One of girls that I was growing coat on to show as an adult suddenly gained 3.5 lbs in less than 3 months. Thinking somehow she was bred I had x-rays and took her to a vet. They found nothing. I was told she was fat, put her on a diet and give her exercise. This was back in January. Since that time I did control her eating, walked her and made sure she was getting enough exercise. Her weight now 9.9 lbs ( she used to weigh 6 lbs soaking wet) is affecting her breathing.....she grunts and groans and carrys on. Again concerned because we thought she was coming into season, she bled and swelled just 2 days and poof.....stopped. She has done this twice since January. I took her back to the vets and told him I wanted a thyroid test done.
He felt she had pyo.......she just turned 2 years old in May. Convinced she had an infection I agreed to having other bloodwork done as well. I kept saying she did not have an infection. I was right, no infection and a thyroid level of .3. It should be up over 1.4-3.4 to be normal. The only symptoms was the weight gain, however she does have dark pigment in her skin.
The following are signs and symptoms of hypothyroid.
Lethargy/mental dullness, Hair loss, Weight gain/obesity, Dry hair coat/excessive shedding
Hyperpigmentation of the skin, Cold intolerance, Slow heart rate, High blood cholesterol
Anemia
It is rare to see hypothroidism in toy dogs. With medication she should drop her weight and we should be able to add her to being a mommy her at TMY some day. Hope this helps someone out there.........Holly
