Can dogs suffer from thyroid disease?
My 3 year old Jack Russell Terrier acts like he is starving all the time. I feed him alpo canned 1/3 of the can 3 times a day and 1/2 cup dry dog food daily.
User Comments
- Yes, dogs have them, so things can go wrong with their thyroids. Other symptoms of hyperthyroidism, aside from eating ravenously yet still losing weight, include hyperactivity, irritability, racing heart, poor coat, thickened nails.
- Dogs do get thyroid disease I have had 2 that did before. They will need to get a blood test to check for this and if they do have it they will prescribe pills that they take everyday for the rest of their life. Sounds like your dog may have a problem with worms that is making his appetite so out of control. My dogs with thyroid had symptoms of skin and allergy problems and never had appetite issues.
- YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME that list is getting huge makes it hard to figure out what to feed your animals luckily his food is not on the list but the cats is.....ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS
I am going to have his thyroid checked he is supposed to be on a diet yet he is gaining weight
- YES they can. My doberman/great dane mix had a thyroid problem and she got really really fat - we took her to the vet and had to give her these pills (we did it in a piece of cheese or a lump of peanut butter) twice every day and she got normal weight again. Also Alpo is on the recall list you should check that, if your specific one has been recalled then you need to take your dog to the vet NOW. Good luck!
- Yes. Your vet can do a simple blood test to determine if it is underactive thyroid. The medication for it is not very expensive.
- Typical signs of thyroid disease in dogs includes obesity, lethargy, rat tail (loosing hair on tail), sometimes increased thirst and usually occurs with older dogs.
A dog that acts hungry all the time is not a typical clinical sign. If you dog is on steroids like prednisone, or an antihistamine called Temeril-P which has a steroid component, that can cause an increase in hunger. I only say this because JRT's are genetically predisposed to inhaled allergies.
It may be also that your dog is just bored. JRT's are very active dogs. What physical activities do you do with your dog? Lure coursing? Agility? Playing ball? Running? If your dog doesn't get the activity it needs, then he may just settle for eating to death for lack of anything else to do.
You veterinarian can run certain blood tests to see if your dog has hypothyroidism. If you are concerned, then you should have him seen.
- YES they can..Take him to the vet and request the Vet check his thyroid
PLEASE do not feed him Alpo...it is on the recall list...check link below for the mind boggleing list.
I don't know why the link shows that way, but it is
www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts...
/petfoodrecall
If you go to www.working-dog.com they will show you some recipes to make your own so you don't worry..I have a few more, but hafta find them...e-mail me if you would like them
- Yes, dogs can be affected by hyper & hypo thyroidism.
You might want to check on the ALPO canned food. Thought I saw somewhere yesterday about it being on the recall ( can't remember where I saw it), but call the # on the label and ask them.
Sounds like you need to increase the dry food. I would also recommend switching to a QUALITY food with less fillers and junk (by-products) in it. Try Canidae or Innova.