by Ethel Smith

Created on: May 20, 2008

In the same way that people may have certain blood disorders, so may your dog. Dogs can have similar blood disorders to those of human beings but there also specific animal diseases which may affect a dog's blood. So, I will start with two disorders which can affect both humans and dogs, and which most people will have heard of. These are Thyroid Disease and Anaemia.

THYROID DISORDERS

It is very rare for a dog to have Hyperthyroidism, but not unknown. This condition in humans or dogs can result in:-

EXCESS ENERGY
WEIGHT LOSS
OVERHEATING
WEIGHT LOSS
RAPID HEARTBEAT
ANXIETY
AND MORE.

The condition means that the Thyroid Gland is overproducing the hormone Thyroxine and this can be very serious if not controlled well. Thankfully, as I say, it usually does not occur in dogs but you should never rule it out completely.

On the other hand Hypothyroidism is fairly common in dogs, especially older ones. As in the case of people lifestyle and diet can compound hypothyroidism but the condition may be genetic. This under production of the thyroid gland's hormone can result in:-

LETHARGY
WEIGHT GAIN
SLOW HEARTBEAT
HAIR LOSS
DULL COAT
SKIN PROBLEMS
HIGH CHOLESTEROL
INTOLERANCE OF THE COLD.

Either condition will be easily diagnosed by a simple blood test. It is thought that, in about half of the cases of Hypothyroidism in dogs, it is because of the animal's immune system attacking and destroying the cells of the thyroid gland.

Both Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism, once diagnosed can usually be effectively treat using tablets. This is true of people also. As a person who has had Thyroid problems myself I really feel for any dog who has either condition, especially if it is still undiagnosed. Treatment for Hypothyroidism will be for life and will need regular monitoring. However, a dog's Hypothyroidism should respond well to treatment.

ANAEMIA

Anaemia in a dog could be a result of internal bleeding or any other unexplained loss of blood. As such it would need investigating. In general the blood quality is poor in cases of Anaemia. There are a reduced number of red blood cells, hemoglobin or both, present in the blood. The symptoms could be:-

A LACK OF ENERGY
VERY PALE PINK GUMS
FATIGUE.

It is important to firstly assess why the dog has anaemia. A dog could be losing blood due to:-

An injury which has caused internal bleeding.
Parasites which could be fleas, ticks or worms.
Cancer of the digestive or urinal tract.
A blood disease which has reduced the blood's clotting properties.

Similarly Anaemia in a dog

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