Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Canine hypothyroidism: a review of aetiology and diagnosis.
- Journal:
- New Zealand veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2011
- Authors:
- Mooney, C T
- Affiliation:
- School of Agriculture
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Hypothyroidism is a common hormonal problem in dogs that can cause various health issues, making it important to diagnose correctly. However, figuring out if a dog truly has hypothyroidism can be tricky because some test results that suggest hypothyroidism can also appear in dogs with normal thyroid function. Recently, new tests have been developed that help veterinarians better distinguish between hypothyroidism and other similar conditions. These advancements have greatly improved our understanding of this disorder in dogs.
Abstract
Hypothyroidism is recognised as an important endocrine disorder of dogs, and a frequent differential for numerous presenting complaints. Its diagnosis has never been straight forward as results suggestive of hypothyroidism can occur for a variety of reasons in dogs with normal thyroid function (euthyroid). As a consequence, the accurate investigation of hypothyroidism has been hindered by the potential inclusion of a number of cases not truly hypothyroid. In recent years, the development of newer diagnostic tests, e.g. free thyroxine, canine thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroglobulin autoantibodies, has significantly improved our ability to reliably differentiate hypothyroidism from other clinically similar disorders. This has led to a marked increase in our knowledge of the phenotypic, genotypic and aetiological aspects of this disorder in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21541883/