Canine hypothyroidism: avoiding over diagnosing the condition

In Pract. Mar 2022;44(2):68-75. 22 Refs

Susanna Spence¹

¹ North Downs Specialist Referrals, Bletchingley RH1 4QP, UK.

Author Abstract

Background: Hypothyroidism is one of the most commonly treated endocrine disorders in dogs; however, the diagnosis of this condition can be challenging, potentially leading to misdiagnosis. The clinical signs of hypothyroidism are vague and non-specific, as are the routine haematological and biochemical changes. When assessing the thyroid axis, the classical finding of decreased total thyroxine and increased thyroid-stimulating hormone is highly specific for the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, but has less good sensitivity. Although numerous other tests are available, a basic understanding of thyroid gland physiology and thyroid test methodology is needed to be able to use each test and interpret the results correctly.

Aim of the article: This article discusses how to confidently diagnose the condition, explaining how clinicians need to consider the clinical signs, routine clinicopathological changes and thyroid hormone concentrations together, rather than in isolation.

Article Tools:

Email to me

Archives Highlights:

The Most Common Environmental Risk Factors for Equine Asthma-A Narrative Review.
The symptoms of equine asthma are typical of respiratory inflammations, and they include coughing, nasal discharge, and breathing difficulty even at rest in horses with severe asthma. BALF and tracheal wash analyses are the most popular methods of diagnosing equine asthma. Inadequate housing conditions undoubtedly increase the risk of asthma.

Investigation of maternal mortality and stillbirth in feline dystocia after emergency obstetric care interventions: a retrospective analysis.
Medical treatment was successful in 17% of patients, and 83% underwent surgical treatment for dystocia. Ovariohysterectomy (59%) was the most common surgical method, followed by conservative caesarean section (35%).

Effective treatment with afoxolaner (NexGard) of Trixacarus caviae in a pet guinea pig.
The animal was treated with a single oral dose of 2.50 mg/kg afoxolaner, and the lesions, presence/absence of mites, and intensity of pruritus were evaluated periodically until 2 months post-treatment. A week after the medication, the lesions were milder, but pruritus was still present and was attributed to the healing process. Further examinations showed significant improvement with the complete remission of clinical signs and no mites at the microscopic examination after 4 weeks.

Effects of intranasal maropitant on clinical signs of naturally acquired upper respiratory disease in shelter cats.
There was no significant difference in clinical improvement score between the maropitant treatment and control groups for conjunctivitis, blepharospasm, ocular discharge, nasal discharge, or total disease severity after 7 days.

Limb amputation for feline appendicular bone tumors results in excellent recovery outcomes and high owner satisfaction with a low incidence of complications.
Time to return to walking without support was < 3 days in 69.7% of cats and 3 to 7 days in 16.7%. Activity level changes were reported as no change in 75.8% of cats. There were no behavioral changes in 92.3% of cats. Quality of life following amputation was recorded as excellent in 82.4% of cats. Owner satisfaction was reported as very satisfied, moderately satisfied, or satisfied in 98.5% of cats.