Hypothyroidism and Working dogs

[Red White and Black]

Greetings,

I'm new to these forums and I've been reading on some of the health topics but haven't seen much posted regarding hypothyroidism in BCs. We are awaiting test results on our boy, but suspect that it's a thyroid problem - poor coat, weight gain, general change in carriage and energy level. We should know this week if our suspicions are correct.

In the meantime, I'd be interested to hear from other owners who may have experienced this in their borders and once the dogs are medicated if the dogs are still comfortable in continuing with training and trialing, particularly on stock. (We know they are are all willing, so that can't be a factor!)

This dog is scheduled to enter a number of trials this fall but with the intense heat this year on the prairies we haven't been training due to his heat intolerance (long-time issue), but as soon as it cools a bit we wanted to get him out working again. If he indeed has hypothyroidsim and we begin medication, we expect to see his energy levels rise again, but should we really be planning to trial this dog this year?

His health and welfare is by far more important than trialling, and it would be beneficial to hear of other people's experiences as we don't know of anyone with a border collie with hypothyroidsim.

 

Thanks.

[workindogs]

My old Open dog Black was hypothyroid at around 7 years. His symptoms of quick exhaustion in work were apparent before any other on physically visible symptoms. Hard work really hi-lights subtle health problems before they are physically visible on a pet dog. He was put on thyroxine and was good as new shortly afterward...and continued farm work and trialing for another couple of years. We adjusted his dosage once when he seemed to be exhausting too soon....and was once again back on the job.

Later on at around 9 yrs, he became easily exhausted and it was his heart....he was retired from work.

I miss him alot...he was a great partner and working dog.

[workindogs]

I know other trialing/farm dogs that were diagnosed hypothyroid and returned (immediately) to work after going on medication.

 

Fortunately, it's a very easy fix.

[Red White and Black]

Well, that's a relief to hear that dogs your dog bounced back after starting meds. Our dog is only six and in the last couple of months he's looking like a very old dog. It's obvious that there's something wrong and hypothyroidism sounds like a very manageble disease.

 

I appreciate the answer and I'll update this thread when I know more.

 

Thanks.

[Red White and Black]

As it turns out his thyroid is normal, and I feel confident about the results because the bloodwork was sent to Hemopet Labs in California. So, we're going to continue to watch him for something we can attribute to allergies or something else we haven't thought of. We did notice that his energy and attitude improved a bit when we got a week of cooler temps, but now it's back up there again.

[gcv-border]

As you indicate, it may be his heat intolerance, but have you considered tick-borne diseases? What is your situation in your area with tick exposure? I don't usually associate weight gain with TBD, but lack of energy, change of demeanor and poor appetite are general changes that can indicate early stages of TBD (unfortunately, they are also indicative of other diseases).

 

Good Luck in determining the cause of your dog's problems.

 

Jovi