T4 Of 2.5

[Guest EmbersDad]

embers annual exam ( i posted the big thumbs up before) was great. her T4 was at 2.5 and my vet seems hip to the idea of weaning her off soloxine altogether. she wants me to call and discuss with her. im inclined to agree. the current dosage is 0.05 mg x2 daily

[Batmom]

That's 0.05, not 0.5, right? At that small a dose, I'd be inclined to try her off of it and wait the 6 weeks needed to get a full thyroid panel done.

 

Was a full thyroid panel done at MSU or equivalent lab before she started on the med?

 

 

[Guest EmbersDad]

That's 0.05, not 0.5, right? At that small a dose, I'd be inclined to try her off of it and wait the 6 weeks needed to get a full thyroid panel done.

 

Was a full thyroid panel done at MSU or equivalent lab before she started on the med?

 

it was over 6 years ago, and i do not remember the specifics, sorry. i do seem to remember the T4 being .4 at that time, and yes, im breaking a 0.1 mg pill in half

Edited September 12, 2008 by EmbersDad

[Guest greytfulhounds]

I just had senior bloodwork done on Kitty prior to her dental and her thyroid came back at 0.4. My vet suggested drawing more blood and sending it out to Dr. Jean Dodds in California, who is a greyhound guru, for analysis. We just got the results back from Dr. Dodd and her suggestion was to start Kitty on 0.3 mg of Soloxine twice daily and we will redraw blood in 6 weeks to make sure she is at a good level.

 

It is definitely a decision between you & your vet when it comes to what is best for Ember. If you trust your vet, and you should, I would go with their guidance. But, I think I might also test her thyroid again after being off of the meds for maybe 6 weeks or so just to be sure she is holding a good level.

 

Link to Dr. Dodds if you want to check out her information. Hemopet Link She has a lot of great information and also a huge advocate for not over vaccinating animals. I attended a 2 day health symposium she gave a couple of years ago at Wonder Dogs in Berlin, NJ. She will speaking in New Brunswick in March 2009 on Behalf of the Rabies Challenge Fund. Rabies Challenge Fund Link

[Batmom]

Would your vet still have the records, or lost in the sands of time?

 

Either way, could be useful to wean her off, do a blood draw, send to MSU for the premium thyroid panel, and see what it says. T4 all by itself isn't very meaningful -- it can change from day to day, even from hour to hour. The panel includes some other measurements that let the MSU endocrinologists (and your vet) determine whether a low T4 is the result of low thyroid function or some other stressor in the dog's life.

 

Lots of folks tend to regard thyroid meds as benign, no problem even if the dog doesn't really need them. That isn't exactly true. There are some conditions where you really don't want to be giving thyroid meds and where they can harm the dog. Heart problems and Cushing's disease come to mind.

 

patricia went through the weaning off, 6-week weight and retest with her dog, who almost everybody thought probably really was hypothyroid ... and he was ... but they needed to make sure. If you were to PM her, I'm sure she'd share the why and what of all that with you .

 

Best to Ember whatever you decide!

 

ETA: If you decide to do the 6 weeks of no meds and retest, I would use MSU -- Michigan State University. They're the acknowledged gold standard of thyroid testing for dogs, and for something like $2, their endocrinologists will interpret the results for you and your vet. Here is their FAQ about thyroid stuff in dogs: http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/FAQ/Endocr...roid_Canine.php

[Guest EmbersDad]

thanks for the replies. i am going to call dr sauder and discuss this with her and begin weaning her off the soloxine.

[Burpdog]

im breaking a 0.1 mg pill in half

 

Are you absolutely sure it is not 1.0? 2.5 on retest for a dog on thyroid is fine.

[patricia]

Yes...we did the weaning off and the long wait for Flashy's blood to be sent to MSU and it was NOT fun! Our poor boy did nothing but sleep...gained 10 pounds...lost a huge amount of hair...his skin got SO dry and he shivered and felt so cold to the touch. I felt so bad for him. Once we got his results and started him back on his Soloxine...he felt SO much better and is playing again...lost all his weight he gained and he has energy again and is no longer cold. His last T-4 6 hours after his morning pill was 3.0 and we are very pleased!

