Hypothyroidism in Rottweiler
Hi:
My 10 year old 85 pound Rottweiler has recently been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. The Vet has prescribed Thyro-tab and it has definitely helped her skin issues and lethargy, but she is often panting-even when it is cool in the house. I want to get her off the "meds" and do something natural. We are doing daily red light therapy, applying ACV (she will not take it orally) and give her frozen coconut oil as treats and adding kelp to her meals. Lots of posts mention Dr Ted's remedy of vitamin A, iodine, magnesium, sea salt, humic acid. Could anyone please tell me the amounts of each that would be suitable for an 85 pound Rotty. Thanks so much!
Earth Clinic
05/21/2021
Hi DKR,
I have a 15+ year old mixed breed dog whose been hypothyroid since he was about 10, like your dog. Yes, he pants too, even in the winter.
Simple fix - I keep a powerful floor fan going. He sleeps right in front of it most of the day and most of the night too and is a very happy pup.
In the summer, I give him a bit of a furcut and keep the house comfortably cool with fans on high and a/c when needed.
I would not mess with natural remedies for hypothyroidism. I tried that for a short time with different forms of iodine (lugol's and kelp), but it didn't work. You need just the right amount for them and that's what the thyro-tabs do. He became incredibly lethargic after just a day on iodine.
I do give him just half the amount of thyro-tabs in the evening because he gets IBS easily and that extra 1/2 tablet tips him over into diarrhea.
By the way, he's doing incredibly well for his age on freeze dried raw food (Small Batch)+ Nupro + Cosamin for joints (human formula)+ my homemade colloidal silver. He's 74 pounds...
P.S. My 15 year old golden retriever also loves the fan on her even in the winter and she's not hypothyroid. Dogs with thick coats love the cool breeze!
DKR,
Aside from the information Deirdre gave you, you might ask your vet to check to see if your dog is zinc deficient which is common in larger breeds such as yours. Signs of zinc deficiency are hair loss, cracks on the nose, lethargy, thickened, cracked or reddened foot pads, chronic digestive issues, redness and weeping between the toes and open crusted skin lesions in the area of the mouth and eyes, but these can occur in other areas and are often mistaken for dermatitis issues. Other issues are an immune system that does not deal well with infections, malfunctioning thyroid gland, up or down appetite which is often accompanied by up or down weight issues, poor hormone balance and sometimes a cough. Chronic digestive issues are also a symptom and vets often mistake this issue for something else as it is easy to confuse signs of zinc deficiency with other health issues, but a good vet should always consider zinc deficiency in larger dogs, especially malamutes and huskies which are known for zinc deficiency because of genetic issues affecting absorption, but larger breeds in general also have the problem.
At severe deficiency the major organs can fail and there can be seizures because the zinc deficiency does not allow taurine to do its job in the brain.
Zinc supplementation can take months to resolve these issues especially if the digestive issues are present because this will slow the uptake of zinc which is a slow process anyway to reach sufficiency. If your vet has not tested her zinc levels, it should definitely be a consideration
Art
DKR,
I forgot to mention in my reply to you that zinc testing may not always fully reflect zinc deficiency depending on the lab testing used, but a good vet with experience can combine the test results with your dog's symptoms to make a more definitive diagnosis of zinc deficiency or insufficiency in your dog.
Art
lansdowne
06/03/2021
Thanks so much for the info. She is doing great on the Thyro Tabs as well as the ACV application on the scruff of her neck as well as her feet (for urination issues). At 10 years old she is back to being a puppy again! She demands going for long morning walks and can't wait to go for a swim in the evening. Her nose is black again, tongue is pink and teeth are now white again (the kelp). She loves the re light therapy and sleeps soundly when the light is applied to the thyroid area. I will order a fan for her today. Thanks for the tips!
