]

Ma03, I take in a lot of aged critters so I should expect it. Unfortunately the dog and cat were family members for 14 years.

The horse is 29 and had his first colic, I was actually laying on the ground with him at 1 am, saying good bye, waiting for the last breath....then he heard the vets voice and up come his head. I guess he knew there would be a needle involved, lol. I love my vets!!

Bastien is currently on Canidae with everyone else and it has helped his skin so I don't think a change is needed right now.

[Tash]

This thyroid problem may be my dog.
Does anyone know how fast you get the results from a thyroid test?

[MaO3]

In minutes, at least at the vet I went to

[Tash]

With the problems my dog has, i'll be getting him checked, worth a try! Thanks MaO3

[MaO3]

WHats going on with your dog Tishtosh?

[Tash]

I got Jackson from the Humane Society almost a year ago, he was 6 months old, from the time i got him he's had skin and hair loss problems. The vet diagnosed him with allergies. He's been on a few different foods, perscriptions, currently on Prednizone. The fur loss and itching is driving me nuts let alone him. From reading up on the links you posted and other peoples posts it's worth getting him tested. Leafs93 posted about a dog seeking a heat source, that's my Jackson, all winter he blocks off the heater in my hall, rams his body right against it. I can't seem to train him, which may be associated with thyroid. He has an appointment on Thursday for shots, i'll have to see what she say's.

[MaO3]

Ask your vet to check his levels, my vet checked my boys T4. Its a simple but not cheap blood test. I take my boy across the river to Animal Kingdom and its 78.00 us for the test, which isn't cheap for a blood test, but is much cheaper than the allergy testing I was about to pay for. /ubbthreads/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Has he been on a wheat free diet? That can be a real problem for many dogs.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Tash]

Will be interesting to see how much it is here, i've had a couple people tell me to take him across the river.

I'll see what happens on Thursday, i spoke to the recepionist about having him tested, she said to run it by the Vet, but she thinks it allergies.

[MaO3]

I was told by a friends' boyfriend whos a vet and has gone back to school to specialize that they don't work(allergy test I mean). Allergy testing - at least the blood syrum(SP) tests don't. I was looking at paying $500 us for test and then the syrum to inject for my dog. A friend freaked out at the price and suggested I call around for a second opinion before I spent that kind of money. I decided it couldn't hurt, I mean I've gotten second opinions for my 2 legged kids, so why not my 4 legged one.

The second vet did not do allergy tests for the same reasons as my friend suggested. But she did come up with the idea of the thyroid issue, due to a simply comment about the lenght of time it took for his tail hair to grow back. It had taken nearly a year and that was a sign to her of an underactive thyroid.
His test came back with a level of 0.4. I had no idea what that meant till I did some investigation, it turns out that they should be in the range of 2.5 - 3.0. After my boy had been on the med's for 4 weeks his level was 2.7 - perfect as far as the vet is concerned.

I would certainly discuss it with your vet, and remember if your not happy with what your getting, you have the right to seek a second opinion. I'm so glad that I did.

[ranson]

I would certainly discuss it with your vet, and remember if your not happy with the sevice here go across the river.

[MaO3]

Tishtosh - How did your appointment with the vet go?

[Tash]

I asked about Thyroid, she said something along the lines of Hypothyroid isn't proven to be in dogs, and he doesn't fit a dog with thyroid issues. For now he's staying on the Prednisone since it has calmed his itching. It hasn't solved the problem but it has helped.

[MaO3]

If your comfortable with the diagnosis then thats cool.

I'm glad he's feeling better.

[A*lil*Loopy]

Prednisone is an awful drug. It is great for what it's used for, inflammation, rashes, etc, but they get rather inflated bellies. Unfortunately the bloating is awful. I've been on it, my dog has been on it as well as my old horse, well Prednisolone for horse as it has to be processed differently for their system.

Keep looking for diagnosis that can be resolved because Prednisone isn't a permanent answer, it can have long term effects such as lower immune system and problems with bones. Don't panic yet but keep it in mind. For now I'm very glad that you have found something to help him feel better.

[Tash]

He's on a very low dose for now, he started off on a daily dose and weaned him off to half a pill every 48 hours. The Vet did tell me it won't resolve the problem , it has helped with the itching. He still does itch just not to the point of insanity, and he has completely stopped chewing on his legs, he still has extreme shedding but he is more comfortable.

Thanks for the info Loopy, it did concern me about the lengh of time he would be on this drug and the side effects.