Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Levothyroxine treatment for pregnant hypothyroid dogs
By Cecere, Julie et al.·Published in Theriogenology·2020·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Levothyroxine supplementation in hypothyroid bitches during pregnancy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of pregnant dogs with hypothyroidism were given levothyroxine, a thyroid hormone supplement, to see if it helped maintain normal hormone levels during pregnancy. The study found that these dogs did not show any signs of hypothyroidism and had normal litters, indicating that the standard dose of levothyroxine was effective. In contrast, healthy dogs without thyroid issues showed no changes in their hormone levels throughout their pregnancies. This suggests that pregnant dogs with hypothyroidism can safely continue their usual treatment without complications.
People also search for: dog pregnancy hypothyroidism treatment · levothyroxine for pregnant dogs · signs of hypothyroidism in dogs
Abstract
Hypothyroidism is the most common endocrine disease in dogs and has been shown to have a hereditary nature in many breeds. Previous studies have documented decreased fertility in bitches with experimentally-induced hypothyroidism, decreased viability at birth, increased periparturient mortality, and reduced birth weight in pups born to hypothyroid dogs. Hypothyroid women have an increased demand for exogenous thyroxine throughout gestation in order to maintain normal plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones and produce neuropsychologically normal children. This study was performed to determine if pregnancy causes a similar need for increased levothyroxine dosages in dogs to maintain a euthyroid state. Serum was harvested from blood collected from six bitches with experimentally-induced hypothyroidism that were receiving standard thyroid hormone replacement therapy and from four euthyroid control bitches. Thyroid function tests performed on these samples included total thyroxine (T), free T(fT), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T). Thyroid function tests were measured from ovulation through the end of pregnancy. All bitches whelped normal litters. Euthyroid bitches had no significant alterations in their hormone concentrations throughout pregnancy. None of the supplemented hypothyroid bitches had clinical signs of hypothyroidism throughout the study. Serum concentrations of Tand fTwere elevated compared to ovulation at multiple sample points during gestation in supplemented dogs. The results from this study indicate that standard levothyroxine supplementation is adequate to maintain a euthyroid state during pregnancy in experimentally-induced hypothyroid dogs. In addition, there is no evidence that canine thyroid profiles in euthyroid dogs are altered during gestation.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31574400/