Does anyones babies here have Hypothyroidism?
 

I was just wondering if anyone's babies here have Hypothyroidism? I have been wondering lately if Tatum might have this. I think I have read online before that allergies can be a big sign of Hypothyroidism, and also a dog always being hungry....and that is SO Tatum - to a T. I mean I have honestly never in my life seen a little dog act as hungry as she does. I am not kidding when I say that she would eat ALL DAY LONG if I let her. That is why I had to stop the free feeding. She would just sit at the bowl all day and eat, eat, eat. I think she would seriously just eat until she popped if I let her. She has a bigger appetite than my 20-25 lb mixed breed dog, Peaches :eek: It's like she doesn't ever get full or something. :confused: And her allergies are just CRAZY bad. Lately it seems that they are getting even worse but I know this happens sometimes during certain times of the year. She has been chewing at her paws more lately than usual and is scratching again at her little nose/mouth and is having more hair loss in that area :( I think I also remember reading something about skin infections being a sign of Hypothyroidism and Tatum has had a skin infection around her nose/mouth and has had a really bad ear infection as well. Geez, my poor little Tator Bug! :( I am just wondering if she really COULD have Hypothyroidism? :confused: Is there a certain type of test that they do to check for this? And also, what is used to treat it - or, help it rather?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer! I am going to go do some reading up about it online, but it would also be great to hear from anyone here who's babies have this :thumbup:

Your vet can run a blood test for this...very simple.
There is medication to treat it...again very simple.:)

When she eats all the time, does she gain weight or is she skinny?

Lady has hypothyroidism. (Lady has everything.) ;)

The classic signs are hair loss and lethargy. Being overweight and sensitive to cold are also signs. Lady had all four.

Here is a great article:

Hypothyroidism: A Case of Hypothyroid Disease in the Dog at ThePetCenter.com

It's very easy to diagnose with a T-4 panel. It's simple to treat, too, with just two pills a day. It's less than $5 a month to treat it.

Lady just has to have a thyroid panel done twice a year to make sure her dosage is still right. That's it. All her symptoms went away.

Thank you so much for your help Crystal :) Little Tatum is quite chunky...LOL.

Thank you so much for your help girl! I am definitely going to get her to the vet soon and have him check for this. I didn't realise that it was all so simple :) :thumbup: Regardless though, I would have eventually taken her in so that they could check her for it, but I was just wondering how it all worked. If she does have Hypothyroidism and needs medication, I wonder if she would still be able to take her allergy pills (Hydroxyzine) with the other medication for Hypothyroidism? :confused: She takes her allergy meds twice daily. I certainly hope so, cause boy does she NEED those allergy meds :eek:

Also I hear ya, Tatum has everything too :( It always seems like she is at the vets for SOMETHING. Our poor babies :(

Thank you so much for all your help girl, I really appreciate it! :hug: Going to check out that article now :)

This is crazy because I was reading about this early this morning. I came across the info on another thread. Mimi has a appt on the 11th so I'm going to bring it up and have her tested. Her allergies are horrible and she just recently had yeast on her skin. I keep her very clean all the time but I guess with the skin condition this is what happens. I was devasted to hear she had yeast. I've been washing her in a solution and it seems to be helping but not all the yeast is gone. I have a few more treatments. I feel so bad for her. She's also going for a allergy test. I feel so bad because I know I should have taken her sooner to get tested. I was just trying different things before doing it.

A friend's yorkie has this. Her symptoms were hair loss and lethargy. She takes synthroid. It's the same thing they use when treating a person...although I guess a lesser dose. I don't think she have had any allergy issues though.

Lady has allergies, too, and has no problem taking her Zyrtec everyday along with her thyroid medication.

I had a Cocker Spaniel that had EVERYTHING wrong with him...I think we jinxed him by naming him Lucky :rolleyes: But, he was on meds for hypothyroidism and allergies. He was also on oral shot of Ivomectin for his skin condition/allergies. He never had any problems with all the meds...but they did make him gain even more weight ...a 40lb Cocker at one point!.

