CANINE THYROID DISEASES

Canine thyroid disease can be tough to diagnose. The symptoms can be: lethargy, weight gain, dull coat, skin infections, constipation, diarrhoea, cold intolerance, skin odour, hair loss, dry skin, reproductive problems, aggression, and more. The associated conditions can be serious: mega-oesophagus, ruptured knee ligaments, testicular atrophy, excessive bleeding, and corneal ulcers. The disease can be inherited or of unknown origin. Thyroid gland Endocrine glands secrete hormones that help manage the body’s processes. The thyroid gland lies on the dog’s trachea, just below the larynx; tri-iodothyronine and levo-thyroxine, the hormones produced by the thyroid, govern the body’s basic metabolism — including control of growth and development and maintenance of protein, carbohydrate, and lipid metabolism — throughout life. The most common cause of canine thyroid disease is autoimmune thyroiditis. It is an immune-mediated process that develops in genetically susceptible individuals and is characterized by the presence of anti-thyroid antibodies in the blood or tissues. Thyroiditis is believed to start in most cases around puberty, and gradually progress through mid-life and old age to become clinically expressed hypothyroidism once thyroid glandular reserve has been depleted. During this process, the animal becomes more susceptible to immune-mediated or other diseases affecting various target tissues and organs.