Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with swallowing trouble and weak back legs improves with thyroid
By Bruchim, Y et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2005·Koret School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: L-thyroxine responsive cricopharyngeal achalasia associated with hypothyroidism in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old male boxer was brought to the vet after experiencing weakness in his back legs, trouble swallowing, and regurgitating water during drinking for about a month. Tests showed that while he could form a food bolus, his throat muscles weren't opening properly to let food pass into his stomach. Blood tests revealed he had low thyroid hormone levels, leading to a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. After starting treatment with L-thyroxine, the dog fully recovered within a month and was able to eat and drink normally again.
People also search for: boxer dog swallowing problems · dog regurgitation treatment · hypothyroidism in dogs symptoms
Abstract
An eight-year-old, male boxer dog was presented with a one-month history of hindlimb weakness followed by compulsive ineffective drinking, dysphagia, regurgitation and nasal reflux during drinking. A neurological examination revealed weakness and conscious proprioception deficits in both hindlimbs with normal spinal reflexes. The dog's swallowing function was examined by fluoroscopy. This showed normal prehension of the barium paste, bolus formation and contraction of the pharyngeal muscle, but no opening of the upper oesophageal sphincter was detected. A serum thyroid stimulating hormone level of 0.402 ng/dl and serum total T4 of 0-01 microg/dl were determined. The dog fully recovered one month after L-thyroxine therapy. The association found between cricopharyngeal achalasia and hypothyroidism suggests that hypothyroidism should be included in the list of differential diagnoses for dogs with cricopharyngeal achalasia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16300118/