Hi.. I was hoping for any advice & feed back people can give me on possible thyroid problem in my 2 year old basenji. We went to the vet 2 days ago becasue Sonny has been having accidents in the house & over the past 2 months he has been demonstrating unprovoked bouts of aggression. My boy is typically the most sweet lovable cuddle bug you could ever meet. His behavior recently has been so out of character but has been escalating. At the vet I found out he had a UTI infection & his blood work showed a cholesterol level of 304. Sonny has also gained another 2 pounds in just 9 weeks after cutting down his food during that same period.
We will be running a full thyroid panel in 2 weeks after he finished the antibiotic for the UTI. My vet did not feel his unexplained aggression would have anything to do with his thyroid but I've read alot of things since then saying it most definately can be a sign of a thyroid problem.
Has anyone experienced agrression problems related to a thyroid disorder?
Aggression is very common in thyroid issues..so you very well might be on the right track.
Here is a good article about it..
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-BEHV-THYROID.HTM
It is not uncommon that you see temperament problems with Low Thyroid, not that it can explain all aggression problems, but certain can and does contribute to them. Also the fact of the UTI can bring on problems, as obviously they are not feeling well.
Years ago there was a dog that came into rescue here in No California, she had issues with aggression towards people, even her own people. We did find her breeder (a BYB) and the dog was returned to her. We advised that she (the breeder) might want to check her thyroid and see if that might be the problem. Sure enough it was very low, once put on the meds, she was totally fine. Then the breeder decided to take her off the thyroid meds and see what happened because she could not believe the change and within 24 hours the dog reverted totally back to being aggressive …..
As others have stated, aggression has been linked to hypothyroidism. When their thyroids are out of whack they don't feel very well and just like some people become short tempered when they are feeling sick, some dogs do too. It probably does not help that he also has the UTI which is probably making him feel even worse.
I don't have any experience with dogs and hypothyroidism, but my dad takes replacement thyroid. He gets right surly if when he misses a pill. I would imagine dogs can't be that much different. They are mammals, after all.
The low thyroid and the UTI can understandably make him feel quiet irritable. That UTI is really painful! I had a male R/W that had both at one time and one day he felt so bad he ripped up a a large chair cushion into many pieces. He was not a destructive dog either.
Just read this post. Yes, aggression problems, depression, urination/defication issues, tragic expression, weight loss/gain, hair loss, brittle hair, short hair, oily skin, dry skin. I could go on and on. I have a list from Dr Dodds somewhere, I'll see if I can find it. And when you do get the thyroid panel back, just because the lab states it's within normal range, doesn't mean it's in normal range for your breed or dog. It may be a day or two until I find Dr. Dodds rundown of symptoms.
Here' the list.
Lethargy,
Mood swings,
Aggression,
Loss of energy,
Vestibular (ear) disease,
Poor coat, scaly skin,
Hypo pigmentation,
Body odor,
Skin lesions,
Weight gain,
Weight loss, picky eater,
Seizures,
Sterility,
Testicular atrophy,
Aspermia,
Absence of heat cycles,
Too many heat cycles,
Prolonged interestrus,
Pseudopregnancy,
Reproductive failure,
Re-absorption of fetus,
Joint problems,
Slow heart rate,
Stiff or slow movement,
Dragging front feet,
Head tilt,
Tragic expression/facial paralysis,
Balance problems,
Frequent vomiting,
Diarrhea,
Cardio-myopathy,
Megaesophagus,
Ruptured knee ligaments,
Corneal ulcers,
Dry eye syndrome,
High cholesterol,
Atherosclerosis,
Cold intolerance,
Heat intolerance,
Exercise intolerance,
Chronic infections,
Anemia,
Low white blood cell count,
Bone marrow failure,
Chronic hepatitis, etc.
About the only thing not thyroid related would be being hit by a meteor!
And .15 mg of thyroid med twice a day makes a huge difference to my dog.
Add to Dan's list
mental dullness
stunted growth
polyneuropathy
weakness
hyperexcitability
incontinence
muscle wasting
drooping eyelids
pyoderma or skin infections
bilaterally symmetrical hair loss
seborrhea with greasy or dry skin
lack of libido
cardiac arrhythmias
constipation
diarrhea
inflammatory bowel disease
flatulence
bleeding issues
corneal lipid deposits
infections of eyelid glands
uveitis (infection of the eye)
igA deficiency (immunoglobulin deficiency)
loss of tast
endorcrinopathies - adrenal, pancreatic, parathyroid
loss of smell
glycosuria (glucose present in urine)
I think between Dan and I we have it about covered, but they are adding new symptoms all the time.
Macpack-you have it about right! Actually, I think your chances of being hit by a meteor are nonexistent to the syptoms of thyroiditis!
