Thyroid & Dog Neck Safety

I just attended an online webinar on animal wellness and learned so much.  I was most impressed by Dr. Jean Dodds on thyroid conditions in our animals. One of the most common endocrine diseases of dogs is Autoimmune Thyroiditis/ hypothyroidism.  For older cats the most common endocrine disease is Hyperthyroidism.  One of the main causes of this condition is the role of soy and excess iodine in foods. Some common signs of the disease are behavioral issues, subtle weight gain and recurring infections.  Dr. Dodds is also an advocate of feeding the Species Appropriate Raw Diet.
A major concern with thyroid conditions in our dogs is related to the use collars worn for walking our dogs since the collar when pulled on during the walk rides directly on the thyroid area and puts pressure on that gland. This is something to avoid for the safety of the neck and thyroid.

Dog Collars

​Another presenter dog trainer, Alecia Evans, discussed the issue of using any collar on our dogs while walking with them.  We do need to have a collar on our dogs to hold pet ID information including chip numbers & contact information.  I have research using collars for walking and tried many different types of collars to keep the dog from pulling during the walk.  I have found a harness to be more effective to reduce pulling over the other collars (see illus. below).   I did like Alecia's information on the harness she developed over years of training because it doesn’t confine the dogs shoulder movement which is a concern with many harnesses that clip in the front with a strap crossing the chest. This type of harness does confine the shoulder movement of the dog and can cause shoulder issues over time. The harness doesn't affect the thyroid gland either. I want to pass this along if anyone is concerned about their dogs neck being damaged from pulling with a collar.  If interested check out her website.  I have no interest in the purchase of the harness.  I just feel it is a great tool for walking our dogs safely.