Could my balding, fat, lazy dog have hypothyroidism?

wYes, a lot of us blame our own excess weight on hormones and often it is the cause, but we tend to forget that it could be the cause of our dog's rotund condition too if he is hypothyroid. The signs of an underactive thyroid and thus a slow metabolic rate in dogs are very non-specific.

wHypothyroidism occurs in middle-aged or older dogs and bitches of any breed. Signs develop very slowly.

wI'm not sure if it is just me, but I have seen far more Dobermanns with this condition than any other breed. You may notice an increase in weight despite no increase in food intake, but owners will always put this down to their old dog just ageing and slowing down.

wOwners tend to bring their dogs in when they notice a patchy fur loss and sometimes quite dramatic baldness on their dog. You may also see thickened black skin and have never seen your dog scratching its skin.

wYour dog's tail may appear completely bald like a rat's tail. These are signs of hypothyroidism. Further questions then lead us to think of the condition as your pet may also be far more sensitive to cold and hot temperatures which you may not have noticed, but once asked, realise that this is a problem.

wIf you are having difficulty getting a bitch pregnant, have her tested for hypothyroidism as it can be one of the causes of infertility.

wMost cases are actually picked up at routine vaccinations. As a student, I remember being taught that dogs with hypothyroidism have a 'tragic expression'. I remember sitting in the lecture hall and finding this quite amusing that a dog can look tragic, but as the years went on, I realised that with experience, one can spot a tragic look in a dog's face. An owner would certainly not see it as they get used to their pet's endearing features, but a few cases of looking at a dog's facial expression especially when I first see it in the waiting room, makes me think of hypothyroidism.

wI then ask about any weight gain the owner may have noticed and any sensitivity to temperature. A simple blood test taken from your dog's vein in his front leg will then confirm this diagnosis.

wThe good news is that this is one disease that is easy and relatively cheap to treat. It involves giving tablets such as Forthyron that are the same as those produced for humans with hypothyroidism, but are made specifically for dogs. They are not as expensive as so many of the vet drugs out there.

wYou should notice an improvement in your dog's liveliness within 2 weeks of starting the tablets. Baldness may deteriorate slightly at the start but then the fur should take 1 - 4 months to grow back.

wYou would need follow up blood tests to establish the most accurate dosage of the drug. The treatment has to be given to your dog for the rest of his life, but as a result of treatment, he should be back to his old self.

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