Canine hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid doesn’t produce enough of the hormone essential for healthy function. It is one of the most common hormone imbalances that dogs suffer from. However, by using a system of natural dogs health care, you can prevent and resolve it.
Canine hypothyroidism normally occurs in the older dog. It is more common in certain breeds, such as the Great Dane, the Boxer, the Doberman pinscher and the Golden retriever.
Although all diseases indicate a struggling immune system, this disease shows a deeper immune disorder than many common canine diseases. For this reason, it is also called canine autoimmune thyroiditis or canine Hashimoto’s disease.
The most common symptom is a decrease in energy and the metabolism. This can lead to weight gain, even obesity. The slower metabolic rate means the dog has a decreased heart rate and perhaps an abnormal heart rhythm. Anaemia may also occur. Other parts affected are the skin and the hair. Skin eruptions appear and the coat becomes dry. There may be hair loss.
Recurring ear infections are common. Behaviour can be affected, causing either uncharacteristic depression or aggression. In severe cases, seizures can occur. The head may be tilted.
Veterinary diagnosis is normally via a blood test. If the T4 cell count is low, it indicates this condition. However this test is not in itself conclusive. High levels of TSH in the blood are also indicative. Medication can skew the readings and other diseases have similar symptoms.
There is no veterinary solution for canine thypothyroidism, so the treatment simply involves its management. However, as with all medications, treatment is liver toxic and suppresses the immune system. This means that your dog’s overall health will decline over time.
One of the main, and frequently overlooked, causes of any disease is commercial dog food. This is inherently of poor quality food (whatever the price tag) as all the quality food is channelled to the more lucrative human food. As with anyone, if you consistently eat poor quality food, your health will suffer.
It’s not just the poor quality food that makes commercial dog food so harmful. It is also full of chemicals that are used to increase the nutrient content (with synthetic supplements), colour, flavour, make the desired texture, make it appetising and give the food a long shelf life.
A long shelf life for any product is great news for the manufacturer and for the retailer, but is bad news for your dog.
There are two things you can do to successfully treat canine hypothyroidism and to prevent it recurring. And these are both within a protocol of natural dogs health care. The first thing is to feed a quality, natural diet. And the second thing is to treat your dog with a natural, safe, effective system of medicine which has no side effects and boosts your dog’s immune system. Perhaps the only system of health care that can achieve all that is homeopathy.