I am so sorry to hear about Mimi's skin condition and her having such bad allergies - that poor little thing! :( I am right there with ya on the allergies, Tatum's are sooo bad as well. I have never had a baby with allergies so it can be VERY frustrating at times when they are itching like crazy and all you want to do is help them :( She is on allergy meds and they DO indeed help, because for a while I had stopped giving them to her as I was just trying to see if she REALLY needed to be on them as I didn't want to give her any meds if they weren't REALLY "needed". Well, for the short time that I stopped giving them to her, she went even MORE crazy than she normally does when she is on them, so that just proved to me that they do indeed help and that she does in fact need to be on them. I am just hoping and praying that she doesn't have Hypothyroidism on top of it all :( But at least if she does, hopefully medication will help with it. I just hate that she is always having to take different meds every day of her little life for so many different things :(

Please keep me updated on Mimi and let me know what your vet says about her condition. I will say a little prayer for her! :hands:

Thank you so much for the info :) Tatum doesn't really have lethargy - at least to me it doesn't seem like she does :confused: I mean there are times where she just lays around, but then again she can be SO hyper at times and gets up and plays with her brother and runs around the house like a little crazy girl :eek: The only hair loss she has had was around her nose/mouth area, but that was when our vet found out that she had a skin infection after he did a skin scraping. He put her on meds and it cleared it up, HOWEVER...she has been itching more lately and now she is having yet more hair loss around the nose/mouth area. Also, the skin on the top of her little nose (where the hair loss is) is quite dry, and flaky at times too.

Oh WHEW! :thumbup: This is so great to hear as this was something that I was really worried about. Thank you so much for letting me know!

Oh my goodness, I'm sorry - not laughing at the situation but I just had to giggle when I read what you wrote about jinxing him because you named him Lucky, LOL! That was cute :p Hehe.

So Lucky was on a pill for allergies, a pill for Hypothyroidism, as well as an oral shot (Ivomectin) for allergies? Is that correct? Hmmmm....I wonder if Tatum getting an oral shot for her allergies would also help? :confused: I just HATE seeing her go crazy with the itching and the chewing of her little paws....I wish there was more that I could do to help her :( But oh boy - I hope she doesn't gain anymore weight :eek: She is already SUCH a chunk as it is lol...and I am actually trying to get her to LOSE some. She is just so tiny, and she also has LP (Luxating Patella) in both back legs so any extra weight is not good for her. Man....it is sooo hard trying to tackle all of these issues at once :(

P.S. - I also had a Cocker Spaniel, however, she passed away back in January of '06. You thought Lucky was chubby at 40 lbs - my Cocker weighed 52!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Her symptoms really don't sound like hypothyroidism to me. The hair loss is usually on the trunk and legs.

What did the skin scraping the last time reveal? It sounds like it could be the same thing again.

I found this image on Google which shows what hair loss from hypothyroidism usually looks like.

Oh my goodness!! :eek: WOW. That poor little angel!! :cry: Well, Tatum definitely doesn't have that as I'm sure you have probably at one time or another seen her BODY FULL of super thick hair that touches the ground...LOL. :eek:

Here is what the vet's notes said (word for word) when we took her in for the skin scraping:

Patient has small amount of Alopecia and Pruitis on dorsal aspect of nose; taping showed a ++++ Cocci Bacteria count suspect contact allergy, Atopy with a secondary Pyoderma.

Oh my goodnesss...that dog needs a sweater.

I agree her case doesn't sound like hypothyroidism. My friend's yorkie's hair...came out in handfuls...without pulling. Really. That alone made her take her to the vet's.

Wow, I had no idea that when they said "hair loss" they meant such a LARGE amount :eek: No, she most certainly doesn't have that - so maybe it really isn't Hypothyroidism then. Maybe she is just a little chunky butt with allergies that needs to go on a diet :p LOL.