[CaliforniaGreys]

I just had senior bloodwork done on Kitty prior to her dental and her thyroid came back at 0.4. My vet suggested drawing more blood and sending it out to Dr. Jean Dodds in California, who is a greyhound guru, for analysis. We just got the results back from Dr. Dodd and her suggestion was to start Kitty on 0.3 mg of Soloxine twice daily and we will redraw blood in 6 weeks to make sure she is at a good level.

 

It is definitely a decision between you & your vet when it comes to what is best for Ember. If you trust your vet, and you should, I would go with their guidance. But, I think I might also test her thyroid again after being off of the meds for maybe 6 weeks or so just to be sure she is holding a good level.

 

Link to Dr. Dodds if you want to check out her information. Hemopet Link She has a lot of great information and also a huge advocate for not over vaccinating animals. I attended a 2 day health symposium she gave a couple of years ago at Wonder Dogs in Berlin, NJ. She will speaking in New Brunswick in March 2009 on Behalf of the Rabies Challenge Fund. Rabies Challenge Fund Link

Jean is great!! Brilliant woman

[Guest Greensleeves]

I'm confused by this. Can a dog's thyroid "get better?" I know my human doctors told me that once the thryoid quits, that's it--and I'll be on meds for the rest of my life. Is this not the same for dogs?

[Batmom]

I'm confused by this. Can a dog's thyroid "get better?" I know my human doctors told me that once the thryoid quits, that's it--and I'll be on meds for the rest of my life. Is this not the same for dogs?

 

It's probably the same for dogs ... BUT ... a lot of greyhounds in particular are put on meds on the basis of a single low T4, which is not diagnostic for hypothyroid in greyhounds. It isn't really diagnostic in other dogs, either, but vets tend not to diagnose other dogs as hypothyroid without distinct accompanying symptoms.

 

As noted above, the T4 can vary from hour to hour and day to day. Dr. Feeman has noted that there is evidence that greyhound *normal* T4s can be low enough that the tests can't even measure them. And some things that would be diagnostic in other dogs are characteristics of normal greyhounds, particularly those that have recently retired or changed homes -- thin hair or baldness, laziness, statuing on walks, human-avoiding behavior ......

[Guest LokisMom]

I'm confused by this. Can a dog's thyroid "get better?" I know my human doctors told me that once the thryoid quits, that's it--and I'll be on meds for the rest of my life. Is this not the same for dogs?

 

It's probably the same for dogs ... BUT ... a lot of greyhounds in particular are put on meds on the basis of a single low T4, which is not diagnostic for hypothyroid in greyhounds. It isn't really diagnostic in other dogs, either, but vets tend not to diagnose other dogs as hypothyroid without distinct accompanying symptoms.

 

As noted above, the T4 can vary from hour to hour and day to day. Dr. Feeman has noted that there is evidence that greyhound *normal* T4s can be low enough that the tests can't even measure them. And some things that would be diagnostic in other dogs are characteristics of normal greyhounds, particularly those that have recently retired or changed homes -- thin hair or baldness, laziness, statuing on walks, human-avoiding behavior ......

 

 

Just to put in my 2 cents, our Cole was on thryoid medicine in his previous home for 7 years or so due to being bald when he came off the truck and a low T4 test. Since he came to us, our vet has had him taken off the medicine because he was actually showing hyperthyroid symptoms. He is doing wonderful off the medicine and is much better off.

 

Unless there are actual symptoms, T4's can be pretty inaccurate in greyhounds and as Batmom said, they are often treated unnecessarily.

[NeylasMom]

Was she symptomatic when you put her on the meds (other than the possibility of bald thighs)? In other words, were you suspicious of a thyroid prob for other reasons, or did it just turn up low in standard bloodwork? If latter, which would be further indication that they just ran a T4, I would definitely take her off of it, wait 6 weeks and retest through MSU like Batmom said. One of the two main labs the vets use (can't remember which now, Antech I think) now also tests TSH by dialysis so you *could* do that, but I am in favor of hte full panel through MSU. They'll interpret the results for you too.