Episode 125 – Behaviour and Thyroid Disease

This is a big topic, and I really enjoyed diving into it.

I think we can all agree that the outdated notion that low thyroid hormone levels in dogs directly causes aggression is exactly that – outdated.

However, changes or dysregulation in thyroid hormone levels in both dogs and cats can still affect behaviour and this is what I chat about in this episode.

Here are some of the things I mention in the episode:

· The differences in canine and feline thyroid disease

· Causes of hypothyroidism in dogs

· Incidence of hypothyroidism in the canine population

· Hormone cascade regulation

· Clinical signs of hypothyroidism and how these can affect behaviour

I also talk about the complexities of diagnosis of thyroid disease and how this can be influenced by certain medications.

Here are the studies I reference in the episode:

Gulikers, K.P. and Panciera, D.L., 2003. Evaluation of the effects of clomipramine on canine thyroid function tests. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 17(1), pp.44-49.

Radosta, L.A., Shofer, F.S. and Reisner, I.R., 2012. Comparison of thyroid analytes in dogs aggressive to familiar people and in non-aggressive dogs. The Veterinary Journal, 192(3), pp.472-475.

Dodman, N.H., Aronson, L., Cottam, N. and Dodds, J.W., 2013. The effect of thyroid replacement in dogs with suboptimal thyroid function on owner-directed aggression: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 8(4), pp.225-230.

Carter, G.R., Scott-Moncrieff, J.C., Luescher, A.U. and Moore, G., 2009. Serum total thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations in dogs with behavior problems. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 4(6), pp.230-236.

Hrovat, A., De Keuster, T., Kooistra, H.S., Duchateau, L., Oyama, M.A., Peremans, K. and Daminet, S., 2019. Behavior in dogs with spontaneous hypothyroidism during treatment with levothyroxine. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 33(1), pp.64-71.

I really hope you enjoy this episode!

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