Meg has hypothyroidism

[Emma xx]

Yeah i suppose there was a fairly big difference in age too. Meg is having 1x 0.3mg thyroxine a day (i think thats what it's called) which to me doesnt sound much but we will have to see how see goes. The vet obviously knows more than i do xxx

[LurcherGirl]

Thanks so much Lurchergirl. Our vet said that they normally get diagnosed at around 4-6 years so yours was quite young wasnt he!

Autoimmune thyroiditis is (obviously) an autoimmune disease and age doesn't even come into it. 20% of dogs that have T4 and T3 antibodies (in other words, antibodies that have the potential to destroy the thyroid gland) go on to develop the disease. This is most often the case in very young dogs. Only, most vets aren't aware of all the ins and outs of autoimmune thyroiditis, so don't bother testing young dogs, which is a shame!

Vera

[Emma xx]

Ah right. You'd think the vet would just go ahead and test anyway regardless of age, afterall we are the ones paying xxx

[Maria]

Boysie (aged about 12) was diagnosed last year as hypothyroid - we actually had quite a battle with our vets to take his symptoms seriously as he tried to tell us they were all age related  
From another forum I asked for help from Vera  (Lurchergirl) and went armed with info, and we finally got a diagnosis.With hindsight, I suspect he had had it for a few years, as we had battled with his weight for a while  
It took about a month for the meds to kick in for him and it made him much more active - he lost 2kg within a couple of months too!
He has 3/4 tests a year to check his levels , and the meds have been upped twice. About a month ago he went deaf   Another thyroid test and his meds were increased and his hearing came back within a week.
Best wishes to Meg and hope she's feeling much better soon

[Emma xx]

  i just dont get some vets. Glad Boysie eventually got diagnosed though and he is sorted now.  at the hearing! How fab was that!

Thank-you xx

[spanielcrazy]

Once those meds kick in you'll be amazed at the changes  

Jordie, my rescue American cocker, had it all; crusty horrible smelling skin  , ear infections, malassezia all through his body, and fat despite having been a stray   couldn't get the weight off either. Personality wise, he didn't really have one, he was just sort of there in the background.

Had him tested; thyroid was practically non-functioning. Within a week of starting thyroxine I could see significant changes for the better, within 2 weeks he was a brand new dog  

Vets can be very dismissive of thryoid problems. 

[Emma xx]

My aunty's dog is an American Cocker too! Apparently its quite common in this breed .

How old was Jordie when he was diagnosed? (well approximately, seeing as he was a stray ). I really hope we see some changes in Meg too.

Emma xx

[LurcherGirl]

Yeah i suppose there was a fairly big difference in age too. Meg is having 1x 0.3mg thyroxine a day (i think thats what it's called) which to me doesnt sound much but we will have to see how see goes. The vet obviously knows more than i do xxx

It's about right for a cocker. Jesse is on 0.5mg a day (though given in half a tablet twice a day rather than one tablet a day).

And yes, it does appear to be a problem in American cockers. In the States and Canada, breeding dogs are tested for antibodies before breeding (autoimmune thyroiditis is inherited), but not in this country. I am trying hard to inform people in the breed about the thyroid issues because they are there - it's just not common knowledge yet in this country and education is necessary for breeders, vets and owners.

Vera

[spanielcrazy]

My aunty's dog is an American Cocker too! Apparently its quite common in this breed .

How old was Jordie when he was diagnosed? (well approximately, seeing as he was a stray ).

Yes, very common in American cockers, and since they and the English cockers share ancestors, it is probably more common in English cockers than is realized 

I have no idea how old Jordie was; before he was diagnosed he was so slow, quiet and in such bad shape that I thought he was around 10 years old when I got him. I've had him 5 years now--no way is he 15 years old. I'm guessing him now to be around 8 or 9, which would make him 3 or 4 years old when diagnosed   

[Mel]

I'm glad your baby is getting the right treatment Emma. With regard testing, well something which is very common in all dogs, dry eye can have it's roots in hypothyroidism, being as the most common cause of it is T4 helper cells destroying the tear gland.

