Parathyroid - Anyone have first hand experience. - Page 1

Been there and unfortunately going to sleep is unavoidable

Hi Brown Bull

Was your dog disgnosed as a puppy or an adult?  Having had further contact with the owner, it would seem the diagnosis has not been confirmed yet and they are waiting for blood test results.  According to the internet, it is an adult dog disease.

Margaret N-J

Are you sure it isnt Achondroplasia ?

I once had a dog with hypoparathyroid disease and there honestly is no cure.  The parathyroid gland controls calcium levels.  Hypo=not enough and Hyper=too much, either way, it isn't good.  This dog first presented as an adult with red, inflamed, itchy eyes and seizures a trip to an emergency vet during a seizure that wouldn't end showed he had extremely low blood calcium.  They started a calcuim drip which must be done very slowly and carefully and it still took a few hours for him to stop seizing.  Several trips to several specialists later we had a diagnosis of hypoparathyroid disease but this is a very rare disorder and very few vets know anything about it.  This dog lasted a few more years with calcium supplementation via Tums, at first he would get 4 Ultra Tums 3 times a day but every few months his symptoms would begin to return because his body wasn't controlling his calcium levels and so we would increase his Tums.  At the end he was probably eating 20 Ultra Tums 3 to 4 times a day and it wasnt' helping much and so he was put to sleep.  It is a devastating disease that has no cure.  If the pup you are talking about does have a parathyroid disorder I would assume that the disfigurement of the legs is due to either too much or too little calcium.  I am very sorry for the pup and the family that loves him.

Hi Wildmoor

I haven't seen the dog in the flesh, but going by the photos, he definitely isn't a dwarf.  To be honest, the first thing I thought of on seeing the pics was rickets.

Margaret N-J

Hi Margaret,

I went through researching this when my old girl was diagnosed with a thyroid malfunction.  She got off light as she just has an under active thyroid.  Thyroxine tablets do the trick and she is as right as rain.

However, - I got lots of information re parathyroidism, and it is a minefield to make a quick decision on.  This site   http://www.vetinfo.com/dparathyroid.html  is the one I found most useful as it gives all the pro`s and con`s and lots of diverse situations.

I wish you well with him, because according to this site, it is operable, and often doesnt lead to hypercalcaemia.

Regards

Mo

?

Demmy has put a question  mark  perhaps not understanding my post as above - I wrongly thought when my bitch had a thyroid problem that parathyroid was involved too.    I soon fund that it is the parathyroid glands and not to do with her actual Thyroid - but in looking and researching as much as I could, I found the above site.  Hope that now makes sense.  Mo.

Hyperparathyroid or hyPOparathyroid? Using the term "parathyroid" is not a good enough description to comment. Both conditions occur as well in humans.

Hyperparathyroidism is rare in dogs but shows up in older dogs, increasing serum calcium. This increase in calcium in the serum can cause a host of problems. The cause often is a tumor, more often than not, benign, in one or more of the four parathyroid glands in the neck. Surgery to remove the affected gland, just as in humans, will cure the problem.

HyPO parathyroidism is rare in dogs. The good news is that generally, affected dogs also have a good prognosis following initiation of calcium supplementation and vitamin D therapy. 

There are other conditions related to the endocrine system that could be at issue here. More clarification is needed. I doubt that a 6 month old pup has a condition related to the parathyroids that cannot be treated. As well, the comment about the legs could suggest ricketts, a vitamin D deficiency which also can be helped with appropriate therapy. Of course, it has to be life long.