Sheltie: When Hypothyroidism Strikes

A sheltie is expected to live for 10 to 15 years as long as proper care is provided. However, much is your desire to keep your sheltie fit, inevitable circumstances may appear along the way and eventually affect your pet's health and life negatively. Shelties from reputable breeders are less likely to develop health issues however, some lines may be susceptible to diseases, one of which is hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism, as the name implies, is a disorder associated with thyroid gland. This thyroid gland secretes thyroid hormone that is known to regulate a dog's metabollic rate. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland is unable to produce enough thyroid hormone due to the attacks made by dog's immune system to the tissues of the thyroid gland. This therefore decreases the dog's metabollic rate. While thyroid disorders are often considered as genetic diseases, environmental factors such as pollutants and allergies may also trigger the disorder.

To determine if your sheltie is affected by hypothyroidism, here are some symptoms to watch out:
- Lethargy
- Weight gain
- Decreased activity and unwillingness to play and exercise
- Mental dullness
- Behavior changes such as aggression, head tilt, seizures and anxiety
- Skin problems such as sry skin, bacterial infections of the skin and hyperpigmentation where hair loss has occured
- Dry hair coat, hairloss (alopecia) especially on the trunk, tail and around the neck
- Chronic ear infections
- Cold intolerance

There are various methods used to diagnose hypothyroidism. However it is important that all diagnosis must begin with examination by looking for clinical signs of hypothyroidism as well as taking history of the dog. If hypothyroidism is suspected, it must be confirmed through tests such as:
- Baseline T4 Test or Total T4 (TT4)
- Baseline TSH Test
- Free T4 by Radio Immunoassay (RIA)
- Free T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis (ED)
- Baseline T3 Test
- TSH Response Test

Treatment of hypothyroidism consists of levothyroxine. Levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid hormone, can be given twice daily to replace the dog's hormone. Dosage maybe dropped to once a day if positive results start to appear.

Richard Cussons knows how to keep a sheltie healthy. Check out his site at sheltiesavvy.com to learn more about this breed and to discover how to become successful in training a sheltie.