الفهرس 
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Abstract
Total number (No.) of 441 dogs was examined during the period of 2018 till 2020. These animals were admitted to a private clinic in Cairo Governorate, Egypt for various clinical manifestations. Of 441 dogs enrolled, only 82 dogs showed a reduction in TT4, 403 affected have features of hypothyroidism and 38 dogs clinically healthy showed no signs of disease consider as control group. Animals were thoroughly examined and clinical signs and epidemiological data include age, sex, season and dog breeds were recorded. Blood samples were collected from the jugular or cephalic vein from each dog in lithium heparin cups or on plain tube for serum separation. Heparinized blood or serum were used to determine TT4 levels using veterinary specific kits (Catalyst total T4 slide) and Catalyst One Chemistry Analyzer, IDEXX laboratories , Inc, Westbrook, Maine, according to the manufacturer’s instruction, for screening incidence of hypothyroidism in the examined dogs. Data are represented as Mean ± SE, data set was compared using graphpad PRISM, P value < 0.05 considered significant.
Hypothyroidism showed higher incidence in middle aged dogs (1-5 years), in males compared to females, in autumn than other seasons, and in large dog breeds. TT4 levels in this study ranged between 0.5-1 μg/dl with mean 0.8 ± 0.017. TT4 should be put in consideration during diagnosis of suspected cases related to dermatological, gynecological, otitis, CNS, tumors, dwarfism, cardiac, GIT, low BCS, obesity, eye and mixed signs. Special care should be associated with sharp decrease in TT4 in cases of CNS.