Guest peacehound Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 my girl has so many issues, incontinence, arthritis, terrible teeth and today I noticed that her right back leg is losing hair. She seems tired lately..she is nine and has always been lazy..symptoms of thyroid disease? she just had a check up with blood work to stay on her deramaxx, no problems but I don't believe they check the thyroid. Thanks, Joyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LokisMom Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) I wouldn't immediately assume thyroid problems. I personally don't treat thyroid "issues" unless there are symptoms. The only thing in your post that seems to point to thyroid is the hair loss. Potentially being "tired" but they are greyhounds, tired/lazy is pretty typical. Neither of my boys have thyroid issues and they sleep/lay around pretty much all the time. One is 10, the other is 8. Is she laying on the leg a lot? Rubbing it on something? Could it be or has she been checked for other things that cause hair loss? Fungus, mange etc? Is she gaining weight? Hypothyroid is often misdiagnosed in greys if I recall my prior reading correctly. Edited to add some links: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/assets/pdf/hospital/bloodBank/wellness/newsletters/2010/ghwpNewsletterWinter2010.pdf http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/396/Hypothyroidism_in_Greyhounds.pdf http://www.gcnm.org/concernsnews.html If they don't work, pm me and I'll send em to ya that way. Those are just where we started researching hypothyroidism when we had a previous grey diagnosed with it Edited March 24, 2011 by LokisMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peacehound Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 thank you for the links, I love the OSU newsletter Peace had one mild seizure three weeks ago and the vet suggested if it happens again we might want to check her thyroid..then I noticed the thinning hair on just one leg..she has gained six pounds since last year..she weighs 66 pds, racing weight was 58...but we think that it is because she can't walk as much with her arthritis..she licks the shins of both of her legs but its her back thigh hair that is thinning guess I will just keep a watch on her, the last thing I want is more meds for her to be on Thanks again I wouldn't immediately assume thyroid problems. I personally don't treat thyroid "issues" unless there are symptoms. The only thing in your post that seems to point to thyroid is the hair loss. Potentially being "tired" but they are greyhounds, tired/lazy is pretty typical. Neither of my boys have thyroid issues and they sleep/lay around pretty much all the time. One is 10, the other is 8. Is she laying on the leg a lot? Rubbing it on something? Could it be or has she been checked for other things that cause hair loss? Fungus, mange etc? Is she gaining weight? Hypothyroid is often misdiagnosed in greys if I recall my prior reading correctly. Edited to add some links: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/assets/pdf/hospital/bloodBank/wellness/newsletters/2010/ghwpNewsletterWinter2010.pdf http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/396/Hypothyroidism_in_Greyhounds.pdf http://www.gcnm.org/concernsnews.html If they don't work, pm me and I'll send em to ya that way. Those are just where we started researching hypothyroidism when we had a previous grey diagnosed with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mcsheltie Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Why wait? If you think there is problem, have it checked out. But make sure you have a full panel sent to Dr Dodds or MSU. Don't medicate on the in-house quickie tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Yeah, when it gets to seizures, I wouldn't hold back on the checking! We've had a lot of thyroid arguments here since late November. Some people don't believe that thyroid is a problem for greys. But it definitely is for some. If it is for yours, she'll appreciate it if you have it tested and fixed. Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 If her recent bloodwork included a chemistry panel, those usually come back with a T4. T4 isn't a useful diagnostic to say a dog IS hypothyroid, but at some levels it's an OK screening tool for saying a dog is NOT. If it's close to or within the range for normal dogs, it's highly unlikely she's hypothyroid. If it's way low, then I would get a premium thyroid panel with endocrinologist's interpretation from MSU (Michigan State University). This includes all the measures in the linked article by Dr. Couto. How bad are her teeth? That can really affect many aspects of health. It would be a good idea to get those taken care of as soon as possible. Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peacehound Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 If her recent bloodwork included a chemistry panel, those usually come back with a T4. T4 isn't a useful diagnostic to say a dog IS hypothyroid, but at some levels it's an OK screening tool for saying a dog is NOT. If it's close to or within the range for normal dogs, it's highly unlikely she's hypothyroid. If it's way low, then I would get a premium thyroid panel with endocrinologist's interpretation from MSU (Michigan State University). This includes all the measures in the linked article by Dr. Couto. How bad are her teeth? That can really affect many aspects of health. It would be a good idea to get those taken care of as soon as possible. her teeth get cleaned every six to nine months...I brush twice daily, she has had 9 pulled so far. I will ask about her T4 results on her recent bloodwork..thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Just my 2 cents here-- As counterintuitive as it may seem, a dog with arthritis really needs to be exercised! Leash walking daily will help her maintain muscle and keep her weight down, two things that are very, very important when you're dealing with arthritis. As a sufferer myself, I can tell you this is true in both people and dogs. George is nearly 9 with a mild case of LS, and we walk 2 miles every morning at the butt crack of dawn because the specialist I took him too could not stress enough the importance of regular, gentle exercise. Left to her own devices, she will probably be happy to just lay around and be a greyhound. Which simply compounds the problem. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peacehound Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Just my 2 cents here-- As counterintuitive as it may seem, a dog with arthritis really needs to be exercised! Leash walking daily will help her maintain muscle and keep her weight down, two things that are very, very important when you're dealing with arthritis. As a sufferer myself, I can tell you this is true in both people and dogs. George is nearly 9 with a mild case of LS, and we walk 2 miles every morning at the butt crack of dawn because the specialist I took him too could not stress enough the importance of regular, gentle exercise. Left to her own devices, she will probably be happy to just lay around and be a greyhound. Which simply compounds the problem. Peace gets two good walks a day, I walk her two miles before work and hubby walks her 30 minutes after work..she loves her walks and always had, its the running she doesn't do anymore, she use to go run with other greys at the ballpark..my vet told me the same thing, that exercise is the best thing for her and its the only time of the day she is awake anymore ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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