Pepper's Diagnosis

The kids and I took Pepper to the vet the other day for her annual checkup. I wasn't expecting anything eventful would happen, except for maybe some light shaming about how her weight continues to climb.

We have blamed her weight gain on her compost pile raids and maybe because the kids feed her at the table sometimes. It's an issue we have discussed at past visits too. In response, we fortified the compost bin security and told the kids not to give her snacks. Even so, she found a way to breach the compost pile fence and between January and April she gained 6 pounds! She now weighs 76 pounds but should weigh more like 60 pounds. How is this possible? She did get a new food perhaps that was the culprit.

"You know," the vet said, "her coat looks a little duller and less full and I would expect. I would like to test her thyroid function."

Turns out that low thyroid function in dogs can cause weight gain, give them low-energy, and a personality like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

"I was just thinking the other day that she acts like Eeyore!" I exclaimed. "I thought it was because the kids take up so much attention so she feels neglected."

Sure enough, the test came back positive. Basically the results tell us that Pepper's brain is screaming at her thyroid to produce the right hormones. Her thyroid responds with mostly silence.

So my puppy is now a going to be a chronic medication taker. She will take a pill every 12 hours to replace those hormones her thyroid doesn't make. I will let you know if she starts shedding the weight and more importantly, if her energy level picks up.