Hypothyroid Shiba Inu and Coprophagia

Beebe eats her poo (coprophagia). I thought she had outgrown it, but yesterday, right in front of company, she immediately turned around after eliminating and started lapping at it, right in the middle of a play date with 5 other Shibas and Grym. Gross.

Popular dogma indicates that feces eating is the result of boredom or hunger. High protein food may also be suspect. I think lack of sanitation in the whelping area is also a factor for this behavior. When people with dogs from pet stores and puppy mills report it, I admit that I am quick to label that as a cause of this disgusting behavior.

Most people know by now that puppy mills generally lack proper sanitation, or anything remotely acceptable in the housing and care of young pups, and many petstores as well. These poor environments counteract the dogs' natural desire to avoid soiling in its bed due to constant crating over its own waste and the lack of space for proper elimanation habits to form outside. There is quite likely an element of boredom and hunger involved in these case.

To note, the breeder Shibas who have stayed with me have never done this. Ike is horrified of his poo and will bury it like a kitty does. They were raised in a loving, clean, healthy and stimulating environment indoors with nearly unlimited access to spacious outdoor freedom. Beebe however, did come from a classified ad, and I'm sure there is a behavioral component to her coprophagia, but I'm wondering if it also may be from her hypothyroid. Interestingly, here is a blogpost from some friends regarding their Akita and some of his medical issues, including hypothyroid and coprophagia (feces eating).

I don't think boredom is an issue with Beebe. It's my feeling, that she does this because she is hungry. She is always hungry, which is par for the course with hypothyroid dogs, but she's overweight so I can't feed her all that she could eat. So, my question is for any other hypothyroid Shiba Inu owners: do your dogs do this too and did it get worse or better when on thyroid meds or with increased amounts of food?

Shiba Inu Flyball Rankings

Woohoo! We're not last! Hooray for not being last. Beebe holds the #10 ranking as far as points in the breed, and she is, as far as I can tell, one of only 4 Shibas worldwide thru NAFA who is actively running in the sport. I am so proud of her I can't stop saying it. I hope the new thyroid meds give her a little extra zip so she can improve her times.

http://nafadb.flyball.org/cgi-public/pubutil?BREEDDET&BREED=Shiba+Inu

1st Week on Thyroid Meds

She looks pretty comfy. This is her first week starting on thyroid replacement. She weighs 31.5 lbs. I am curious to see if it will help her crabby disposition over time as well.

Hypothroidism in Shiba Inu



Beebe on the look out for some tasty flotsam. Seriously, she
loves barnacles and dried seaweed.

As expected given her questionable breeding, Beebe is now clinically hypothyroid at the ripe old age of 3 and will be starting on Soloxine twice a day. I hear many Shibas, as well as Akitas and other spitzy breeds, can be sub clinically hypothyroid normally, as breeds. In the Midwest and landlocked areas of the world, it is known that certain populations of people experience greater incidence of hypothyroidism, probably due to the lack of iodine in the diet, hence Iodized salt.

She is not really a choosy eater.

Iodine is a trace element essential to healthy thyroid function and it is well known that iodine is present in sea life. Populations living near coastal areas tend not to have as great an occurrence of thyroid disorders as those who are landlocked and without regular access to fish and sea greens. I wonder if this isn't true for dogs as well?

Fishes and seaweed

I know not all Shibas in Japan (nor all the people) eat fish and seaweed, but I think it's safe to assume that sea fauna and flora probably made up a percentage of the Shiba Inu diet historically. In America, most of us feed our dogs kibble. I know more pet food companies are now exploring the benefits of feeding towards a genetic diet.

Nori, anchovies, sardines, quail eggs, and sujiko (salmon eggs)

Catering to a dogs genetic diet could include raw feeding, feeding grain free, or feeding the foods that were common to the area the breed developed. In the case of the Japanese breeds, pork, fish, greens, rice, seaweeds, venison, small fowl such as pheasant, chicken and quail, would likely have been common to their diets before kibble was available. When I say this, I am not imagining a nice clean Shiba sitting on a satin cushion being fed a steaming bowl of white rice with a choice cut of tenderloin. I am thinking more of a scrappy village dog eating offal and leavings off the ground, scavenging thru human trash, hunting for small birds and rodents like a cat, or foraging along the sea shore.



Japanese quail, home raised

A duck, how delicious!

I give Beebe Acana's fish based kibble that is grain free, and when she eats raw, it is usually poultry of some sort (quail or chicken), with occasional venison. I religiously give her fish oils and have restarted the dried kelp hoping that this may more closely match her ancestral diet, and help with her thyroid.