# Hypothyroidism - related to pulling?



## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Hypothyroidism (low thyroid gland hormone) may be related to collar related injuries.

High rates of thyroid issues observed in dogs that frequently pull on the leash. 
It seems obvious that the collar actually pushes on the throat exactly in the area of the thyroid gland. This gland gets severely traumatized whenever a dog pulls on the leash, it becomes inflamed and is consequently “destroyed” by the body’s own immune system when it tries to remove the inflamed thyroid cells.

The destruction of the thyroid cells leads to the deficit of thyroid hormone – hypothyroidism and because the thyroid gland governs the metabolism of every cell it can affect the whole body. The symptoms may be low energy, weight gain, skin problems, hair loss and a tendency to ear infections and organ failure.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Good ring Datadaman 

I am using more body harness style of late

Great news most days never a collar but for shots and I-D

I still teach the whistle and hand controls

Willow may need a STUN Gun ;D :


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

There is a significant movement against metal choke collars. 

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?10875-Why-you-should-avoid-choke-chains


https://www.change.org/petitions/to...ke-chains-and-prong-collars-from-public-parks

http://www.esao.eu/CLASSIC-LINK-LTD/memoires/MM-0478.pdf


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Anyone using a choke chain your a joke

Have you saw or seen my Rammer Jammer Body slammer?

not the lift of legend I once had but you will feel free once your head hits the dung ;D

some fun

worse then Pathetic and so many others( TOOLS) to use.

Choke is not a training tool 

It is a Nordic Love :-*

A few ladies do choke on my sliders ;D

fresh raw oysters keep trying ladies this will soon help you some soon

That Zinc will load your tank with Rocks ;D


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## WillowyndRanch (Apr 3, 2012)

Intellectual property removed by Author.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Thank you for the reply 

our vet, we visited yesterday, he brought up the subject because Sam was wearing a harness I to secure him in the car. 
I have countless snippets of info, here and there, thats what I posted. Sometimes I forget what site or the site vanishes. If I find it I will post it up. 

Our vet mentioned more complications eye, ear, leg comes to mind. I think it had to do with blood supply being pinched off. 

I use prongs for training and found studies that support the idea of using prongs as opposed to choke chain collars 


"Study of Prong Collars in Germany

Information from Anne Marie Silverton Seminar

•100 dogs were in the study. 50 used choke and 50 used prong.

•The dogs were studied for their entire lives. As dogs died, autopsies were performed.

•Of the 50 which had chokes, 48 had injuries to the neck, trachea, or back. 2 of those were determined to be genetic. The other 46 were caused by trauma.

•Of the 50 which had prongs, 2 had injuries in the neck area, 1 was determined to be genetic. 1 was caused by trauma."


More often, I use a harness and let him pull, (thanks for that info Ken) it's not easy to make them pull. Makes for a better workout.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I'm going to keep an open mind, and wait for hard evidence. A higher rate of a reoccurring health problem will eventually lead to clinical research.
I don't use choke chains, so waiting for the facts isn't a problem for me.


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## CrazyCash (Jul 12, 2012)

I've never heard this before either and it would be interesting to see more studies done on this. It seems like pulling is more the issue than the choke chain, I would think that if a dog is wearing a regular flat collar and pulling hard on that, plus getting a jerked over correction would cause the same damage. Having two dogs that are pullers, I know how easy it is to get frustrated and want to just start yanking on the leash to get them to stop pulling. I think that regardless of what collar is being used (flat, pinch, choke chain, martingale, etc) people need to realize that jerking back hard on the leash and whipping your dogs head around is not a good thing and if you are getting to that point, it's time to stop, take a break and regroup when you are calm and have your patience back.


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Indeed, 
Blessings 


Thing is that metal choke chains do not have a built in stop. 
They tighten indefinitely to the point of cutting off the blood circulation and choking. 


All others have a built in stop point. The martingale as well as the prongs don't tighten indefinitely around the dog's neck. The wide, leather pinch collar Ken refers to adds additional support as well as a stop.


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