[Emma xx]

Thanks Mel

Spanielcrazy- your Jordie was lucky to find you then

Emma x

[isaka]

I don't have a dog with hypothyroidism, but I myself suffer from autoimmune hypothyroidism. It is difficult if not impossible to get any answers from a doctor to my questions of what causes a flare up (autoimmune version comes and goes, if you have an test for autoimmune antibodies they have to test you various times, as the first test can come back negative which is what happened to me and then two months later it came back positive), all the doctors do is stick you on thyroxine and forget about you except to have a yearly blood test.
I had a very bad time with the thyroxine, apparently the dose was too high for me (although it is the bog standard starter dose of 50 mg for adults and the side effects were muscle pain, tiredness, headache, earache and rapid heartbeat), I eventually went to a sympathetic doctor & nutritionst (private health) who put me on a minimum dose of 25 mg and changed my diet to exclude all food with gluten and to include a regular amount of fish into my diet.  Thanks to my osteopath's suggestiosn I also supplement with magnesium and omega 3 fish oil. I feel better than ever now, and my Spanish NHS doctor is at last happy to let me carry on at a minimum dose for the time being.
I have read quite a few books about autoimmune hypothyroidism and the americans at least seem to think that it's gluten causes the autoimmune response to flare up.  As I said national health doctors really don't want to look into the cause as the treatment is so cheap and easy, so I don't think there would be many veterinary studies about it either. so for what its worth it might be an idea to check out there is no gluten in your dog's food or try a salmon and rice variety. Also thyroxine treatments need regular blood checks to see the dose is right, in humans it is at least once a year.
 

[vikki.k]

I hope Meg is bouncing around soon Emma 

[spanielcrazy]

I have read quite a few books about autoimmune hypothyroidism and the americans at least seem to think that it's gluten causes the autoimmune response to flare up.  As I said national health doctors really don't want to look into the cause as the treatment is so cheap and easy, so I don't think there would be many veterinary studies about it either. so for what its worth it might be an idea to check out there is no gluten in your dog's food or try a salmon and rice variety.

Since the thyroid basically runs the immune system, hypothyroid seems to go hand in hand with a lot of allergies. Jordie is allergic to chicken (and possibly wheat = gluten, as Isaka says) so is on a fish and potato kibble. I may sound like a broken record but I do encourage people with dogs who have a lot of allergy problems to get their thyroids checked

Also thyroxine treatments need regular blood checks to see the dose is right, in humans it is at least once a year.
 

True. We have to check his levels yearly, the blood has to be drawn 8 hours from the time of his pill.

[Emma xx]

I don't have a dog with hypothyroidism, but I myself suffer from autoimmune hypothyroidism. It is difficult if not impossible to get any answers from a doctor to my questions of what causes a flare up (autoimmune version comes and goes, if you have an test for autoimmune antibodies they have to test you various times, as the first test can come back negative which is what happened to me and then two months later it came back positive), all the doctors do is stick you on thyroxine and forget about you except to have a yearly blood test.
I had a very bad time with the thyroxine, apparently the dose was too high for me (although it is the bog standard starter dose of 50 mg for adults and the side effects were muscle pain, tiredness, headache, earache and rapid heartbeat), I eventually went to a sympathetic doctor & nutritionst (private health) who put me on a minimum dose of 25 mg and changed my diet to exclude all food with gluten and to include a regular amount of fish into my diet.  Thanks to my osteopath's suggestiosn I also supplement with magnesium and omega 3 fish oil. I feel better than ever now, and my Spanish NHS doctor is at last happy to let me carry on at a minimum dose for the time being.
I have read quite a few books about autoimmune hypothyroidism and the americans at least seem to think that it's gluten causes the autoimmune response to flare up.  As I said national health doctors really don't want to look into the cause as the treatment is so cheap and easy, so I don't think there would be many veterinary studies about it either. so for what its worth it might be an idea to check out there is no gluten in your dog's food or try a salmon and rice variety. Also thyroxine treatments need regular blood checks to see the dose is right, in humans it is at least once a year.
 

Thanks for that, that's really interesting

We are about to change Meg onto Naturediet (with a little bit of kibble). My aunty's  am. cocker (who i mentioned has hypthyroidism) is on this and has done fab on it, so we're going to see how that goes. Judging by the ingredients there are oils in it which should help with her flakey skin, along with her tablets. Still going to put a bit of kibble in though so that she still has to crunch something which will help keep her teeth in order . There's no gluten in it either

Emma xx