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How Your Pet Feels: Can They Have Thyroid Issues Too?

cat or kitten with a blank vertical card sign as a cute feline with a smiling happy expression supporting and communicating a message pertaining to pet health care and welfare

Our pets at home are one of the sources of our happiness; they also serve as one of our stress relievers. It’s great how they can keep your mind and body healthy at some point by just being there for you. When you need someone to talk to, they listen. Aside from that, when you need someone to accompany you anywhere, they go with you.

Our pets exist as if they are also humans. We, on the other hand, treat them as part of our family. Just like humans, they also get sick. Now, what happens when they are the ones who are not feeling well?

We wonder if we failed to tend to any of their needs. We feel their pain, and somehow, we also get affected in so many ways because we consider them as part of our family; someone we also think about and care about.

Animals suffer from various diseases that are similar to what humans experience as well.  They also feel stress, depressed, and restless. When this happens, there’s no other way but to bring them over to a veterinarian.

You’d be surprised to know that we share common diseases with our pets. For example, did you know that animals can get sexually transmitted infections as well? Aside from that, our pets also experience various diseases that are similar to what humans experience as well.

Common Human Diseases That Pets Can Also Acquire

Aside from having sexually transmitted infections, here are some infections and diseases that your pets and other animals can also obtain:

  • Leprosy – Humans often get this from rats. On the other hand, armadillos are also infected by this disease. These animals are the usual habitat of the Mycobacterium Leprae.
  • Tuberculosis – This is a very common human disease. Badgers are badly affected by the same Mycobacterium bovis that afflicts human and cattle. Though cattle are fortunate to be able to avoid this initially because of the formation of milk in their system, they can, by far, get affected through badgers
  • Chlamydia – Bacteria are spreading in the course of giving birth, during mating and possibly, infighting. Chlamydia results to venereal infection for us humans. On the other hand, for Koalas, it is a silent exterminator.
  • Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – HPV is associated with cervical cancer in women. It’s also prevalent in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
  • Cardiovascular disease – Heart disease is common among humans, and it’s also common to dogs and cats. Some dogs are more prone to suffer from this disease, depending on their breed and size.
  • Diabetes mellitus – Generally known as diabetes, this human disease is a collection of metabolic ailments with symptoms of high blood sugar. Some studies show that animals can also suffer from diabetes.
  • Cancer – In human, various formations of abnormal cell development can generate malevolent tumors. Some of the common types of cancer in humans include prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and thyroid cancer. Dogs can suffer from lymphoma, which is from infection-fighting lymphocytes, breast, and bone cancer. As for our gentle felines, though they are not easily susceptible to osteosarcomas or bone cancer, they are vulnerable to other types of cancer.

Now, if you’re asking the question, “Can pets have thyroid issues as well?” This should answer your question.

Overview of Thyroid: What You Need to Know

One of the severe diseases that affect us humans and our beloved pets, if untreated properly, are those associated with our thyroid.

Remember that our thyroid glands are the ones responsible for discharging numerous hormones generally known as thyroid hormones. These hormones perform indispensably all over our body, promoting growth and development, especially during childhood. It is essential for brain development, body temperature, and mainly influencing our system’s digestion and absorption.

Aside from thyroid cancer, there are also several thyroid conditions that start from benign goiter to fatal cancer. The following will show the levels of the thyroid states:

  • Goiter. People with goiter have enlarged glands, although this is non-threatening. People with goiter are those who lack Iodine in their system.
  • This is the swelling of the thyroid caused by viral contamination. In some cases, it can be painful, while in some cases, it can also have no indications at all.
  • This is the result when the thyroid glands produce disproportionate or too much thyroid hormone.
  • This is when Thyroid glands generate lesser than the required hormones of our system.
  • Thyroid Nodules. These are unusual lumps in the glands that are particularly common. These rarely cause cancer. However, these can cause hyperthyroidism.
  • Graves disease. This disease is an autoimmune condition that arises from an unusual counter to a normal body part, wherein the thyroid is stimulated to an excessive degree resulting in hyperthyroidism.
  • Thyroid storm. This can be a severe condition which manifests fever, fainting, and rapid heartbeat.

Talking About Your Pet’s Health: Pets on Having Thyroid Issues

According to research, Hyperthyroidism is common among cats. In their case, the excessive generation of thyroid hormones called thyroxines upsurges their metabolism. While with dogs, it is sometimes caused by the medication administered to them to fight the low production of thyroid hormones.

Here are some of the most usual indications of hyperthyroidism you can pay close attention to in order to determine if your cat has hyperthyroidism:

  • Hyperactivity and struggle in breathing
  • Extreme thirst and frequent urination
  • Increased appetite but is continuously losing weight
  • A messy appearance and fur unusually coming off

In contrary, dogs grieve from the depression, aggression, anxiety, droopiness and weakness, seizures, cold intolerance, and a slow heartbeat. Based on studies, these indications are caused by hypothyroidism that usually occurs in the following forms:

  • The first form is the autoimmune thyroiditis, which can be remembered as the unusual response to a normal body part. Your dogs’ thyroid glands tend to produce lots of thyroxine, and in time, the glands will be diminished, thus concluding to hypothyroidism.
  • The second form is when the dog’s system just generate the small number of hormones required.

Studies show that detecting thyroid diseases in pets is difficult due to the use of laboratory references; one specific point range for canines and one for felines. The problem with dogs is that each breed and size may have different rates of metabolism.

Thyroid problems diagnosed in our pet companions can either be harmless or severe. Nonetheless, prevention is still and will always be better than cure. Have your pets regularly checked by all-inclusive veterinarians.

Our pets lived like us when we started adopting them like real families. Like us humans, they also need proper care. Making sure that their health is in tip-top shape can help prevent them from suffering from thyroid issues.

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