Can dogs suffer with overactive thyroids?  Im really worried about Fagan, he eats well and has loads of energy and even looks healthy but he is so skinny, he weighs 30kg but is just skin and bone and has hardly any coat, but what he does have is shiney enough.  He also usually has really bad wind but always has perfect poos !!  Ive tried different foods to put weight on him but nothing seems to work.  Im now feeding him 3 times a day to try to get more in him.  I was wondering if maybe he had an issue such as an overactive thyroid and whether a trip to the vets for some blood tests would be worth it.  He is 3 now and just hasnt filled out like I hoped he would.

Yes there are two types of thyroid disorder
Hypothyroidism, which causes the dog to gain weight
Hyperthyroidism, which causes wieght loss.

I have just done a google search and found this information.
But if I were you I would take him to the vet just to be on the safe side !! because if it is thyroid it is better to get it sorted out sooner rather than later :-)

Just to say hypothyroidism can also cause weight loss although obviosuly the norm is to gain weight. We have a bitch who mainly had a bad coat/skin which was unusual for her but in hyndsight was also lythargic/loosing weight who when tested came back as hypothyroid.

Hyper activity can also be another symptom of a problem - although not always (we had a very hyper active male tested several years before out bitch because he was so crazy with other issues but did come back clear and it was just him)

I think we will pay a visit to the vets, thank you :)

I believe Addison's disease can cause weight loss, but there are other symptoms of ill health.

You see he is fine in himself, in fact is rarely ill, just a very occasional stomach upset.  He is really confident and too outgoing :rolleyes:  Im just not comfortable with how skinny he is. 

Hi Claire, you could be describing an Irish Setter I had in the past. He too was a bag of bones, very very windy, but really active, rarely poorly, very happy in himself, just very very thin. I used to say you could play the piano on his ribs. My husband used to say that the RSPCA could be forgiven for thinking we didn't feed him. He was a fussy eater as a puppy, but became better over time, but he wouldn't allow me to feed him up though

I think you are right to have your boy looked at by the Vet, I just was of the opinion that Cassidy was healthy enough because he was happy active and never ailed anything. At 5 years old, I lost him to bloat, I'll never know whether there was something the Vet could have diagnosed earlier.

I haven't told you all this to frighten you, just to encourage you to take Fagin to the vet, I'm sure he'll be fine, I have regrets about Cassidy, you don't need to have them too. :)

Dawn R.

Ebony, my 6 year old male grey, developed a bad coat/skin and was also losing weight and he tested as hypothyroid rather than hyperthyroid. We also had him checked for the adrenal diseases - Cushings and Addisons - his ACTH stimulation test was inconclusive so he had to have a another 8 hour test but that was all normal. He's been on soloxine for 4 weeks now and the change in him physically and mentally is amazing - his coat also looks great and all the bald bits have grown back in! If you get the thyroid function test done, don't just rely on a T4 reading - ask for a T4, free T4 and TSH test too, as some breeds (greyhounds in particular!) have very low T4 anyway and in most dogs they can be pushed low by stress - i.e., going to the scary vet place

I'd get Fagan checked out at the vets! 

Some symptoms of an over active thyroid: weight loss, boundless energy and clumsiness, hair loss, itchy skin, and then fatigue, and sometimes eyes can appear bulbous, not sure if they symptoms would be the same for dogs as humans.
The symptoms of an under active thyroid can be weight gain, (with poor appetite) lethargy, hair loss, constipation, itchy dry skin.

Although from what you say Fagan seems really active and may just be a very slim boy! 

  

Eek you've just described Jack my cat!       I keep looking at him and wondering.  I know he is at the teenage gangles but he eats 3 meals a day, has access to complete food all day, doesn't sleep a lot, has huge eyes, his coat has never got the density a British should have even over winter and he looks so clapped in especially in the loin.  And the occasional upset tum like Claire's Fagan, even though I never change his diet.

Maybe get Jack checked out too?

Again he could just be a healthy slim boy!

Another symptom with over active thyroid is heat intolerance,  and under active is cold intolerance - not sure how you can tell on pets though!

I've just found this and I can answer yes to most of the symptoms with Jack.   There was also another link saying infertility...might explain why Zelli isn't pregnant & the other cat he supposedly covered too.

What are the symptoms of hyperthyroidism in cats?

Weight loss (typical, but not always)
Increased appetite without weight gain
Vomiting and diarrhea
Increased energy and friskiness
More vocalization
Demanding food more frequently
Drinking more water
More frequent urination
Decreased appetite (less common, but can be a symptom)
Decreased activity (less common, but can be a symptom)
Weakness (less common, but can be a symptom)
Labored breathing and panting (less common, but can be a symptom)

Christine's summed up the clinical signs of hyerthyroidism in cats.  Perhaps I misunderstood but I thought Jack is a young cat and overwhelmingly hyperthyroidism is seen in elderly cats.  I don't think I've ever seen it in a cat under about eight, so I hope Jack's not the exception that proves the rule.

Generally owners bring their cats in to investigate weight loss and though of course we always blood test, often it's easy to spot a hyperthyroid cat.  They tend to be very thin despite a voracious appetite with huge eyes, pupd and tachycardic.  Luckily most cats respond very well to treatment and the medication is not desperately expensive.

Jack is only 19 months old.    However I still think something is amiss with him.   And having read it can cause infertility & lack of libido - Zelli's called twice and she's not pregnant yet and neither is his 'wifelette' in Edinburgh too.

He gets 3 moist meals a day and access to RC Sensible all day most cats would be grossly overweight with that diet and Zelli's certainly a lot fuller looking than he is.

Poor Jack. :-(  Why don't you take him in for a blood test and general check up?  If nothing else it'll put your mind at rest as you're obviously worried.  Good luck and let us know how he goes.

Its poor Zelli, the look of frustration on her face when she's calling with a useless lump like him.    My poor kittenlist people  are running out of patience!   Think I'll get insurance organised!

Hi Clarey. I have an IW who was a very picky eater and he was on the lean side. He is 19mths now and is settled on Pro Purina Plus and Naturesdiet. He eats 2 meals a day now. He weighed 64.7kg's when he wasnt eating much. Took him to the vets 2 weeks ago because he is dripping urine. I asked the vet to weigh him to see how much he had put on and he had dropped to 61.8kg's. anyway he gave him a course of anti biotics because he thought it might be cystitis and to take him back after 3 weeks. If the dripping hadnt stopped he is going to do a blood test which it hasnt. He is like yours to, very active his coat is good and he doesnt look ill in any way. He goes back to the vets on the 18th. Sue.