Underactive Thyroid

[TheWholePack]

Recently I have been dealing with aggression issues with my 8 year old Blue Heeler. :yikes: It had been suggested that I have his thyroid checked before beginning training for these problems and as it turn out he does have an underactive thyroid.

I have some questions for anyone who may have more information regarding this.

1. The only symptom that Lucky is showing out of a long list is aggression and insecurity. Is it common that this would be the only thing to show up with an underactive thyroid? (Symptoms include: skin rashes, greasy coat, dry skin, hair loss, rash, weight gain, insecurity and aggression.)

2. What medicines have you heard of that are used to treat this?

3. From what I understand, it is manageable and not life threatening (to my GREAT relief!). If anyone has dealt with this issue I am interested to know how long it took to notice a difference with the treatment.

I have an appointment in 2 days with the vet. He is booked up until then and from what he said it doesn't seem to worry him at all. However, I have a natural distrust for most doctors that show indifference towards treatment, so I am very interested in any comments or experiences that you might share with me.

 

[elegy]

treatment for underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is pretty routine. the drug i'm familiar with is soloxine (there are other brands, as well as generics, but the vets i work for prefer the name brand soloxine even though it's more expensive). it's generally given twice a day, and then you'll have to take lucky in to have more bloodwork done in a few weeks to see if his levels are where they should be. sometimes it takes a few tries and adjustments to get everything in the right place. after that, it's pretty routine- pills twice a day, bloodwork once or twice a year.

 

[DreamDoby]

I have two dogs that are on treatment for hypothyroidism. It is very easy to treat and maintain. They take their pills twice a day when I feed them.

Asher was diagnosed last summer and began treatment with Soloxine. His was a bit more difficult to find the perfect dosage. After getting it correct, he started returning to his old self within a few weeks. He was more lack of energy type with some weight gain.

Harmony in her aging self was just recently found with a slightly lower thyroid level. She is still getting tests for the dosage so we are fine tuning. But, she has improved in her attitude within the last month of Soloxine that she has been taking, so she isn't too far off.

I do maintenence testing every 6 months on mine to recheck their levels so I know that they are still being treating adequately.

 

[BSan]

My dog became sick, wouldn't eat, no energy etc.... and other then that, the only thing we didn't notice at first, was that over time, his fluffy tail thinned out. The vet we went to for some reason, didn't test for thyroid because he thought that he was too young a dog to have a thyroid problem????. We got a second opinion, did various tests, and they found the problem, and started meds. It took a few months to get the levels balanced, and his tail filled out nicely again. He is happy, energetic, looks good, and seems fine on soloxine. He goes to the vet for blood level tests to make sure the dosage is right. Best wishes, and hope that your doggie has good results as mine did.

 

[OutlineACDs]

I too have an ACD with hypothyroidism. She takes meds twice a day. She did not show the typical symptoms of hypothyroidism either. She became jumpy and even snapped at me once when I reached down to pet her at night. She never gained any weight, but her coat was a little dull.

Good news for you that this is very easy to treat. I saw results almost immediately. Give it a few weeks and everything should be back to normal. Of course at that time you will be able to assess any permanent behavior change that might have resulted from his bad experiences before he was put on meds. After you have him retested and make sure that the meds are adjusted correctly you can start some counter-conditioning programs to make him feel more at ease.

Also, feel free to PM me if you have any other specific questions.

 

[OutlineACDs]

Also the medicine my dog takes is called levothyroxine, there are lots of different brands out there though.