Clinical Diagnosis and Management of a Congenital Goiter in a Kid

Goiter in goats is characterized by the inflammatory and non-neoplastic hypertrophy of the thyroid gland due to iodine deficiency, and is commonly seen in newborn and young animals. This case presentation involves a 40-day-old female kid of the Kilis breed. Anamnesis revealed a complaint since birth of a painless, palpable, oval-shaped mass that had been gradually enlarging on both sides of the cranioventral neck region. In the ultrasound examination, the length of the left thyroid gland was measured at 4.14 cm, the right at 3.51 cm, and the width was measured at 1.7 cm on the left and 2.07 cm on the right. In the biochemical analysis, free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), total T3, and total T4 levels were measured as low, while the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triglycerides, and cholesterol were measured as high. The treatment included levothyroxine sodium (0.2 mg/kg orally once daily for 100 days) and a single intramuscular dose of sodium selenite (1 mg). After the treatment, free T3, free T4, triglyceride, and cholesterol levels increased while TSH reduced to the reference values measurement range. Congenital goiter, caused by iodine deficiency, was completely cured with the prescribed treatment protocol. Additionally, clinical examination, ultrasonography, and thyroid hormone analysis were found to be useful for diagnosing goiter in kids.