Hypothyroidism

[novta]

My 5 year old siberian husky has just been diagnosed with hypothyroidsim. I'm interested to know if anyone else has had experience with this, and if so what symptons did your dog have, and how did they react to the medication? My dog has had severe mental dullness and anxiety problems, along with the more normal coat problems. The vet said her thyroid function was extremely low - lowest she has seen before. Thank you.

[HeartandSoul]

Aside from the fact it takes ages and ages to get the dosage just right once you sort the thyroid problem the dog can get on with their normal lives. It is NOT a death sentence. They do keep losing hair but not as much as your dog would be now. We were on 1400mg daily - which is a high dose, but lately we have been able to bring it back to 800mg a day - don't ask me why lol. Basically your dogs thyroid is not functioning and the tablets will do the same job it does.

[haven]

My dog was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, only tested for and discovered after she had surgery for a ruptured cruciate ligament which she took an unsually long time to recover from. There were no other symptoms and I never really noticed a change when she started on medication. Perhaps her levels are not that low

[Greytmate]

We had a dog in our program that was hypothyroid. Symptoms included extreme coat loss, skin infections and lethargy. A lot of heat was radiating out of this dog, so I suspect he felt the cold more than normal as well.

The dog was put on thyroxine tablets and could now be described as normal, despite the coat never growing back properly.

[dogbesotted]

I had a rescue maremma ( casper) who was hypothyroid. after he was finally diagnosed and he was prescribed thyroxine he did well. coat grew back, he lost weight, ete and ear problems disappeared etc.

it is best to give the meds twice a day and restest every 6-8 weeks until in balance.

h

[Cavandra]

There is alot of dogs diagnosed these days, and it is often a direct result of Vaccinosis.

No vaccine, & a natural diet often helps, and particulalry apple cider vinegar & Kelp regularly.

[Greytmate]

There is alot of dogs diagnosed these days, and it is often a direct result of Vaccinosis.

No vaccine, & a natural diet often helps, and particulalry apple cider vinegar & Kelp regularly.

Are you going to provide us with evidence of that? Or are you just another conspiracist?

Please explain how exactly apple cider vinegar and kelp will restore the thyroid to normal function.

No vaccinations? Well, I would rather have a hypothyroid dog than a dead one. Your advice is irresponsible.

[haven]

There is alot of dogs diagnosed these days, and it is often a direct result of Vaccinosis.

No vaccine, & a natural diet often helps, and particulalry apple cider vinegar & Kelp regularly.

Are you going to provide us with evidence of that? Or are you just another conspiracist?

Please explain how exactly apple cider vinegar and kelp will restore the thyroid to normal function.

No vaccinations? Well, I would rather have a hypothyroid dog than a dead one. Your advice is irresponsible.

Hypothyroidism has been linked to deficiencies of Selenium and iodine and the correct level of iodine is essential for thyroid health, which is where kelp and ACV supplementation can be helpful

ETA: care should be taken with supplementation, as an excess of iodine can be as harmful as a deficiency. Zinc and Vitamin E may be beneficial also, as both have shown to increase the bodies uptake of iodine (in humans).

Edited February 16, 2008 by haven

[HeartandSoul]

Can I also suggest that you ask your vet to write a script for the tablets and you get them from the pharmacy - it is far cheaper that way - Ive been doing that for years.

[Greytmate]

Hypothyroidism has been linked to deficiencies of Selenium and iodine and the correct level of iodine is essential for thyroid health, which is where kelp and ACV supplementation can be helpful

ETA: care should be taken with supplementation, as an excess of iodine can be as harmful as a deficiency. Zinc and Vitamin E may be beneficial also, as both have shown to increase the bodies uptake of iodine (in humans).

If the quantities of selenium and iodine found in kelp and ACV were enough to make a hypothyroid dog well, then they would be enough to make a normal dog sick.

I would agree that care does need to be taken with supplementation. Experimenting with 'natural' remedies, when the quantity of active ingredient is highly variable and unknown can do more harm than good. The advantage of buying pharmacuticals is that an exact dose can be given. As others have said, it can take a while to work out the right dose, and the right timing of the doses. This would be impossible to do if trying home remedies, and the dog would continue to suffer while the owner stuffed around.

[haven]

Cavandra only said that a natural diet and supplementation would be helpful, not that it should soley take the place of Veterinary treatment.