Hypo-thyroidism…in dogs

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Did you know that dogs can suffer from hypo-thyroid condition? Did you know that it is more common than you would think?

From the time we brought home Little Man, Big Girl seemed grumpy with him. I wrote it off to adjustment to a new puppy, who cannot help but be annoying and try the patience of a saint. But as he grew, and time passed, I found it odd that Big Girl still didn’t seem to adjust. She got along so well with our foster dog Jada, and so I was beginning to worry that she might not adjust at all.

Then one day I was walking both dogs and noticed from behind her back end looked a little, well, threadbare. Like she was losing hair. I observed her for the next week, and noticed that the skin around her neck was hard, like leather, and her breath was bad. Well, bad breath, you kind of expect that from a dog, but it was worse than it should have been. I began to pay attention to her movement, how much she slept, eating habits, coat shine and general disposition. Big Girl has been complimented on her soft and glossy black coat, sweet disposition and good naturedness, none of which she was showing an abundance of.

At the end of the week, I mentioned to my husband that something was just not right and I was going to take her in to the vet. We have a wonderful vet, who I met through the adoption of our Miss Maize, the first dog we adopted from the Humane Society after moving here. He was a veterinarian who volunteered to give the centers newly adopted pets a courtesy exam, and he has remained our vet for going on our fourth canine family member.

She and I arrived and dutifully she stepped on the scale. Holy Moly, I knew she looked a bit pudgy, but she was downright heavy! I explained to the vet that there was just something wrong with her. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but explained her symptoms and behavior. He drew blood and ran some tests, coming back with the diagnosis of Hypo-Thyroid. Her results showed no measurable sign of the right hormone. None. He gave her a prescription of a loading dose for 2 weeks, then 1 pill/day for the next month. I was to come back then, have her retested and adjust the dosage accordingly.

After one week on medication, I noticed a marked difference in her attitude. She suddenly had energy and started to tolerate Little Man. Then, slowly, her skin started to soften, her hair began to grow in, she increasingly actively played with Little Man, eventually running and playing chase. She went through a phase of skin shedding (which was annoying and a bit gross) as all that dead, hard skin sloughed off. She lost weight, and didn’t act as those she needed to eat as much. She became the dog I know her to be.

Why a post on this odd condition? Because I wonder how many people out there have dogs affected by a milder version of this condition. Dogs they have written off and resigned themselves to be crabby, lethargic, pudgy, with skin conditions. Just like with human medicine, sometimes vets can misdiagnose a condition. If your own pet shows some or all of these symptoms, I encourage you to explore the potential that they might be hypo-thyroid. My vet says this is a condition that is common in dogs. I saw my sweet baby girl go from the loving, fun and good natured, sweet heart to a dog that wanted nothing to do with Little Man or us. I have my Big Girl back, and that is a very good thing.

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(Miss Mia-Big Girl-in purple. Ruger-Little Man-in red)

 

 

 

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(my baby girl back to her old self!)

 

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(snow fun in the sun!)

Jada our Foster ‘Child’

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Jada our Foster 'Child'

Meet Jada. (My Miss Mia is the black blob she is laying on) Little Jada is 6 months old and came to us from a friend who’s daughter lost her place to live and so cannot care for her puppy. We have no idea if she will ever be able to take care for her again, but in the meantime we can provide a healthy, safe and disciplined environment for her.

I have always had humane society ‘adopted’ lab-shepherd mixes, Miss Mia is my 3rd This is my first experience training a different breed, let alone a pure bred pitbull. I am sad that pits have such a bad rap, and I am horrified at the culture of dog fighting that has taken a wonderful family dog and created a sense of fear over this breed. As a dog lover, I can’t bear to think of what people do in the name of making a buck. In my opinion, the two-legged animals that participate in that aren’t fit to be breathing air.

On the positive side: SHE IS SO SWEET!

She makes us laugh daily with her pogo stick legs. She literally springs straight up and down when excited, her little body just a-quivering with excitement. She has a tiny tongue that is just itching at every opportunity to roam free on anyone or thing in the vicinity. (we are working on that). She is smart as a whip, which is good for training, but also means she can outsmart me at times! She is loving and already devoted to my family. Unlike labs, who tend to bond to one member of the family, she is an equal opportunity lover.

I was worried that my 4 year old Mia might get a little jealous sharing attention. But our other lab-shepherd mix (who was 15) had to be put down this summer and I think she has been a little lonely. She seems to be fully enjoying the playful company of the puppy, as our older dog was more than a little grumpy in her old age and didn’t really want to ‘play’.

On a final note what I find just hilarious is that Miss Mia has a full sized bed she can sleep on, but it is this teeny tiny pink puppy bed that she is drawn to! Miss Mia is 75 lbs, but somehow she manages to curl up in to a small enough ball to squeeze on that to it!