Hyperthyroidism in Dogs Early Detection

Dog health is very important to all dog lovers out there. Knowing some of the diseases that might affect our dogs will help in the prevention and in curing our canine companion. One of the rare diseases that affect dogs is hyperthyroidism, which we'll be going into further in a moment.

The Thyroid gland is one of the largest Endocrine gland in the body. It produces thyroid hormones which are important in regulating many metabolic processes in the body by producing thyroid hormones the most primary of which are the triiodothyronine (T3) and the thyroxine (T4). It is important to dogs as it regulates the rate of metabolism and also affects their growth. Although rare in dogs, one ailment which have been documented to affect the thyroid glands of dogs is hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism in dogs occurs when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormones, particularly thyroxin, usually because of a tumor in the gland. It is bad for dog health because it can cause weight loss, hyperactivity, and restlessness.

If you want to check your dog to see if it is suffering from hyperthyroidism and to catch it early on, be sure to watch out for the following symptoms or changes in dog health.

1. Weight Loss – Despite eating the same amount of food or even more, dogs that have
hyperthyroidism may lose weight. This is probably one of the symptoms which can easily be observed. If your dog is eating a lot of food yet is losing weight then you better consult your vet right away.

2. Increased Activity or Restlessness – Dogs that have hyperthyroidism tend to be hyperactive. An increase in the activity of your dog or increased restlessness can be caused by the high thyroid hormones. Take note of any surprising hyperactive or restless behavior in your pooch and report any prolonged peculiar behavior immediately.

3. Increased Heart Rate – the high production of T3 in the body causes the heart rate of the canine to rise. Check your pet's heartbeat from time to time to catch any abnormal increase in heartbeat early.

4. Increase in Water Intake and Urination – Water is important to dog health. But if you observe that your canine is drinking more water than usual for an extended period of time it may be caused by hyperthyroidism.

If you notice any of the above symptoms pay a visit to your veterinarian immediately. There are several treatments available in order to cure your pet and to improve your dog's health. Options which are practicable range from medication to the more intensive option of surgery. Discuss with your veterinarian what option you would like to take. A healthy dog is a happy dog so be sure to pay close attention to the dog health of your pet so that you may catch hyperthyroidism early and stop it in its
tracks.

Hyperthyroidism in Dogs

Are you familiar with hyperthyroidism in dogs? Do you want to know if your dog is sufferings from it?

When you say hyperthyroidism in dogs, there is something wrong with your dog's health, specifically their endocrine system. The system overproduces hormone thyroxin (growth hormone) that causes their thyroids to swell and enlarge. This enlargement is often referred to as functional thyroid edematous hyperplasia.

As this is a rare case in dogs, hyperthyroidism in dogs symptoms are hard to distinguish and is tagged as a slow progressive disease and it is not a benign condition like many believed. Since very few dogs are diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, the underlying cause of the thyroid enlargement is unknown but may be due to the combined effects of several factors circulating in the blood.

Hyperthyroidism in Dogs Symptoms
The following are the basic signs and symptoms of a dog suffering from hyperthyroidism:

• Increased Heart Rate
  
• Weight Loss
• Nervousness
• Increase Appetite
• Frequent Urination
• Frequent Water Intake
• Heavy Breathing
• Unexplainable Fatigue
• Hyperactivity
  

If your dog has one of the symptoms indicated above, you need to bring your dog to your trusted vet so he can immediately start the physical examination of your dog health. To be more effective, a blood sample is required. You know, unexpected results occur all the time. Sometimes, the condition of the thyroid hormones will remain normal during the check up, sometimes it's not.The best solution to this variation is a follow up check-up as directed by your vet.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Most cases, your dogs are diagnosed using a blood test procedure known as T4 and Free T4. The former yields unreliable results due to cheap quality of the instrument but the latter is said to be better but expensive on the part of the owner. If your dog is under presciption, blood test are usually given in an interval to monitor the changes in the hormonal level of the dog.

Hyperthyroidism in dogs is is curable. Your vet may only prescribed medications to stabilize the production of thyroid hormones. However, when it's not detected early, another option you need to consider is surgery.

However before giving in to surgery, it's better to ask your vet about the complications. There are times when one of thyroid glands are removed, it will results to a condition which is commonly called as hypothyroidism. This is a condition wherein there are only little production of thyroid hormones and will be discussed on a separate post.