Current+News+on+Hypothyroidism

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Not only do humans get hypothyroidism, but animals too are affected. Horses, cats, dogs...They are all just examples of who do get affected, but here we are going to focus on dogs and how they are affected with hypothyroidism. . [|http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_hypothyroidism.html] Unlike humans, the thyroid gland for dogs are not in a 'H' shape around the trachea. Instead, it is positioned on either sides of the trachea. Half o the thyroid gland for dogs make 'T3', while the other half makes 'T4'. Unfortunately for dogs, since their body is use to having their body tissues supply half of the T3, and their thyroid gland the other half, a low producing thyroid gland will impact them more. Human thyroid glands are fortunate enough to only have to supply their body with 20% of T3 since their body tissues supply the rest of the 80%.

Like humans, since every body cell can be affected by low supply of hormone, it is not surprising that multiple different symptoms can occur. Here are the most common symptoms in dogs: Quiz Question: What are 5 hypothyroid effects on dogs, and why are they more unlucky that a human that is hypothyroid?
 * 88% had some kind of skin abnormality.
 * 49% were obese
 * 48% were described as lazy or listless at home
 * 40% had hair loss (often this starts on the tail leading to a "rat tail" appearance or a bald area around the collar is created)
 * 36% were anemic (had a reduced number of red blood cells due to slowed red blood cell production in the bone marrow)
 * 26% have abnormal rhythms or a slow heart rate (still not clear to scientists/doctors how it effects overall lifestyle)
 * 22% had skin infection (often dogs are scaly or smelly due to an excessively oily coat)
 * 14% had a brittle or dry coats (often the outer hairs break off leaving a short, softer coat, classically described as a "puppy-like coat")
 * 2-4% have different types of nerve problems like
 * Polyneuropathy-where nerves simply do not conduct electrical impulses normally. (This may account for some of the general weakness and listlessness seen in hypothyroidism)
 *  Focal Neuropathy-where single nerves can get entrapped as they exit the skull or spinal cord as they (like other tissues) start swelling. Pressure on these nerves can lead to paralysis of the facial muscles and/or head tilt, bizarre eye motions and balance disruption.
 * Central Nervous System- where abnormal electrical conduction happen within nerves. Signs that show this are ataxia (drunken gait), hemiparesis (weakness in front and back legs on the same side of the body), hypermetria (inappropriate measurement of steps), head tilt, circling & cranial nerve abnormalities. Even though it is rare, myxedema is know to occur in the brain's tissue.
 * High blood cholesterol levels are also considered a common finding of hypothyroidism.
 * Myxedema-or the thickening of some tissues (usually happens in the face of the head. The skin in particular thickens leading to more skin folds and what is classically referred to as a “tragic face.”)
 * Corneal dystrophy-an abnormal change in the clear covering of the eye. Usually this is represented as a small white spot (sometimes a white circle) on the eye surface. Corneal dystrophy, at this degree it is only a cosmetic problem and does not interfere with vision, but in more severe forms. It includes painful bubbles which can erupt on the corneal surface leading to ulceration.