1. All animals are not the same: young have higher thyroid levels old have lower levels small and toy dog breeds gave higher levels large and giant dog breeds have lower levels sighthound breeds have lower levels 2. Most common endocrine disorder of dogs 3. Most common endocrine disorder older cats after diabetes 4. Thyroid…
Myasthenia Gravis is a deficiency of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, that results in a neuromuscular junction dysfunction. Think of it like talking to toddlers: they do not have enough words to communicate effectively. In this instance, there is not enough acetylcholine sending vital information from the nerves to the muscles. This results in muscle weakness of…
In June 2013, the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association published a study called “Prevalence of inherited disorders among mixed-breed and purebred dogs: 27,254 cases (1995–2010)” that was compiled by The University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (UC Davis). The researchers searched all of UC Davis’ medical records for confirmed diagnoses of inheritable diseases…
Just because your dog doesn’t smell like a bag of corn chips; he still could have a yeast infection. And, if your dog does smell like a bag of corn chips, he more than likely has a yeast infection. Yeast (fungi) and bacteria are commonly found on all bodies. In fact, they are…
Wheezing? Raspy? Rattling noise? Panting more heavily than usual? Loud panting? Pitch or volume changes to your dog’s bark? Oftentimes, we attribute these stridor and other sounds to old age, allergies, or heat. It could be one of these conditions. The problem is we may become accustomed to the slow progression of changes that actually…
If you google “tracheal collapse vs. reverse sneezing in dogs”, you will see thousands of videos demonstrating the coughing difference between the two conditions. Truth be told, I only saw two videos that clearly distinguished the two – and I’m a vet! The problems are: both conditions can produce slightly different but similar coughing sounds;…
Hypothyroidism can be an effect of, or impetus for, several secondary diseases and dysfunctions. Whether or not hypothyroidism is the singular cause or due to multiple factors depends on the dysfunction in question. To complicate matters, not all hypothyroid patients develop these secondary diseases and most if not all of these conditions can occur without the presence of thyroid dysfunction.…
