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About 200 out of 230 evaluations of
German Shorthaired Pointers tested for Thyroid issues are
normal according the OFA website. Results through 2007.
Autoimmune
thyroiditis is the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism in
dogs. The disease has variable onset, but tends to clinically
manifest itself at 2 to 5 years of age. Dogs may be clinically
normal for years, only to become hypothyroid at a later date. The
marker for autoimmune thyroiditis, thyroglobulin autoantibody
formation, usually occurs prior to the occurrence of clinical
signs. Therefore, periodic retesting is recommended.
The majority of
dogs that develop autoantibodies have them by 3 to 4 years of age.
Development of autoantibodies to any time in the dog’s life is
an indication that the dog, most likely, has the genetic form of
the disease. Using today's technology only a small fraction of
false positive tests occur.
As a result of the
variable onset of the presence of autoantibodies, periodic testing
will be necessary. Dogs that are negative at 1 year of age may
become positive at 6 years of age. Dogs should be tested every
year or two in order to be certain they have not developed the
condition. Since the majority of affected dogs will have
autoantibodies by 4 years of age, annual testing for the first 4
years is recommended. After that, testing every other year should
suffice. Unfortunately, a negative at any one time will not
guarantee that the dog will not develop thyroiditis.
Thyroiditis can
cause...
The registry data
can be used by breeders in determining which dogs are best for
their breeding program. Knowing the status of the dog and the
status of the dogs lineage, breeders and genetic counselors can
decide which matings are most appropriate for reducing the
incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis in the offspring.
Please
test animals in breeding programs annually for Thyroid
conditions to ensure that they are normal!
Understanding
the OFA Thyroid Number:
Example:
ES-TH800/14F-PI
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ES
= Breed Code, in this case an English Setter
-
TH
= OFA Database, in this case Thyroid (TH)
-
800
= Ascending numerical identifier given to each animal with a
breed evaluated as normal and given a number, in this case the
800 th English Setter to be given a thyroid number
-
14
= The age in months when the testing was done, in this case 14
months
-
F
= Sex
-
PI
or VPI = Indicates that the animal has been
permanently identified in the form of tattoo or microchip. If
the dog is permanently identified AND the id has been verified
and signed off by the attending veterinarian, a suffix of VPI
is applied. If the animals lacks permanent identification, a
suffix of NOPI is applied.
HELPFUL
LINKS ON HYPOTHYROIDISM
Orthopedic
Foundation for Animals - http://www.offa.org/thyinfo.html
Is
Hypothyroidism Really the Leading Canine Genetic Disease? - http://offa.org/issue1.pdf
Symptoms
of Hypothyroidism - http://siriusdog.com/articles/hypothyroid-dog-signs.htm
Hypothyroidism
and Seizures - http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/InterviewDrDoddsAndJoanneCarson.htm
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