Dry skin, thinning hair, habitual grooming, weight gain/loss, allergy-like sniffles are just a few symptoms.

Unfortunately, there are so many symptoms and not every person/animal gets the same combos of issues so it is hard to detect. Also, the standard tests they use to determine malfunction can be inaccurate because you can be producing enough hormones so the blood hormone level appear within range, but the hormones may not be absorbed at the cellular level so they are still thyroid malfunctioned. Kind of like insulin resistance, but having to do with thyroid hormones being absorbed and used by the cells. It is a tuff one, but I know from experience how important it is to get a timely diagnosis.

By the time I was able to get my cats diagnosed (the first vet diagnosed my little girl with a seasonal bacterial infection and prescribed antibiotics, unfortunately he was wrong) it was too late to do any mild maintenance meds. When it persisted, I took her to another vet because she had some of the same symptoms as I did with hypothyroidism and requested they test her for thyroid issues. It was too late to save my little girl as her heart enlarged beyond treatment (per Michigan State) and they recommended she be put down as she was in late stages of heart failure and would suffer.

My boy was showing no symptoms except a little weight loss, but I attributed that to changing their food. After I had to put his sister down I took him in and he too had heart issues, but not quite as bad. He had complications with the thyroid meds (face swelled up) so I had to resort to radioactive iodine therapy. Bad news! He had to be left for a week at the vets, he had heart failure from it, but was revived and then was quarantined for two weeks once home because he was still radioactive to all. It seemed to work, but one year later he developed a tumor in his mouth (I am sure it was from the treatment) and could not endure surgery to remove it so I had to put him down too. $5,000 later and I lost both cats anyway. It broke my heart and my trust in veterinary medicine..

Sorry this was so long, but I wanted to enunciate how important an early diagnosis can be to avoid their archaic treatments as the condition worsens. In hindsight, I should have followed my gut when I felt weird about the first diagnosis, but I gave them misplaced trust. I would also have seen about putting them on a natural thyroid med and declining any macabre modern medicine that made them suffer further. And just letting nature take its course until they had to be put down to prevent suffering. Live and learn, sometimes the hard way.

It may be nothing, but a kitty with a lusty appetite, but then again. It is best to eliminate it from the picture, the earlier the better just in case.

DieselDogs Kennel These can all be signs of thyroid damage. I was recently at MSU and this is what they told me about allergies. A dog/puppy that has skin issues and allergies under 1 yr old probably has a bad thyroid. Dogs older than 1yr that become allergic to things can be attributed generally to environmental or food allergies. Some environmental allergies are genetic and passed down from the mother.

Andrea Thompson: Behavior (beyond being lethargic) can also be influenced by thyroid. It can lead to aggression in some cases.

Disclaimer: The suggestions in this post are based on experience and research. They are not meant to replace proper veterinary care. Carnivore Carry Out assumes no responsibility or liability for the use of the information in this post, as it is provided as a general resource and we are unable to monitor its use with all readers. If you have any concerns about your pet’s health, please contact your holistic veterinarian or other competent professional.