Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Golden retriever with thyroid autoantibodies causing test confusion
By Kemppainen, R J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1996·Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Autoantibodies to triiodothyronine and thyroxine in a golden retriever.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A golden retriever showed signs of hypothyroidism, which means it wasn't producing enough thyroid hormones. Tests revealed that the dog had autoantibodies affecting the hormone levels, making it seem like the dog had high thyroid hormone levels when it actually didn't. After starting treatment with L-thyroxine, a thyroid hormone replacement, the dog's condition improved significantly, and its hormone levels returned to normal. This case highlights the importance of using specific tests to accurately diagnose thyroid issues in dogs.
People also search for: golden retriever hypothyroidism symptoms · dog thyroid hormone treatment · L-thyroxine for dogs
Abstract
A golden retriever presented with signs of hypothyroidism occurring in conjunction with autoantibodies to both triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). The autoantibodies caused the apparent concentrations of total T3, total T4, and free T4 by analog assay to be high. However, free T4 concentration was nondetectable when measured using a dialysis assay. The dog's clinical condition markedly improved in response to L-thyroxine therapy, and the free T4 concentration by dialysis assay increased into the normal range. Thyroid hormone autoantibodies can confuse the diagnostic evaluation for suspected hypothyroidism. In dogs with autoantibodies to T4, measurement of free T4 by dialysis assay is useful for both diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring purposes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8731132/