There are many health conditions that can affect dogs, but thyroid problems are especially prevalent in senior dogs as they have lower hormone levels due to old age.
What are the symptoms of thyroid disorders in dogs?
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| Matthieu, our oldest rescue dog. His fur loss and dry flaky skin was part of his thyroid symptoms. |
- Lethargy, general weakness and inactivity
- Mental dullness
- Unexplained weight gain
- Excessive shedding or poor fur growth
- Dry coat
- Excessive scaling
- Recurring skin infections
- Intolerance to cold
- Tilting of head to one side (uncommon)
- Seizures (uncommon)
- Infertility (uncommon)
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| Drawing blood for a thyroid test |
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| Doing a skin scrape to check for fungus |
Sometimes the symptoms may not be obvious – take for example Matthieu – his fur has been shedding for almost two months and despite two visits to the vet, he has not improved even after finishing his rounds of medications and creams. To get to the bottom of his symptoms we had him tested for bacterial and fungal infection as well as ringworms – but it turns out the he has a very low thyroid hormone level – with one of the symptoms being loss of fur.
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| Plucking some fur to test for ringworms |
To diagnose thyroid conditions, the blood test T4 will be administered and usually yields results within half an hour. If tested positive for a thyroid disorder, the dog will require thyroid medications or supplements all their lives, like poor Matthieu here. He was calm and collected throughout his test and we couldn’t be prouder of this brave chap!
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| Our favourite old man, feeling extremely proud of himself after the vet consult |
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| Ain't he cute? He's 15 years old and still going strong!! |
We hope you can help contribute and sponsor his monthly thyroid medications. If you would like to help dear Matthieu, kindly email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg and we will be in touch soon!
Written by: Wee Yen
