Thyroid problems are a fairly common occurrence in dogs. Thyroid levels can be high — hyperthyroidism (which is more common in cats than dogs) — or low. Hypothyroidism is fairly common in dogs and is the condition that occurs when not enough thyroid hormone is produced, causing a wide variety of symptoms including trouble with weight gain, hair loss, and skin problems. “The good news is this disease isn’t life-threatening, it’s easy to diagnose with a blood test, and it’s fairly easy and inexpensive to treat. Treatment is typically a thyroid supplement taken daily.” ~ OFA-CHIC
OFA-CHIC has a testing program for thyroid levels to help breeders in selecting the best candidates for future breedings. Please note that thyroid levels can change over a dog’s lifetime, so a single test result has no predictive use regarding future tests.
If your think your dog may have a thyroid issue:
Please talk to your vet, and because thyroid conditions are believed to have a genetic link, be very sure to keep your breeder in the loop as well.