My dog has skin issues & seizures. Should I treat low thyroid first?

Dogs that are hypothyroid have a deficiency of thyroid hormone which can cause the symptoms you describe as well as lethargy, weight gain, etc. Replacing with thyroid hormone is the only way to treat the problem, and it is necessary to confirm that she is indeed hypothyroid before starting treatment. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be given at home.

I'm so sorry that Duke is doing poorly. Unfortunately skin problems can be very difficult to diagnose and treat because they often look the same on exam and require further testing for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. If Duke has a low thyroid level, then he will need thyroid medication for the rest of his life. I have attached more information on hypothyroidism below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=461 Unfortunately, hair loss can be caused by a huge variety of hormonal and skin problems. Below is a handout that discusses another hormonal disease that can affect the skin called Cushing's disease. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1551 If Duke is itchy, I would also recommend that your veterinarian perform a skin cytology to evaluate for secondary bacterial or yeast infection which is very common with hormonal diseases. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=466 I think you will likely need to have your vet recheck Duke's skin, recheck his blood work, and possibly do additional testing to determine the best treatment for Duke. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

If it's a thyroid problem, then this will eventually get better once she starts treatment. In the meantime, you can help by giving a bath with a medicated shampoo followed by a conditioner with the active ingredient of phytosphingosine. The product at the link below would be ideal. https://www.amazon.com/Douxo-Chlorhexidine-Shampoo-16-9-oz/dp/B000O1HEJ0 I hope that helps and all is well with Mya.

If I'm reading this correctly, it says Covo is hyperthyroid which is very rare in dogs. I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian if retesting is needed to make sure there was not a lab error. Here is a link about thyroid abnormalities: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/thyroid-disease-in-dogs/ Hyperthyroidism is very rare in dogs and skin disorders are not commonly associated with the condition. The most common causes of persistent itching are allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the itching should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Continue to use the elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Yogi! I'm sorry to hear that he's having this problem. Seizures can be difficult to control in some dogs, unfortunately. Hypothyroidism would be relatively unusual in a four-year-old dog, but it's always a possibility if you're seeing low total T4 levels on his screening test. You're correct that this can be caused by phenobarbital, but could also be due to true hyperthyroidism. The best way to sort this out is by having a full thyroid panel checked - there's a value called the "free T4," in particular, that's very helpful in distinguising true hypothyroidism from a low total T4 caused by medication. Seizures would not be a common symptoms of hypothyroidism, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have this checked out, and get him started on thyroid meds if the testing indicates he needs them.

A low thyroid can be due to hypothyroidism or euthyroid sick syndrome. Euthyroid sick syndrome is where the thyroid is artificially low due to something else going on in the pet like skin issues. The thyroid level Depends on the lab they use. Usually 0.9is the low end of normal (0.7) still normal. Your vet could run a free t4 or tsh for more information and confirmation of hypothyroidism

Hello. If your veterinarian has not checked Moka's thyroid levels, then yes this needs to be looked at. Otherwise, this is a good fatty acid supplement, but it can take 6-8 weeks to see results after a supplement is started. If this does not work, she may need some additional testing. You can ask your veterinarian if there are any veterinary dermatologist specialists in your country. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.