Diagnosis of Canine Hypothyroidism

The image we have of canine hypothyroidism has changed during the last decade. We use to consider it as the most common endocrinopathy in dogs. Most endocrinologists will agree that nowadays, other endocrine diseases such as hypercortisolism, are more frequently observed. In the past, many dogs have been erroneously diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Indeed, evaluation of thyroid function in dogs is not always straightforward. The vague and nonspecifi c clinical signs of hypothyroidism and the fact that numerous factors can infl uence thyroid function test results are major contributors to the diffi culty in diagnosing this disease.