One of my Golden's is 4 1/2 years old. He has the large, box-head build so he is a pretty big boy. Within the last year I noticed he could not seem to keep off the few extra pounds he has put on. He has always been a very low key dog, even to the point where he does not really want to exercise unless it involves chasing a squirrel. So I figured I would get his thyroid tested. The results came back that he has an underactive thyroid.

When I spoke to the breeder I got him from she said Golden's typically have readings on the lower range of the thyroid test and if he is not having severe symptoms to think about whether or not I want to keep him on the medication. I'm wondering if anyone else has had experience with this problem. I want to do what is best for him but don't really want to keep him on medication the rest of his life if it is not necessary.

 

Forget about the breeder, what's the vet say?

 

Hi Hammylinky,

I have a husky with a hypo-active thyroid and she takes Soloxine. It's a small pill that we break in half and just put in her food. Unfortunately her case was severe as the thyroid problem had been neglected for about 4 years. As a result of the neglect, much of her hair fell out and what remained was like wire, she became morbidly obese to the point that she could barely walk, developed diabetes from the untreated thyroid and became blind from the untreated diabetes. I'm telling you this so you can see where the progression can lead to if the thyroid remains untreated. All that happened over the span of about 4 years. Her owners were very elderly and ill.

I rescued her last February and the vet started her on two pills a day. Over time she is down to 1/2 pill once a day. Your vet will probably take blood every 30 to 120 days until your dog's levels become stable. How your dog responds and your feedback can often lead to a reduction of the meds, or even elimination for a while. When I noticed that she seemed constantly hungry and was at her ideal weight (after losing 30 pounds - more then half her body weight), I told the vet and we did another blood level. We then reduced the meds to 1/2 pill once a day and she's doing just fine! She may eventually improve to the point that we might be able to stop the meds or reduce them even more, but the levels and the dog's behavior needs to be monitored. If you notice your dog taking a greater interest in life then share that with your vet. Thyroid levels should be checked at least once a year.

Now that all is under control she wags her tail, can scratch an itch, plays with my other dogs and has become interested in life again and we've decided to keep her. We've already spent about $1500 in less then a year to restore her health and will need another $2300 to restore her sight. I've been raising the money for the surgery to restore her sight. The insulin runs about $30 a month. The thyroid pills are about $6.00 a month. So, if medical bills motivate you, that's what the scenario of a neglected thyroid condition can lead to for the cost of a few pills. Had her former owners done that she probably would never have developed diabetes and gone blind.

Btw, I knew the elderly couple and had begged them to take her to the vet and have her thyroid tested. I noticed on my visits that her food bowl always had untouched food in it and she seemed lethargic and was obese.

I hope that helps,
Newt

 

Newt, that helps a lot, thanks! Thankfully my Golden's symptoms are very minor in comparison. He is maybe 5 lbs overweight, has not experienced any hair loss and never-ever turns down any food. He will still play with his older Golden brother but will never be the typical "bouncing off the walls" Golden that his brother is.

My vet prescribed thyroid medication and he is scheduled to be retested in 60 days. Hopefully I will start to see some changes with him.

 

Hammylinky, I'm glad that helped you and your dog. I too don't like to give meds when it's not necessary, but sometimes life happens. I'm glad you made the decision to do this for him.

Here's to lots of happy wagging tails,
Newt