09/06/2026
Alice got diagnosed with an underactive thyroid recently.
(it's a condition that’s usually easily controllable with daily meds to replace the missing thyroid hormones, but left untreated it can be dangerous)
She didn't have many of the usual symptoms: She wasn't lethargic. She hadn't put on weight. She wasn't feeling the cold.
The only symptom in fact, was some hair loss along her back, her tail, and her ears.
And to be honest we hadn't even noticed. (In our defence she is very fluffy, so it’s hard to spot when there’s just a bit less fluff 🙈)
But you know who did notice?
Her groomer.
Her wonderful groomer Avril, at Sud Woofers Dog Grooming.
She pointed out the hair loss to me, and suggested we got Alice checked out at the vets. And so we did, and long story short, the tests came back that her thyroid levels were low.
And in fact there was another symptom, but we hadn’t recognised it as one. When we thought about it - she’d been increasingly wanting attention in the evenings. I mean not like a normal dog who would paw or bark at you… she just would sit in front of us with a slightly disdainful stare, and accept a chin stroke - that's her definition of being “needy” 🤣
I'd not really twigged it was related, but she's been on the thyroid meds two weeks now, and that behaviour entirely stopped after a week. So in hindsight, while she might have only had one of the classic symptoms of low thyroid, I think she probably was increasingly feeling a bit rubbish, and needed a bit of reassurance and support in her own little weird way 🥰
And now she's gone back to her usual stance of not giving a crap about us. Which is good of course, because it means she feels better. But also kind of bittersweet, cos I quite liked that she wanted to be stroked for a change 😭
The moral of the story?
Well there’s two…
Firstly: Changes in behaviour - like a usually aloof dog who starts to seek more connection; or likewise, a life-and-soul-of-the party kind of dog who becomes more withdrawn - these can be subtle and easy-to-miss symptoms of some sort of undiagnosed pain or discomfort.
And secondly: Good groomers know their s**t. While you probably haven’t ever thought about it - your groomer is likely to be the person who is most hands on with your dog, and sees them regularly but not frequently. Which means they are perfectly placed to spot those changes that even you as an owner might miss. And so if your groomer does spot something - act on it. I know of several other instances as well as ours, where Avril has noticed something amiss, the owners have got it checked out and resolved at the vets, and they have a happier and healthier dog as a result ❤️
Thank you again Avril, we're very grateful 🙏 As is Alice, even if she doesn't let on very much 🤣
