Nico getting thyroid panel done/allergy question

[darwinsmom]

It won't damage the thyroid. It could cause other symptoms if he ends up with too much of the hormone in his system (natural plus supplement). My mother ended up with Graves disease where her thyroid was producing too much thyroxine. But prior to that she had been hypothyroid and was on a synthetic. So when she went from hypo to hyper AND was taking the supplement she had some very dangerous cardiac side effects. This is why thyroid testing is regularly done when taking supplements. So starting with a low dose is probably a smart approach. And like Susi indicated the problem isn't that the generics don't work, it is just that you want to be consistent in the specific form of the drug given and using the brand name version is the easiest way to do so. Plus they are not very expensive.

 

[Cami]

It is worth trying for a few reasons.....
The numbers were low which would suggest that supplementation would be beneficial. The numbers might not be "bad" for another breed but for a Boxer they are low enough to try the meds. Boxers are just different when it comes to thyroid and the majority of vets don't realize this (or care to realize this). If your vet had concerns that the numbers were not low enough or that supplementation was going to be problematic they would NEVER agree to start the therapy.

Another reason would be that what has been tried in the past isn't working or is only covering up symptoms and not treating the original cause which produces the symptoms. Thyroid meds can treat so many "symptoms" if the cause is a direct relation to the gland not functioning correctly or producing enough of the hormone.

Wouldn't it be nice to treat and see results and stop having to give "band-aids" in the form of a heavy hitter drug like prednisone? SURE IT WOULD. You won't know anything until you try and at this point it is almost like you HAVE to do something to get at the root of the cause. You have done the testing, the vet has agreed to do a trial run with the meds so what do you have to lose? It might just make all the difference in the world. On the flip side it doesn't work and you can cross this experience off the list and continue in your search for the right therapies.
You will have to have testing done to keep an eye on the levels as is common with a lot of medications. Even the continued use of prednisone requires blood testing to make sure any organs are not being affected.

 

[Sablegirl]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but why not just do it? I have had thyroid issues for 38 yrs and know how miserable I was prior to meds. I even just plain ole hurt, hair a mess and itchie dry skin as well as feeling slightly nauseous. That small dose will not hurt him and it could make him feel so much better. It's not like his numbers weren't low. After 30 days if no change then consider other options. If this is all it takes to make him better don't make him wait any longer.

 

[Nicos mom]

I'm with you! Just wanted someone other than me, to point this out to DH, you know.... We are starting him tonight. Thanks again to everyone! I will report back.

 

[MomtoMaggie]

we work with hemopet and have had lipase over 6,000

Hi,

Dr Dodds' office happens to be right here in SoCal so we have been working with her on Maggie's thyroid. Her previous vet had kept her on too high of a dose. What Dr Dodds does is uses ranges that are not just breed specific, but age as well. We adjusted Maggie's dose twice and just went back on Thursday to recheck to ensure we got the dose right. Maggie is 11 years old (a guesstimate) and this what our most recent report showed. You can see the case specific is the breed and age where the general range is what all the other labs use.

Test Requested Result Case Specific General Range Units
T4 2.69 1.35 - 3.50 0.80 - 3.80 ug/dL
Free T4 1.68 0.75 - 1.80 0.55 - 2.32 ng/dL
T3 26.5 25 - 60 30.0 - 70.0 ng/dL
verified by repeat analysis
Free T3 2.10 1.6 - 3.5 1.60 - 3.50 pg/mL

Regarding the lipase over 6,000. Basically, you don't even know what it is b/c the machine stops at 6,000. Maggie had this and no one said anything. A few months later I learn that I should have her tested for pancreatitis with a spec pLI. Her previous vet had ruled it out back in Jan based on a u/s. Sure enough, we get the spec pLI and she does indeed have pancreatitis. Yes, several things can cause lipase to be elevated including kidney and intestinal problems, but when you have a >6,000, you definitely want to get a spec pLI done.

My Maggie has been failed too many times by vets, so now I keep a spreadsheet with all of her test results and I take a very proactive approach with her. I changed vets back in April and absolutely love her. Every single detail is looked at and analyzed.

