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Why are my dog's thyroid levels high? Is raw meat the cause?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | neutered | 7 years and 9 months old | 119 lbs

`hi my german sheppard has high thyroid level a 5.3 what can cause it

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 24th, 2018

This usually happens when owners feed their dogs raw chicken and turkey necks. That way dogs ingest lots of thyroid glands and get hyperthyroid. Do not feed raw or cooked chicken or turkey necks to your dog 0r other animal neck meat (trachea/esophagus from the butcher). This should pass if you stop feeding those meats. If you are not feeding this type of food, then your dog may be hyperthyroid ill, and you will need to discuss the treatment with your vet. This could be medication to slow down the thyroid hormone production, surgery to remove the thyroid gland or irradiation of the gland.

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