Oh she can still use the excuse...it's my thyroid for her weight issue. ;)

LOL absolutely! ;) That OR the famous, "I'm not fat, I'm FLUFFY" excuse :D

My guess is it's not hypothyroidism. Haven't a big appetite isn't really a sign of hypothyroidism, the metabolism is slow in hypothyroidism, and the weight gain is from that not from increased appetite. Medication that stimulates the thyroid stimulates the appetite as well. I'm wondering if it could have anything to do with diabetes, I don't know if diabetes is common in dogs, but increased appetite is a symptom as well as increased thirst. They are also prone to infections. I've also read that certain allergies, to wheat for example, can cause the appetite to enlarge, without ever feeling satiated.

Oh...I'm allergic to wheat then. :D

From your vet's notes, it appears she tested positive for the cocci bacteria and she is allergic to it. Lady has the same problem. She is allergic to staph so we battle skin infections all the time. Some dogs, especially dogs who are immune compromised like Lady (diabetes) have allergic reactions to the normal bacteria found on and in their bodies.

Has you vet ever suggested adding fish oil/fatty acids to her diet? That has really helped Lady. I give her 3V caps.

Here is some information:

Fatty Acids for Allergies & Dry Skin in Dogs

What do you feed her? Diet can make a big difference, too.

Well, she does have a HUGE appetite lol, but she doesn't over eat as she only gets fed twice daily which is why I was wondering if she could possibly have Hypothyroidism. Meaning she isn't chubby because she eats alot, but she's chubby because --- who knows why??? :confused: And her possibly having a slow metabolism is what made me think of the Hypothyroidism. I just have never seen such a small dog want to eat as much as she does :eek: But now you've got me thinking about Diabetes :eek: Omg...I would just die. This little girl doesn't need anything else serious to be wrong! :( I am going to mention all of this to my vet the next time she goes in and see what he says.

Thanks so much for your help sweetie!

HAHAHAHA!!! :laugh: Good one girl lol!! :D

I think he might of mentioned adding Fish Oil to her diet a while back. But you know, he gave me a bottle of Welactin to put on her food and I stopped using it after a while because I read here (can't remember where, or from who) but someone said that an ingredient in the Welactin isn't the best for them to have when they have allergies. So, she is now getting the Grizzly Salmon Oil in the morning on her food. Do you think the 3V capsules would be better? Or can you give them both (3V and Grizzly Salmon Oil)?

Also - she is currently on NV Raw but I am going to be starting her on Natural Balance Potato & Duck (allergy formula) either tonight or tomorrow to see how she does on it.

I was actually leaning more on the Diabetes DX as well. This could make her eat a lot , and then have an enormous amount of energy. THen crash as the blood sugar drops.
i personally am Hypo thyroid. Since the treatment is simalar I was thinking of my symtoms. Yes, there would be cold sensitvity, and the skin is dry, which would cause itchiness in a dog. It is easier to put on weight because the Adrenal Glands are not working Propperly either, "at least that is my excuse" LOL .
your dog could have a mild case of something that is starting to show slight symtoms. A Blood test is all it takes .
it is obviously much better to catch it early before things get worse.
A big Symtom of Diabetes is excessive drinking of water . Watch for that.

If you give fish oils to dogs, you also have to give Vit E with it, since a dog's body needs E to process the Omegas. I don't think Grizzly has the E. But Eicosaderm from Vetamerica.com contains the fish oils and the E - and you just put a 1/2 pump on their food. :)

Well, she doesn't drink water excessively...in fact, she doesn't drink as much as she should I don't think - neither of my babies do. However, she is currently on NV Raw which has alot of moisture in it, so I'm sure that's why. I notice that they do drink MUCH more water when they are eating dry kibble. I am definitely going to check into all this - geez...I just know there is going to be SOMETHING that shows up on that blood test...my poor baby can't ever catch a break it seems :(

Oh wow - that is FANTASTIC Ann! :thumbup: Thank you soo much for telling me this girl! So, the Eicosaderm is ALL she would need on her food then, correct??

Some dogs do seem to have bigger appetites than others, some dogs are just more food oriented for some reason. Some scientists think appetite has something to do with the length of the intestines, but tests aren't conclusive, and it seems that a mixture of several things, and how they interplay with hormones. I think I've read you say that food was never a big deal with Stedman, and maybe just because she so different you notice it more.