Batmom Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 She honestly looks like a normal greyhound to me, but you have to satisfy yourself, and it's always possible that she is losing hair for other-than-normal reasons . 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...
greyhead Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Oh thanks a lot everyone, good to know it's not necessarily due to low thyroid. What a beauty! I don't have any other suggestions about her thinning coat. But if it were thyroid, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It's so easily treated. Whatever it is or isn't, I hope whatever you learn puts your mind at ease. 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...
Guest rennina Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 Maybe a silly question: if a greyhound is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, is medication a must, or it depends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 If a greyhound (or any other dog) is truly hypothyroid, then you would want to give meds. Thyroid hormone is important stuff in the body . That said, a dog can *test* as hypothyroid because of factors such as other illness, stress of various sorts, certain medications ..... In those cases, you wouldn't give meds but might want to retest when illness/stress/medications are no longer in play. The fT4ed (free T4 by equilibrium dialysis) and TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) are the best tests, along with a complete blood panel, to help the vet distinguish between "this dog is hypothyroid" versus "this dog tests low but probably isn't hypothyroid." The fT4ed test is more accurate than other types of T4 tests in the presence of other illness and meds. 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 rennina Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Thank you for the information! Very helpful:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kronckew Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 That's more hair than a lot of Greyhounds have! ditto - mine never had that much hair! Quote Regards, Wayne KronckeCAVE CANEM RADIX LECTI ET SEMPER PARATUSVegetarians: My food poops on your food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 Well said, Batmom! 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...
PrairieProf Posted February 10, 2013 Share Posted February 10, 2013 And to answer your direct question, a greyhound with a T4 of around 0.5 is pretty unlikely to be hypothyroid -- or rather, that number is not itself cause for great worry. Mine was 0.4 and we did the full panel (send to MSU with endocrinologist's breed-specific interpretation) and she is just fine. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sclazar Posted February 5, 2016 Share Posted February 5, 2016 Hi Rennina, Did you ever figure out the cause of your girl's hair loss? Has she recovered? My 18-month-old brittany spaniel (usually a much furrier breed than greyhounds!) is having the EXACT same hair loss problem that you describe and show in your pics. Your pictures are the only thing on the whole internet that show the same thing he is having! I think my boy is too old for it to be related to his puppy coat, we did a full thyroid panel and blood work and everything came back totally normal, the vet has no idea, and it is mid-winter in New Hampshire -- not a time when a dog should be losing hair. I know this chain was from a long time ago, but I'd really appreciate a response if you get this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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