Do dogs with positive autoantibody tests develop clinical hypothyroidism?
Having followed Golden Retrievers and Old English Sheepdogs that test positive for thyroid hormone autoantibodies, Dr. Dodds found that signs usually start to develop within 1 to 1.5 years. Drs. Peterson and Feldman commented about their experience with dogs that have been positive for thyroid hormone autoantibodies yet remain asymptomatic. Dr. Ferguson discussed a reduction in the prevalence of hypothyroidism from generation to generation when dogs positive for thyroglobulin autoantibody and symptomatic for hypothyroidism were removed from the breeding colony. Dr. Scott-Moncrieff added that there may be several different variations of thyroiditis in dogs. • How prevalent is hypothyroidism? Evaluating a random population of 98 healthy dogs, Dr. Nachreiner discovered some evidence of autoimmune thyroid disease in 3% of the group. Dr.
