We’ve all seen it: the dog we love gets a bit sluggish on his or her walks. Maybe their tail or entire coat is patchy and dull. Their belly skin has changed in texture or color. Their eyes get a little gooey. Their ears itch and show signs of an infection. They have a tough time making it up the stairs. They’re seven years, eight years old, or older. Dang. You’re witnessing the inevitable course of canine aging. Or something else.
If Not Old Age, Then What?
While aging could be the direct cause of your beloved dog’s physical slowdown and breakdown, Rover or Raven could instead suffer from hypothyroidism. As with humans, many of the symptoms of this disease—highly treatable though not curable—mimic the characteristics of old age. We asked Wendy Smithey, DVM, of Homeside Mobile Veterinary Services for more information.
“Hypothyroidism tends to affect middle-aged to older dogs,” she explains. “It can affect all breeds of dogs but is more common in large breed canines. Clinical signs are typically weight gain, poor hair coat (including hair loss), lethargy, and skin and ear infections. The hair loss due to endocrine diseases typically is over the trunk of the body (not the head or limbs) and isn’t usually associated with itching. Occasionally, the hair coat changes are first noticed after the hair clipped and exhibits poor regrowth. Because of its insidious onset, the clinical signs of hypothyroidism can sometimes be attributed to common aging in canines, which is why vets often recommend blood testing to screen for these and other common conditions.”
What You Can Do
Here's where pet owners come in. Your vet may see your dog every six or 12 months. Frequent monitoring of your dog’s physical condition and behavior for any changes by you is critical to the process of determining whether hypothyroidism—or other treatable conditions—are endangering your dog’s health and quality of life. Dr. Smithy says, “Less commonly, hypothyroidism can cause neurologic disorders, megaesophagus, and even comas in the severely affected. Mildly affected dogs can go for some time (years in some cases) without treatment with their only obvious symptom being weight gain and lethargy.”
Wondering why you don’t already know all of this? Dr. Smithy has a very good idea why! “Hypothyroidism has been diagnosed in canines for decades (true length is hard to verify in the veterinary literature) with a true incidence rate being difficult to calculate. This is because of the often-vague clinical signs as well as the testing in past likely overdiagnosed the condition due to a condition called euthyroidism, in which the thyroid hormones are low due to other illness—not true hypothyroidism. The diagnosis today is a simple blood test involving several hormones in the blood making the diagnosis more accurate. The treatment is simple: just oral medication, but no cure.”
If your dog displays these symptoms and is a middle-to senior-aged dog, it may be worth checking into a simple blood test to determine if hypothyroidism is at work. Dog lovers want their dogs to be happy and healthy for as long as possible. Diagnosing and treating hypothyroidism can prolong a healthy life for a dog. Maybe yours.
For more information on Homeside Mobile Veterinary Services, click here:
https://www.homesidevet.com/
