Seizures And Hypothyroidism

[Guest newgreymama]

Before we decided to go ahead with adopting Toby, we did a lot of reading up on seizures in dogs, and in talking to his foster mom, knew that he was managing well on the phenobarb--and in addition to all of that, I used to work at a veterinary office and know a bit of the protocol for seizure patients (though this was a few years ago, so protocol could have changed since then). Foster mama took him to her vet and before we took him home, pointed out that he has these lipid spots in his eyes (so I wouldn't worry) so when I got home, I Googled, just to see exactly what they were and what might cause them.

 

Realized after doing some reading that the lipids in his eyes, plus fur loss on his neck, chest and back of thighs, plus some weight gain (which could of course be attributed tio his voracious appetite from the phenobarb) and some patches of rough skin/loose fur/bitty sores, I am wondering if he might have hypothyroidism. I plan on taking him into our vet for his "new pet" check up and will ask there of course what she thinks, and probably run the tests for it, even if it's my imagination and it is nothing--just wanna make sure the big guy is getting what he needs, kwim?

 

Anyhoo--I guess my questions are: Does anyone out there have a dog with both seizures and hypothyroid and how well has it been managed through meds? Can one cause the other? What are some things that have happened with your pup that had either one of these conditions that surprised you or you wished you would have known or been aware of?

 

Thanks!

[Brindles]

Hypothyroidism can indeed cause seizures if it is not under control, but it is very easy and inexpensive to control with meds (soloxine).

 

My foster had both, and is on meds for both. We were hoping that the seizure that retired him from racing was an isolated incident, but we weren't so lucky. He is most likely epileptic and his new mom is working with her vet to get his seizures under control with meds. It is a work in progress.

[seeh2o]

Carl did not have seizures, but did have lipid spots in his eyes (perilimbal lipid keratopathy is what the ophthalmologist diagnosed it as). He was initially misdiagnosed with 2 different eye conditions. Once we got him on Soloxine his eyes really started to clear up. I also have him on 500mg Niacinamide daily, per my vet, that also helped with his eyes. I also switched him to a raw diet, don't know if that helped, but his body sure looks fantastic (and his poop, too!). His left eye is almost 100% clear, the other eye has a small spot on it that seems to be s-l-o-w-l-y shrinking. Follow this link, scroll down the page and you can see what his eyes looked like before.

 

Dee's girl, Goldie, (Dee is Energy11 here on GT) had many issues attributed to being hypothyroid...maybe seizures(? I can't remember?) you may want to message her. Many of Goldie's issues cleared when they began treating her for being hypothyroid.

Edited November 18, 2012 by seeh2o

[Guest newgreymama]

Thanks guys! Good to know that if hypo-T is really what he has, that it is easily treatable.

 

@seeh2o: his eyes are different from the typical lipid spots pics I saw when I Googled it. They aren't making his eyes cloudy, they are just these random dots and stripes of almost white in each eye. I will try to take a picture of them to show.

[tbhounds]

Thanks guys! Good to know that if hypo-T is really what he has, that it is easily treatable.

 

@seeh2o: his eyes are different from the typical lipid spots pics I saw when I Googled it. They aren't making his eyes cloudy, they are just these random dots and stripes of almost white in each eye. I will try to take a picture of them to show.

Thanks guys! Good to know that if hypo-T is really what he has, that it is easily treatable.

 

@seeh2o: his eyes are different from the typical lipid spots pics I saw when I Googled it. They aren't making his eyes cloudy, they are just these random dots and stripes of almost white in each eye. I will try to take a picture of them to show.

Are you sure it's not pannus that you are seeing?

[Guest newgreymama]

 

Are you sure it's not pannus that you are seeing?

 

Googled that--and that doesn't appear to be what it is either. Here is a pic. See thewhite line along the top of his eyeball? That isn't glare, it is actually a part of his eye. The other eye has more just spots and not the line. lmk what you think:

 

[tbhounds]

I wouldn't rule out pannus. You'll have to let an opth vet diagnosis him.

[Guest newgreymama]

I wouldn't rule out pannus. You'll have to let an opth vet diagnosis him.

 

Will do once we see our regular vet for all the other stuff. Thanks for your help!

[tbhounds]

I wouldn't rule out pannus. You'll have to let an opth vet diagnosis him.

 

Will do once we see our regular vet for all the other stuff. Thanks for your help!

Keep us posted!

[seeh2o]

Are you sure it's not pannus that you are seeing?

 

Googled that--and that doesn't appear to be what it is either. Here is a pic. See thewhite line along the top of his eyeball? That isn't glare, it is actually a part of his eye. The other eye has more just spots and not the line. lmk what you think:

 

 

That white spot on top looks like what is left of the lipid deposit in Carl's right eye. It looked like that as it was going away. I'll bet once he starts meds it will clear up well. Just know that it might take a while!

[a_daerr]

Yep, I just went through this with Henry. Liver dysfunction can prevent the body from filtering out toxins, which can definitely lead to seizures. Also, dogs who have been treated with phenobarbital over a long period of time can experience liver disease as a side effect from the drug. It's a vicious cycle. I would get a CBC done with a thyroid panel. Definitely send the results to one of the doctors at the OSU Greyhound Wellness Program.

[Wonder]

I would run a full thyroid panel with MSU

[duncan41]

Please do yourself and Toby a favor and run the full thyroid panel thru MSU (including TGAA) as suggested by Kari and request an analysis. Not running the full panel is the sort of thing that can come back to haunt you if, at some point down the line, there's a question of whether Toby was really hypothyroid or sick euthyroid syndrome. Make sure ALL of his clinical symptoms are included, too. MSU is the gold standard and will take Greyhound idiosyncrasies into account.

Wish someone had given me this advice last year.

[Batmom]

When you submit the form for thyroid testing, make sure you/your vet tell MSU what meds he's been on and for how long. Phenobarbital, prednisone, and some others have an effect on thyroid function measurement.

 

In your situation, you really do need the MSU premium panel. I wouldn't use any other option in this case.

[RaineysMom]

Rainey truly had a low thyroid and had seizures. However, we don't think the low thyroid was causing the seizures, there was something going wrong in her brain (she was 10). Good luck!

[Guest newgreymama]

Thanks everyone! So, if we want the MSU premium panel, I assume that my vet will know what we are asking for (she is Grey savvy, as she has a couple of her own) what happens when we submit the results to them? Do they consult or do the actual diagnosis. This is all new territory for me, so forgive me if I am a total ignoramus about this.

[Batmom]

They will consult. Tell your vet to check the box for endocrinologist's interpretation -- it's @ an extra $5 and worth it.