Prevalence of thyroglobulin autoantibodies detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of canine serum in hypothyroid, obese and healthy dogs in Japan.

Thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAA) were detected in sera of hypothyroid (n=19), obese (n=28) and clinically healthy dogs (n=52) using a commercially available immunoassay kit. TgAA-positive results occurred in 10 of 19 hypothyroid, 1 of 28 obese and 1 of 52 clinically healthy dogs. The clinically healthy TgAA-positive dog had additional evidence of hypothyroidism supported by low total T(4), low free T(4) and high canine TSH. Among the breeds, Golden Retriever had the highest frequency of hypothyroid (9/19) and TgAA-positive hypothyroid dogs (6/10). This study was the first survey about the prevalence of canine TgAA in Japan and could be a useful reference for clinicians.