Since studies have shown a definite link between the Cholestrol level and T4 in dogs, your veterinarian should also request a cholestrol level from the SAME blood samples. With the addition of this test, you may detect early thyroid disease before any clinical symptoms are apparent. Contributed by Alyson Lockwood. May be reproduced without permission. Canine Hypothyroidism Induced by Commonly Used Drug Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that a drug commonly used to treat dogs for bacterial infections induces hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is the most common endrocine disease affecting dogs.
Signs of hypothyroidism include reduced activity, hair loss, recurrent infections, infertility, intolerance of cold, and weight gain. Blood tests are commonly used to measure the concentration of thyroid hormones. Dogs with low levels of thyroid hormone are often treated with life-long supplementation of thyroid hormones. While thyroid blood tests are easy to do, they are not always an accurate reflection of a dog's ability to produce thyroid hormones. According to Dr. Campbell, drugs may interfere with the response of the thyroid gland to the TSH simulation test resulting in an inaccurate test.