Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thyroxine treatment improves kidney filtration in hypothyroid dogs
By Gommeren, K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2009·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of thyroxine supplementation on glomerular filtration rate in hypothyroid dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 14 hypothyroid dogs, averaging 6 years old, were tested for kidney function before and after starting treatment with levothyroxine, a thyroid hormone supplement. Initially, their kidney function was low, but after one month of treatment, their kidney function improved significantly. By the end of the study, the dogs showed better kidney filtration rates, indicating that treating hypothyroidism can help improve kidney health in dogs. All dogs remained stable and healthy throughout the treatment period.
People also search for: dog hypothyroidism treatment · levothyroxine for dogs · kidney function in hypothyroid dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is decreased in humans with hypothyroidism, but information about kidney function in dogs with hypothyroidism is lacking. HYPOTHESIS: Hypothyroidism influences GFR in dogs. The objective of this study was to assess GFR in hypothyroid dogs before implementation of thyroxine supplementation and after re-establishing euthyroidism. ANIMALS: Fourteen hypothyroid dogs without abnormalities on renal ultrasound examination or urinalysis. METHODS: Blood pressure and GFR (measured by exogenous creatinine clearance) were measured before treatment (T0, n=14) and at 1 month (T1, n=14) and at 6 months (T6, n=11) after beginning levothyroxine supplementation therapy (20 microg/kg/d, PO). The response to therapy was monitored at T1 by measuring serum total thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormone concentrations. If needed, levothyroxine dosage was adjusted and reassessed after 1 month. Statistical analysis was performed using a general linear model. Results are expressed as mean+/-standard deviation. RESULTS: At T0, the average age of dogs in the study group was 6.3+/-1.4 years. Their average body weight decreased from 35+/-18 kg at T0 to 27+/-14 kg at T6 (P<.05). All dogs remained normotensive throughout the study. GFR increased significantly with levothyroxine supplementation; the corresponding results were 1.6+/-0.4 mL/min/kg at T0, 2.1+/-0.4 at T1, and 2.0+/-0.4 at T6 (P<.01). CONCLUSION: GFR was <2 mL/min/kg in untreated hypothyroid dogs. Re-establishment of a euthyroid state increased GFR significantly.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19496906/