Boxer hugs and kisses,

Heather, mom to
Maggie/boxer/63 lbs/11 yrs/ CKD, chronic pancreatitis, hypothyroidism, arthritis and newly diagnosed with adult onset epilepsy and likely IBD.
&
Gabby/boxer/ 45 lbs/6 mos/CaOx crystals and crazy puppy syndrome Orange County, CA

 

[MomtoMaggie]

food allergies

I haven't read all of your posts, but was wondering if you had ruled out any food allergies with Nico? Our puppy is super sensitive... broke out into hives quite a few times the first few months and had three episodes where her face swelled up pretty bad. Might have been a bee sting on that and the really severe one was the morning after her DHPP vaccine. She was also very itchy. I stopped giving her chicken to see if that made a difference in her poop and itching and after 3 weeks, it did. I think I need to get her a saliva allergy test for foods to be sure of what she is and isn't allergic to.


Boxer hugs and kisses,

Heather, mom to
Maggie/boxer/63 lbs/11 yrs/ CKD, chronic pancreatitis, hypothyroidism, arthritis and newly diagnosed with adult onset epilepsy and likely IBD.
&
Gabby/boxer/ 45 lbs/6 mos/CaOx crystals and crazy puppy syndrome Orange County, CA

 

[Nicos mom]

Thanks for these posts, mom to maggie! Nico is allergic to a few food items and we do avoid those, but you never know what other ingredients they don't test for that he could be allergic or sensitive to in foods. He eats raw Nature's Variety Lamb meat as well as Natures Variety Instinct's new single protein, single carb kibble. (No grains.) He only gets half a cup of the kibble twice a day. I've always believed that raw is the way to go if your dog (and wallet) can accommodate it, but if he has pancreatitis, how will we adapt this I wonder? Is this too high in fat? The raw meat with some added cooked veggies? We want to keep him off grains.

He had a slew of vaccinations at the shelter a few months before we adopted him; he only got the food tests back in March 2012, a month before we brought him home. We will keep the thyroid drugs going for the time being (we could swear that his coat is getting better, but it could be wishful thinking). I also got some natural flea and tick spray from the Mercola site, and I think we'll stop with Frontline and all other vaccines save for rabies since that is the law. I'm hoping that he will adjust to his new home, diet, etc... and will get better. Interestingly I have a couple of holistic dog care books and I keep reading about connections among allergies, thyroid, vaccines and pancreatitis. I can't figure out the link I'm missing for my dog! I will keep at it though....

I will be seeking that pancreatitis test though when we have his thyroid levels checked in a couple of weeks. Thanks for all the input and please keep me posted on anything new you discover with Maggie. I'll do the same.

 

[Nicos mom]

OK - So now that we know we aren't supposed to give him thyroid pills with meat, which is what we've been doing, (just a little chunk) Do you think I'd be foolish to increase his dose? He is 69-70 pounds and we're only giving him 0.3MG twice daily. That was per me, as I wanted to start low. We see a tiny bit of hair growth, but no change in the allergy symptoms we'd hoped to see. Just wondering about this. Thanks

 

[packblt]

Sorry to hear that Nico isn’t getting relief more quickly. I did read that the behavioral issues respond fairly quickly but that coat and skin issues can take a much longer time to resolve.

I don’t know how much such a small amount of meat would affect the medication considering the manufacturers label states that it can be administered with food.

Tyson is about 80 pounds and started with .5 mg. and I do see improvement in his energy and mood already but no improvement in his bald spot or the excessive shedding.

When will Nico's levels be rechecked?

 

[ROROSHELTON]

Brutus' blood levels showed that he was hypothyroid. He's 77# and they started him on 0.7mg Thyroxine twice a day. It goes by weight. I've found the dosage on the web. Both my vet and the manufacturer says you can give it with food, which I wrap his pills in raw ground turkey and he does fine with it. He's only on his 2nd week, has a blood draw to recheck his levels in 2 weeks. So we'll see if the food is making any kind of difference in his levels.