Thyroid Rules the Body

This seems to be true for both humans and dogs. The thyroid rules the body. It’s not something we realize until it stops working properly, and it’s often difficult to get a diagnosis, at least for humans. Here, from PetMD, are some of the hinky thyroid symptoms for dogs, which are similar symptoms in humans:

Lethargy
Generalized weakness
Inactivity
Mental dullness
Unexplained weight gain
Hair loss (alopecia)
Excessive hair shedding
Poor hair growth
Dry or lusterless haircoat
Excessive scaling
Recurring skin infections
Intolerance to cold
Tilting of head to one side (uncommon)
Seizures (uncommon)
Infertility (uncommon)

According to PetMD, intact dogs are at lesser risk than spayed and neutered dogs. Pop over to their site to look at dog breeds which are at greater risk than others. Fortunately, thyroid issues are usually pretty simple and inexpensive to regulate once you figure things out.

She says. Hesitantly.

My Story

This is strictly anecdotal on my part, but I hear, infrequently, of friends’ dogs being diagnosed with hinky thyroid. The problem seems to be simple and straightforward. Help seems to be forthcoming and seems to work. So if your dog displays the above symptoms, have it tested. Easy and complete are great things in dog health.

Humans? Not so much. There’s a huge community of people who are improperly diagnosed, or incompletely diagnosed. I was one of them for years. Hashimoto’s is a thyroid disease which causes the thyroid to destroy itself, but doesn’t always show up on standard blood tests. It causes all of those symptoms which you see in dogs. I was that sluggish person for years, and doctors kept telling me I was fine, just fat and lazy. I knew I was trying hard not to be, and had been an athlete for years. It wasn’t me.

Once I was diagnosed with Hashis, the medication for it became an issue. Synthetic meds? Or natural desiccated meds? It was trial and error. It seems that all dogs are given the synthetic version, but I’d be willing to bet that a holistic vet might think differently.

Also, in humans, and I’m willing to bet it’s true of dogs, the thyroid is tied into most other systems, including the adrenals. The thyroid and adrenals have to both be in optimal health for either to be in optimal health. Also, the thyroid controls much of the hormones in the body (I’d guess that’s why intact dogs do better), as well as the immune system. Prior to moving to the natural medication, I was sick all the time. Bronchitis, pneumonia – all the time.

How It Works For Me Now

So why am I telling you all of this? Besides possibly saving your dog’s life if it’s showing symptoms, I recently had a run in with my thyroid trying to kill me. Yes, your thyroid can kill you if it goes bad and is left untreated.

Last week was a chemo week (I was diagnosed with a stage three cancer in January and this is my second round of chemo, after surgery this summer). I have three days of chemo every two weeks. It’s intense. It tries to kill me while it’s eradicating cancer cells. In fact, I don’t know that there are any cancer cells left, since that’s what surgery was for. But it’s brutal, chemo is. For two of the three chemo days, I don’t take my thyroid supplements – desiccated, homeopathic drops, adrenal supplements, etc. I’m afraid I’ll throw them all up. So that’s my norm every two weeks.

And then I ran out, a day after I was finished with chemo. I ran out of everything at once. And the naturapath was closed for the weekend. So I went four days without my supplements (I ordered them online), on top of the two days during chemo. It didn’t register until Monday. I was sleeping all day and night. I could barely move when I got up. I just wanted to sleep and not wake up. It felt like chemo gone wild. It was the lack of thyroid medication. A friend of mine was unmedicated for awhile and died in her sleep. It’s quiet, sluggish, insidious. And it will kill.

I say that so, if you or your dog is diagnosed with a hinky thyroid, please don’t stop taking your medicine. Please.

Giveaway

Now that I’ve depressed you all (depression is definitely a side effect of a bad thyroid), you need to know that Jones Natural Chews is giving away one of their very best treat packages – the Bow Wow Boo Bucket! To enter, click this sentence, read the new post that opens, and follow the simple instructions. Your dog wants this treat bucket. You’ll want to dress your dog for Halloween just so you can take it trick or treating using this bucket! It’s seriously that cool.

Hoping that if you see yourself or your dog in this story, you take immediate steps. Your steps are good. Keep moving forward.

Spreading the good treats …

Flea