Aggression and Thyroid Question

[Diana Erhart]

I have done a search here for aggression and thyroid issues but still have a question.  Sorry this is so long...

Here is the background:  My daughter's Maltese, Portia, is here visiting for over 2 weeks while my daughter is out of the country.  She was diagnosed in June with a condition called corneal lipid dystrophy, which is genetic but also can be related somehow to a low functioning thryoid.  We asked her vet to test her thyroid and she said she did test it and it was fine.  Portia has always been a submissive dog (she is now 2 1/2 years old).  Her and Charlie have always played well together, chasing each other and wrestling.  When they would wrestle Portia would always roll over on her back and they would have fun chewing on each other's ears and playing.  Lately my daughter has commented that Portia is getting meaner and more aggressive towards the few dogs that she likes, she has always been kind of a diva and leary of other dogs but never Charlie.  Also my daughter has noted that the people at the doggie daycare she attends commented that Portia gets very tired in the afternoons and doesn't want to play with the other dogs.  Her coat and skin seem to be ok.  Because of the corneal lipid dystrophy Portia is on a very low fat diet.  

Since getting here last Friday several things have been different from the previous visits.  I have noticed that at times Portia will growl at Charlie when she is near either my husband or me.  Not every time but she had never done that before.  She also seems to be more nervous/anxious.  Also, when Charlie and Portia are playing they only chase each other around, no wrestling, and it seems to be somewhat tense.  Not sure how to describe it, just doesn't always seem like it is in fun.  Then last night  I was sitting on the floor and Portia was on my right side laying down about 2 feet away.  Charlie was about 5 feet away from me on my left side just standing around minding his own business.  Portia started to growl very nastily and wouldn't stop when I told her.  Next thing I know she has lunged over top of me and is attacking Charlie with teeth bared and trying to bite him in the face.  Charlie snapped at her and she just kept right on trying to attack him.  I got them separated and Charlie just walked away (seeming to be totally insulted).  

So today I called Portia's vet to see what kind of thyroid test they did and what the results were (after doing some initial research).  The vet tech told me there was no record of thyroid test in her file!!  I called my vet here and talked with them and they weren't convinced that it could possibly have anything to do with her thyroid.  I had already set up an appointment with a trainer here to work on her not barking at people/dogs when on a leash or out in public and will mention this to her too.  But I have been working on the not barking at people/dogs for the past few days and seem to be making progress.  

So, to my question....Does this sound like a potential thyroid problem or just behavioral?  If it sounds like a potential thyroid issue, should I try to get her tested while she is here visiting with me?  Or just have her wait till my daughter gets back in the country and takes her back home to Dallas and push the vet there?  Is this something most vets "poo poo" and we need to find another vet?  I really feel like something isn't right with Portia.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I would be angry that the vet said she had tested thyroid function and she had not. That alone would make me consider another vet. I always try to get copies of my own medical tests and I did get copies of Calla's hip X-rays. I think it's a good thing to do. As to whether this behavior or not I suppose it could be, but anyway, if you know the dog has a condition that may be related to hypothyroidism, I would test. It sounds to me like your daughter needs a new vet. I guess I would wait til she's back and can take her for a full exam since you may be faced with treatment decisions too. Good luck.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with F that it may be time for your DD to switch vets.

If she has a thyroid panel done, tell her to have a full thyroid panel done. Testing just T3 or T4 is not very helpful. A full thyroid panel needs to be sent out, it cannot be run by a general practice vet in-house, and is fairly expensive, but anything else is just a waste of money.

I have known of dogs with low thyroid function who became very aggressive toward family members. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

When my old lab mix developed a low thyroid problem, the symptoms he displayed were his coat and grumpiness with little patience (he had been a patient dog).  With medication both his coat and his behavior improved. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

When we took our Murphy to the Behaviorist due to his aggressive behavior, she did say that thyroid problems can cause this (although she also said it was quite rare).  She did want us to rule it out, and so we had a full thyroid panel run.  It did have to be sent out, took several days, and was quite expensive (although I can't remember exactly what we paid, I know I had "sticker shock").  In our case it came back fine, but the Behaviorist/Vet wanted to be absolutely sure there wasn't a physical cause before taking the next steps which included a Behavior Mod program and anti-anxiety meds.  Good luck...I know this is not easy to deal with.

[Diana Erhart]

Jane..Portia's thyroid panel came back fine.  My daughter is now considering some anti-anxiety meds for her.  However she has decided she wants to find a new vet since she was so unhappy about everything that happened with her current vet.  With all of her traveling this month she won't have time to find one.  Anyway, my question to you is do the meds that Murphy takes come from the vet or the Behaviorist?  Or is the Behaviorist a vet?  My daughter is coming back to visit me in PA in 2 weeks and asked if I would see if my vet (who ran the thyroid panel) would see her and consider starting meds but I want to make sure this is the best approach.  She had a session with a trainer last weekend and got some things to work on but this trainer is not a behaviorist.  Thanks for any advice you can give us.