THYROID DISEASE
Thyroid gland is located at the front of your pet's neck. It produces thyroid hormones, very essential for the body metabolism,under the influence of a tiny pituitary gland in the brain.
Hypothyroidism (means low thyroid in body), in dogs is usually caused by some abnormalities of the thyroid gland and is often inherited in certain breeds. Most oftenly the middle-aged to older dogs are more commonly affected and the percentage of neutered or spayed dogs is higher than the intact dogs.
The effects of thyroid hormones can be found from nose to tail, including hair and skin condition, heart rate and body metabolism. The clinical signs include dry, scaly or greasy and thin hair coat, excessive shedding of hair or loss in patches, slow re-growth after clipping and skin pigmentation. Some pets are more susceptible to infections of skin or ears and others may be overweight, lethargic, while sleeping a lot at warm places. Some develope abnormalities in heart rate or even few show neurological signs of jaw muscles and oftenly the breeding dogs may be infertile.
To evaluate your dog's thyroid gland function simple screening tests can be run in the clinic on blood samples or other special diagnostic tests including CAT scan or ultrasound. Some other hormones of the body also can influence the thyroid gland function.
For treatment of Hypothyroidism, thyroid medication or supplementation involves giving them pills orally or more conveniently the tablets can be crumbled over their food. Usually the first sign of improvement is often an increase in the activity and alertness during the first two weeks of treatment followed by an improvement or change in their hair-coat in 4-6 weeks or longer, depending on the rate of hair growth. We will ask you to bring your pet in for additional blood tests every six to twelve months, to an adequate maintenance dose or adjust as needed.
Hyperthyroidism (means too much thyroid production in body) in pets is most commonly diagnosed in Cats and is usually associated with tumors of the thyroid gland. In response, many body organ systems are overstimulated and cause different symptoms of weight loss, rapid heart rate, increased appetite or thirst or diarrhea but they can be lethargic or depressed and oftenly vomiting. Sometimes a thyroid producing tissue (or tumor) in the chest is associated with hyperthyroid in cats besides the tumors of primary thyroid glands in the neck. Therefore, not only the blood tests but the CAT Scan with Scintograpghy is done to correctly diagnose the Hyperthroidism especially the thyroid producing tumors in the chest.
For the treatment of Hyperthyroidism, antithyroid drugs are given orally and in some cases the surgical removal of the thyroid gland/tumor is necessary. However, for the cureof feline hyperthyroidism, an injection of radioactive medication (I-131) and monitoring afterwards for few days is done at a speciality referral place.
We at Garfield Animal Hospital care about your pet and this is a part of service that we want to educate you. Please make an appointment with the doctor to discuss further about your pet's heath condition in general or specific to thyroid. Please call at 562-630-2082 for more infos or email at: garfieldanimalhospital@officeliveusers.com