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Discussion on Swollen Thyroid and Stim tests
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New Member:
Dominey
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Posted on Monday, Nov 1, 2004 - 8:32 am:
Hi,
I have been doing some research into equine thyroid disorders since a lump in my mares neck was biopsied and found to be her thyroid gland. It has swollen to the size a bit bigger than a golf ball. She is a 10 year old TBX mare that I have owned for two years. The reading I have done so far led me to believe that she may be hypothyroid... other symptoms as follows:
1) Lack of energy
2) Unexplained muscle tension
3) Patchy hair loss with flaky skin
4) Mood swings
5) "Hormonal" temperament during summer
Having read your article however, there are two things inconsistant with your description of hypothyroid horses. These are that she does put on weight easily - she is fed hardly anything for her size and work load compared to other horses, in order to maintain a healthy weight. Also she doesn't have a thicker coat... and it seems to shed for longer each coat change (starts earlier and finishes later) than other horses in the area.
The vets here in the UK do not seem to diagnose thyroid problems as readily as it seems in the US, and my vet has struggled to find anyone with experience with equine thyroid disorders.
I have requested the thyroid stimulation test which is due to be carried out next week. It is the same drug as they use for the cushings test, so I guess TRH rather than TSH? Any thought on how to interpret the test, any further tests, and any thoughts on related problems which might cause these symptoms would be much appreciated, along with any more testing that would be diagostic.
Many thanks!
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Nov 2, 2004 - 7:36 am:
If you think the level of defect is at the thyroid I would use the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, which directly stimulates the thyroid. Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone stimulates the pituitary to release TSH. I believe that thyroid problems are overdiagnosed in the US, the article explains more about this.
DrO
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