(Pullman, WA) Described by his pet parents as the “laziest dog you’ll ever meet,” Thorton, a 10-year-old pit bull, spent much of the holidays exactly where he wanted to be — cuddled up on the couch with his people, Savannah and Dillon Tiedeman-Mueller.
These are moments the Moscow, Idaho, couple will never take for granted. They know every second with Thorton is a gift, especially with all they have endured the past year and change. What began with symptoms of an upset stomach for Thorton quickly escalated into a life-threatening situation, one that would take days of round-the-clock intensive care at Washington State University to stabilize and months for his team of veterinarians to discover the root cause.
“He’s just doing amazing as compared to a year ago,” Savannah said. “It has been a year since we originally brought him into the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, and we are grateful for every day we have with him and for all WSU did.”
Even before his sickness, Thorton’s parents had noticed he had been slowing down in recent years, a trend they initially attributed to normal aging. Thanks to WSU, they now realize his symptoms were most likely the result of severe hypothyroidism — a condition where the thyroid fails to produce enough hormones, disrupting multiple bodily systems.
“I wish we had known he had this condition earlier,” Dillon, who is a police officer at WSU, said. “We’ve had him for eight years, and I think this is healthiest and happiest I’ve ever seen him.”
Thorton was first taken to a local clinic in December of 2023 after his owners noted bloody diarrhea. Bloodwork and testing revealed no obvious abnormalities, but his condition continued to worsen. That evening, the clinic recommended transferring him to WSU for round-the-clock care.
Thorton was admitted to WSU’s emergency department, where he was stabilized overnight. In the morning, Savannah and Dillon returned to meet with Dr. Lela Remington, a veterinary resident in the hospital’s Small Animal Internal Medicine service.
“She was just amazing from minute one,” Savannah said. “She went over possible diagnoses and treatment options and answered all the questions we had. I walked away from that first meeting with her feeling like at least we knew that somebody that was competent, caring and smart was on his case.”
Thorton’s care required the expertise of multiple departments, including Emergency and Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Radiology and Cardiology. He was hospitalized for four days, during which he was diagnosed with several serious medical issues, including dilated cardiomyopathy, chronic gut disease and chronic skin disease.
Upon discharge, Thorton was prescribed a host of medications, some of which had to be administered every eight hours. Savannah and Dillon were also given instructions on how to give Thorton subcutaneous fluids to keep him hydrated.
Thorton slowly progressed, but the cause of his symptoms remained unknown until a follow-up visit months later. Savannah mentioned that Thorton’s fur wasn’t growing back in areas shaved for medical procedures, which prompted Remington to suggest testing his thyroid levels. The results showed dangerously low levels.
By August and with additional medications to address his thyroid deficiencies, Thorton had dramatically improved. Not only had he gained his weight back and an increased level of energy, but his dilated cardiomyopathy had also nearly resolved.
“We think many of his issues stemmed from hypothyroidism, or at least that’s our leading suspicion,” Remington said. “Fortunately, he is doing much better now. It really is a credit to the dedication of his parents and for all the efforts in so many departments here at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.”
