Check your Doodle's Thyroid Function!!

[sheamusmom]

In the past 3 months, 3 of the 8 board members on the rescue group of which I volunteer have found their dogs to be seriously hypothyroid. Hypothyroidism effects all the cells in the body, can cause anxiety, aggression, bizarre behaviors as well as gastrointestinal symptoms, similiar to irritable bowel, and coat changes. If left untreated it disrupts the body's entire endocrine system and leads to premature death.
We've seen 4 doodles in our rescue that were deemed "unadoptable" due to unpredictable behaviors and then shown to be hypothyroid. The latest 2 doodles in our group were fine for a physical exam by the vet yet found to have SEVERE HYPOTHYROIDISM by labwork. Both vets felt the bloodwork was totally unneccesary and were dumbfounded when the results showed virtually no thyroid function in the body at all!! Virtually their entire thyroid glands had been destroyed by their own bodies, an inherited condition called thyroiditis.
Thyroid replacement is a very inexpensive treatment, it needs to be given twice daily and needs periodic bloodwork to follow the response levels.
The vet in New Jersey has about 45 doodles in his practice, ALL have some type of GI symptom or another. He is contacting each family and suggesting they have their doodle's thyroid function tested.
There is very little written about hypothyroidism in dogs in the veterinary literature and nothing written about doodles in particular. We as doodle owners need to educate ourselves and sometimes educate the veterinarian too. Not only do you want your vet to test the TSH, but also the T3 and T4. You want a "full thyroid panel".

[lindamarie]

THANKS, LIZ!!
Wow! You know, even with human beings doctors don't always do a T3 and T4. I just went through this with MY doctor!
How sad.........it's such a simple test and could save these doodles lives!
Thanks so much for posting this.