Anyone Out There With an EM w/Low Thyroid

[BigMac]

I am suspecting my EM male, Max 2 1/2, has low thyroid. Does anyone out there have an EM who also has this? What is your protocol? What is/was your expense? What were his/her symptoms? I'd appreciate any info. Thanks!

 

[ElJayBee]

as a former vet tech, i can tell you that hypothyroidism is pretty easy and inexpensive to treat. the most cost involved is in the beginning by doing the thyroid test, then retesting about a month later to make sure the right amount of meds are given, even then, it's not that expensive. the meds are cheap and generally have great results.

why do u suspect he has low thyroid? symptoms include lethargy, weight gain, hyperkeratization of the paw pads and nose, poor skin and hair coat.... that's all i can think of at the moment.

 

[BigMac]

He has hair loss on his hindend, and the hair and skin quality in this general area is poor. He is very sensitive to this area and knits and licks at it all the time. Years ago I had a male molosser mix who had these exact same symptoms and he was diagnosed with low thyroid. Maybe it is something else. I sure hope so. If I can, Ill take a pic.

 

[ElJayBee]

Is the hairloss and irritation at the tail base on the back? If so, I would make sure you don't have ANY fleas. That area is VERY common to have hair loss and irritation with a flea problem. I know they can be hard to find, but if you see little black specks on your dog's skin if you move the hair back, you have fleas. Those tiny black specks are flea feces. Do you have him on a good flea preventative?

If this is not the case, it could be an allergy to something or low thyroid. Allergies are difficult to determine and deal with, but it's easy to check for fleas and easy to check for thyroid problems, so I'd try those two options out first. If no problems with those, you may have yourself an allergic mastiff... if that winds up being the case, I can give you some pointers on that as I have a VERY allergic APBT.

Keep us posted on what you find out and good luck!

 

[BigMac]

No, no fleas. He is kept on Frontline Plus. I'll post as soon as I learn something from the vet. Thanks, ElJayBee!

 

[leelee]

Also could be a yeast infection, especially if there is hair loss and the skin is crusty or any smell coming from it. If he has been on any antibiotics or other drugs which can compromise the immune system and upset the flora balance. It's probably a low thyroid though, which is easily treated.