An article published yesterday in The Sun Herald, a newspaper in Mississippi, suggests that the illnesses exhibited in older dogs may be due to thyroid related problems.

Maggie seemed to have aged overnight. Gone was the energetic, constant-motion, shiny-coated seven-year-old Irish setter. She now had become a serious couch potato with a weight problem, in spite of eating a low-calorie dog food. Maggie's haircoat looked as though a moth had eatenthrough it: the hair was dry, dull and brittle, with patchy areas of hair loss. Her skin had an odor and she seemed to live with ear infections.

The writer of the article, Dr Dennis Selig, a practicing veterinarian, says Hyperthyroidism, which is where the thyroid produces too much hormone, is more common in cats than dogs, and Hypothyroidism, which is the where thyroid produces too little hormone, is more common in dogs than cats.

If you have an older dog, ask your vet to do run a thyroid check.