Feb 19, 2012 By Dr. Michael Fox 5 min read

DEAR DR. FOX: My German shepherd mix is about 3 years old. We adopted her when she was about 10 weeks old and gave her lots of TLC.

Until recently she was a friendly, outgoing and trustworthy dog. But now it’s like a shadow comes over her, and she gets spooky and snappy. She pants a lot, gets sweaty and seems possessed. She also scratches more than she used to.

I thought of obedience school after the vet couldn’t find anything wrong with her. He suggested trying Prozac if she does not improve with more TLC. Help! — M.W., Houston

DEAR M.W.: I sympathize with you not being able to find the cause of your young dog’s change in temperament.

Ruling out some backyard trauma while she was out and you were not present, or a change in the home social environment, I would ask your veterinarian to run a full thyroid profile.

Thyroid dysfunction causing aberrant behavior and seizures is reaching near epidemic proportions in dogs, according to my friend, Dr. W. Jean Dodds. In the fall 2011 edition of the excellent new journal “Integrative Veterinary Care,” she notes that hypothyroid disease often appears around puberty. The disease afflicts young dogs like yours, who show behavioral changes, including seemingly schizophrenic behavior.

Some breeds are especially prone, notably the German shepherd, Doberman pinscher, English springer spaniel, Akita, golden retriever, Rottweiler and Shetland sheepdog.

According to Dr. Dodds, hereditary autoimmune destruction of the thyroid gland accounts for 90 percent of cases of hypothyroidism in purebred and hybrid dog breeds. After blood tests to confirm the diagnosis, Dr. Dodds recommends treatment twice daily with thyroxine at a dose level according to your dog’s weight. Relief should be evident in a few days.

There are many chemical contaminants in our environment, food and water that are identified as endocrine disruptors, which I believe could play a significant role in this near epidemic. For details, check my website, www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/.

Thanks to pioneers in the field of integrative veterinary care like Dr. Dodds, we are witnessing a revolution in cost-effective diagnoses, treatments and disease prevention in both human and companion animal medicine. I document this in my new book, “Healing Animals and the Vision of One Health” (CreateSpace).

In the light of Dr. Dodd’s findings, I would like to revise my diagnosis of schizophrenia in a Doberman pinscher that I made some 30 years ago after his owner had taken him to many veterinarians who could find nothing wrong with the poor dog. A couple of thyroid pills a day might have been the answer.

DEAR DR. FOX: I am writing to you regarding my concern for my indoor/outdoor house cat. Her name is Lil Bit. She is 8 or 9 years old. I have had her since she was weaned from her mother.

We named her Lil Bit because she was so little when we got her, but she didn’t stay that way for long. We started telling people that Lil Bit was short for Lil Bit Bigger Than Everyone Else.

My concern is this: She has always had vomiting issues. In the past it was once every three to four days and usually first thing in the morning. I blamed it on her eating too fast. Recently — within the last couple of months — it has gotten worse. Now she vomits just about every time she eats. She has lost quite a bit of weight, and her fur is no longer sleek and shiny like it used to be.

I have tried different cat foods — canned, dry food with water and various dry food brands. Nothing seems to help. I even thought maybe it was an issue with fleas. She now wears a flea collar all the time, but she is still having vomiting issues. I don’t know what else to do. I really can’t afford to take her to a vet and have tests run. I am getting very concerned about her health. — M.C., Bridgeport, Conn.

DEAR M.C.: First, take off the flea collar. Fleas don’t make cats vomit.

This “morning sickness” could indicate a serious health issue, like feline viral lymphoma. But it is most likely due to Lil Bit eating too much too fast during her first meal of the day. So give her a teaspoon of food when you get up and a tablespoon when you leave for work.

Be sure there is no corn in her diet — many cats are allergic to this ingredient, which has no place in any pet food. She may be allergic to, or intolerant of, other ingredients and could benefit from transitioning to Gerber’s baby food — beef, turkey or chicken — then to one of the better foods, like Organix or Wellness.

You might also try the home-prepared cat food recipe on my website, www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/, on which many cats are now thriving. Preparing your own pet food means you know what’s in it and where the ingredients came from. Let me know how Lil Bit progresses.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns. Visit Dr. Fox’s website at www.twobitdog.com/DrFox.)

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(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Elizabeth Phelps at ephelps@amuniversal.com.)

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