i just breed my english bull dog again for the 3rd time she absorbed the last 2 litters the vet put her on thyroid med , is it safe to give her while pregnant when do i test her progesterone levels , that could be why she cant keep pups also , ive been reading alot , any help will be great
lisa in louisiana usa

Hi lisa.
If I had a dog that aborted twice, then I would accept that she was not meant to have pups, and enjoy her, while SHE is still healthy.
Dawn.

The vet is the person to ask if its safe to give while pregnant.

Are we talking about Soloxine? It's a well known fact (to those of us with an underactive thyroid like myself, anyhow!) that it is very difficult to start or maintain a pregnancy if you are hypothyroid, so the levels of T3 and T4 have to be within a certain range for pregnancy to occur at all. So it's logical to keep taking the tablets!

Talk with your vet, obviously. In humans, the blood levels are monitored regularly to assess the dosage; when we had a flatcoat with the same problem, they tended to assess dosage by her weight and response to treatment, which I felt was nothing like accurate enough. Having said that, she lived a healthy, happy life on Soloxine, and died at 12.5 years . The hypothyroidism was diagnosed when she was about six years old, and had already bred.

I believe there is a hereditary aspect to thyroid problems, and we had bred before it was diagnosed ( with both myself and the bitch!) so it's as well to bear this in mind with any progeny, and to forewarn any potential puppy people if she's in whelp already.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats

I would also have serious reservations, to put it mildly , about breeding with a bitch that had a thyroid problem.

A friend of mine has had two Dobermanns with this problem, and they have lived good lives on thei tablets, one to 12 1/2 and the other is almost 13 now, though hasn't a lot longer left.

The poor bitches hormonal system of which thyroid is part, seems not to be functioning properly, so I think you are best to resign yourself to her pupless state.

I have to agree Brainless, what ever happened to the idea that one only breeds from the best possable stock, ie healthy? Jackie

This is quite often a late onset condition, in which case you may well have bred long before symptoms arise. In humans, quite often comes alongside the menopause, and often misdiagnosed, as all the hormones are interlinked in their actions.

If hypothyroidism is diagnosed at a young age, when breeding may possibly be considered , it's far more likely to have a marked hereditary component (as opposed to general system run-down found in us wrinklies!!!). In early onset diagnosis, breeding is most certainly not advised.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats