[HannahLeighEs]

Hello,

I am needing some advice about some MAJOR dandruff in my 2 year old (black and tan) male who is also hypothyroid. When he was younger he had a gorgeous, glossy coat.

BACKGROUND:
I realize hypothyroidism is a cause of flaky skin, and before he started taking thyrotabs, he was balding on his neck/chest and was shedding and dandruffy everywhere else. He was also a heat-seeker (in the summer!) and inexplicably overweight. His T4 came back as 1.3 (using reference scale of 1.1-4.0). Though on the low end of normal, because he was manifesting a lot of symptoms my vet prescribed 1 thyrotab per day. A follow up test 1 month later showed his level was up to 3.3 and he had more energy and his coat was improving.

That was 6 months ago and for the past month or so he has been having some MAJOR dandruff. I was trying out a new food which happened to be lower fat, and thought that might have exacerbated it. He has been back on a higher fat diet and i've been giving him fish oil too for 2+ weeks. His coat has stopped getting worse, but there's still so much dandruff and hair falling out (seems more than just "shedding"). Thankfully, it doesn't bother him one bit. He isn't itchy. It's just really gross.

MY QUESTION(s): Is this a dandruff issue? What can I do about it? Is this likely thyroid related? Do thyro meds need to be adjusted/evaluated frequently?

I know there are different tyro tests out there and while I like my vet a lot, they aren't super up on a lot of things I have questions about. And if I don't have the right questions, I don't get anywhere and it gets overwhelming trying to google doctor your own dog. Yeesh.

Thank you for reading all this, I look forward to any advice or personal experiences you have to share!

 

[falnfenix]

I think I'd get him in for a recheck on his thyroid to start.

 

[spocksdad]

Hannah Leigh,

Please refer to early 2017 DT thread on Hypo Thyroidism:
http://www.dobermantalk.com/doberman-health/283578-hypothyroidism.html

I have been posting my experience on that thread with our Dobergal, Eva, who was diagnosed with HT last year and has been on HT meds since last April. :2smile:

 

[HannahLeighEs]

Falfenix, I'm thinking that's a good place to start too.

Thanks, Spocksdad. I had actually already read through that page earlier. Glad the meds are helping Eva so much! Kublai has been on them for over 6 months now, and I feel like his coat had improved only to deteriorate again. I also can't tell if he's gaining weight again because of his thyroid or if it's because I've gone overboard on the fish oil trying to combat his dry skin :rolleyesww:

 

[dobebug]

Falfenix, I'm thinking that's a good place to start too.

Thanks, Spocksdad. I had actually already read through that page earlier. Glad the meds are helping Eva so much! Kublai has been on them for over 6 months now, and I feel like his coat had improved only to deteriorate again. I also can't tell if he's gaining weight again because of his thyroid or if it's because I've gone overboard on the fish oil trying to combat his dry skin :rolleyesww:

Any Doberman who has been prescribed thyroid meds because of low thyroid levels and clear symptoms of hypothyroidism like your dog should be monitored for correct dosage. When I have a dog who has been diagnosed with low thyroid levels and is on medication and was checked once when the meds were started I ALWAYS recheck every six months if any symptoms that might be related to low thyroid level recur. In fact I recheck at least once a year even if there aren't any symptoms--since I routinely do a senior panel on all dogs at least yearly and that includes a T4 level I usually know if I should recheck free T4 as well and have a good idea if thyroid meds need to be increased.

Since Kublai's dandruff has increased again and he's gaining weight again the first thing I'd do is have they thyroid rechecked. It's entirely possible that his meds need to be increased.

What dosage is he on now?

 

[ShelianDobe]

I would guess his Thyroid medication needs to be adjusted.

 

[HannahLeighEs]

Okay I can’t figure out how to “thank” from my phone, but thank you Guest! Back to the vet seems to be the consensus. He is presently on 0.7 mg thyrotab, once a day in the morning.