VetNet®
VetNet® AIHA discussion forum
VetNet® Forum
Lifelong Learning Network
www.vetnetlln.ac.uk
Veterinary Recruitment
Premier Partner Program
Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - AIHA and Thyroid
| Before Kahlu got diagnosed with AIHA he never had a problem with allergies, skin conditions, overweight or lethargie, something I would connect with Hypothyroidism. I was a bit skeptical when Dr. Dodds recommended to put him on a small dose of Thyroid medication, without having him tested. She said that a test would come back low for sure and given his breed (Standard Poodle) we should put him on a low dose. So that is what we did. After about 8 weeks I started to think, he is on so much medication, maybe we should test this, thinking it would be high. But his T4 (the only one tested) actually came back quite low at 7.2, normal is 12.0 - 51.0. So we increased the Thyro-tabs to 2x 0.5 mg from 2x 0.3 mg. I started to read some articles on line and posts from the archives, but can not make too much sense of it. I came to the following conclusion. The prednisone (and azathioprene) suppresses the adrenal gland, so maybe it also suppresses the thyroid. They are both part of the endocrine system? Or could Kahlu have Hypothyroidism with out having had any symptoms? Could Hypothyroidism be the underlying cause for AIHA? My vet did not have any clear answers for me on this subject. She said, lets just treat what we see. Sorry for this lengthy post, any insight would be appreciated. Best wishes to everybody, Brigitte & Kahlu |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| Brigette, Try reading this paper written by Dr. Dodds: Thyroid Disease and Autoimmune Thyroiditis www.homevet.com/petcare/Dodds%20on%20thyroid.pdf patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Also read this section of this excellent paper: Thyroid Disease and the Immune System http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/ImmuneSystem.htm#Thyroid%20Disease%20and%20the%20Immune%20System |
| Patrice NYS |
| Hi Brigitte, There are many of us here who have dogs that have now developed hypothyroid. Interestingly, my vet didn't realize there was a connection, but on Joanne's site, she mentions it as well. Once Tiggs went on Thyrotabs, his energy skyrocketed, his coat improved drastically, and his PCV even went up slightly. He finally lost a lot of the pesky weight gain that I had attributed to Pred, which probably was more due to the sluggish thyroid. Hope that you see even more improvement with Kahlu on the thyrotabs. melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
| Thanks Patrice and Melissa! It is always good to know that you are not the only one experiencing something.I am pretty sure now, that Kahlu's Hypothyroidism has developed after his AIHA. He certainly did not have any indications of having it before. I found it incredibly interesting that there could be a connection between aggression and thyroid problems. But my boy is pretty balanced in that respect too, so I guess we can blame the prednisone on that one too. So we keep taking it one day at a time and stay positive. Best wishes to everybody and their pups, Brigitte & Kahlu |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| Yeah, in our case, Tiggs was incredibly round and anxious around new people, which was very, very uncharacteristic of him- he's a very happy go lucky kind of guy. Also, his skin was atrocious- oily, dandruff-y, and his skin was black. At first I blamed everything on the meds, but he was so big, he looked like he swallowed a beach ball, or a wine barrel. I'm happy to say after about 2 months on Thyrotabs, he's so much better! Hugs to Kahlu! melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
This thread was discussed between 07/05/2009 and 09/05/2009
Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) forum index
This thread is from the Vetnet archive. The live Vetnet forum is active now.
