General Medicine

» mythicalpoms - Hypothyroidism and alleriges

Hello, i own and breed pomeranians. Our breed has a high occurence of dogs going bald. More males than females. Some never grow back, some do with help of shampoos....some have cycles that are in coat and then go bald again....

I have a male that lost his hair. Had no hair on body but did on head and legs. I had his thyroid tested and it was quite low. I was shocked as this was a very skinny dog and i didnt think he could be hypo. Anyways, we put him on meds and adjusted them. Nothing happened.

I later switched his food from kibbles to a raw diet. As the food rep told me, he would "cleanse" and the bad would come out....shortly after the switch, he got very itchy, his skin broke out in pimples all over, his skin was dark and felt like sandpaper. Then he got sores and puss all over. This was very hard for me (more so than when he was just bald). The food rep begged me to keep him on the raw..that it had to get worse before it got better.

Well little do you know...6 wks later, he was growing tiny patches of hair. they would grow quickly in lenght but not in width (this was from september to december). Come December, He had a long patch on shoulder, kneecaps, butt cheeks. He was also very skinny and i had a hard time putting weight on him. The food rep told me that it was her belief that his body was using up all the energy from the food to "manufacture" new hair. Well..suddenly, he started putting weight on, and hair started to grow all over his body. Its almost 2 inches long now and it looks totally normal. His neck and the very back of his hind legs is the only thing that really needs to fill but it is starting to come in too. People cannot recognize him or get over how quickly its growing.

Now, at some point, he got way skinny, had urination problems..i suspected maybe his thyroid was now hyper with the meds he was on and suspected that the food was changing his thryoid making it better naturally. I cut back his meds in half then a month later i tested his thyroid and it was up 10 points. After i cut back the meds, the urination problems went away almost immediately.

I suspect now that its even better. He is more playfu, loving, active...and hyper. I do know that he has allergies as his face swells up when he gets his shots and he had to have a vaccine to counteract that ( i dont intend on vaccinating him again). His thyroid tests have always been full panels.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me if it is possible that his allergy to food was causing the low thyroid, or if the low thyroid is more likely to cause the allergies? The only thing that i've done is change his diet by removing all grains. I fed him Eagle back Salmon, Sardine, Anchovies before.

I tend to believe that he is allergic to grain and that removin it from his diet is doing wonders for him more than with just hair.

Not sure if it makes a difference but he started to lose his coat at 11 months....

-- posted by mythicalpoms

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» Elaine Moore - Hypothyroidism and alleriges

In response to Hypothyroidism and alleriges posted by mythicalpoms:
Hi,
Many people and canines with thyroid problems are sensitive to grains. And that could have been part of the problem since those of us with grain sensitivity, particularly gluten sensitivity, produce more thyroid antibodies when our immune systems are dealing with grains.
Studies show that both gliadin antibodies (the antibodies produced in gluten sensitivity, gluten being the protein in wheat, rye and barley) and thyroid antibodies rise when those of us with both gluten sensitivity and thyroid disease eat grains.
I think the hypothyroidism was possibly triggered by the high concentrations of iodine in some commercial feeds, processed foods and the fish products your dog was eating. Iodine triggers autoimmune thyroid disease. All of my boxers have hypothyroidism, and our Daisy had a problem similar to your pom's. She was extremely hypothyroid, became hyperthyroid on meds, adjusted the dose, and now she's on hardly any meds.
She too has excessive urination and excessive thirst when her thyroid levels are too high. In her case, restoring her thyroid function precipitated adrenal insufficiency. This also happens in people.
Our Daisy has always had allergies and once had an anaphylactic reaction to pistachio nuts. Oddly, our son is also allergic to these nuts. Certain breeds are more prone to allergies, and certain breeds are more susceptible to particular autoimmune diseases.
It seems you found the right solution with dietary changes, and the same thing happens with humans although we don't have owners to help us with the discipline needed to follow a dietary approach.
It would be interesting to hear what ingredients are in the raw food product.
Also, I should add that autoimmune thyroid disorders frequently change, with hypothyroidism moving into hyperthyroidism and back, and symptoms changing over time. Dogs are less likely to become hyperthyroid but periods of remission can alternate with periods of symptoms. Best to you, Elaine

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» mythicalpoms - Hypothyroidism and alleriges

In response to Hypothyroidism and alleriges posted by daisyelaine:

Hi, thank you for your response, i will have to re read it as i seem a bit slow at understanding this stuff. LOL

I thought i would post a link to the food that he is on now. Here is their ingredient page link: http://www.homemade4life.com/about.html thanks!

Nady

-- posted by mythicalpoms

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» Elaine Moore - Hypothyroidism and alleriges

In response to Hypothyroidism and alleriges posted by mythicalpoms:
Hi Nady,
The pet food looks excellent and likely has caused your dog's improvement.
The scientific stuff gets pretty confusing but basically chemicals in food such as iodine and preservatives cause the immune system to react. The result is allergies or autoimmune conditions such as hypothyroidism. Another autoimmune disorder that can accompany other disorders is alopecia, which causes hair loss.
Exposure to the things one is allergic to (allergens) makes the autoimmune problem worse,
Diet is a proven treatment, and your story shows how this works in pets as well as humans. Thanks for the link, Elaine

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