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Request For Info On Solaxine


Guest Adrianne

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Guest Adrianne

I'm looking for real world information on Solaxine--anything you can tell me. Larry came to us on this medication; it's .8 mg tablet and he get 1.5 tablets 1x daily. My questions: what would have been the symptoms to give cause to test thyroid levels? What tests are run to determine that yes, this boy needs to be on Solaxine? Does this dosage tell you anything? What side effects or problems should I look for?

 

I'm completely uneducated on this, so anything you can tell me will be greatly appreciated. (And Larry thanks you for helping his new mama take the best care of him she possibly can.)

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That's a pretty high dose... but what do I know. Every situation/dog is different. YOu can email Dr. Jean Dodds and get some really fast and precise answers from a vet who really knows their thryoid stuff. If you need the contact info- just ask.

 

My Chloe exhibited symtoms such as not leaving her crate (whereas on meds she is a craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy BIOTCH). She was so flat, she was a bounce. She was just... flat- not interested in anything.

 

Her thyroid tested .02 which is low even for a GH. Within a week after on the meds which is .5 mg 2x a day she is a happy, silly crazy girl.

 

 

ROBIN ~ Mom to: Beau Think It Aint, Chloe JC Allthewayhome, Teddy ICU Drunk Sailor, Elsie N Fracine , Ollie RG's Travertine, Ponch A's Jupiter~ Yoshi, Zoobie & Belle, the kitties.

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I don't think that dose is high at all. Larry would have had hopefully a full thyroid panel done.

 

Like Robin suggested, you can email Jean at Hemopet@hotmail.com

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Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12

 

 

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Did he come with medical records (guessing no or you wouldn't be asking us stuff?) Did his deceased owner have family that the group might contact and see if they have any idea where he was vetted? It would be nice to have not just his last thyroid labs but anything of his past.... Labs can be re-drawn if his records aren't accessible, that not an issue except paying for it!

Angie, Pewter, and Storm-puppy

Forever missing Misty-Mousie (9/9/99 - 10/5/15)
Fort Wayne, Indiana

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Adrianne, Carl's weight ranges from 72 - 75 on average and he gets .7mg of Soloxine total per day. Each .7mg tablet is broken in half and he gets 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 in the evening. It really depends on his weight, results of his thyroid panel, etc. That being said, it sounds like a high dosage, but I don't know the particulars. The Soloxine website says that the suggested dosage is: "The initial recommended dose is 0.1 mg/10 lb. (4.5 kg) body weight twice daily. Dosage is then adjusted by monitoring the thyroid blood levels of the dog every four weeks until an adequate maintenance dose is established. The usual maintenance dose is 0.1 mg/10 lb. (4.5 kg) once daily."

 

Like Claudia suggested above, you might want to consider writing to Dr. Jean Dodds, is a vet, runs Hemopet and writes the books they use to teach veterinarians in school. My vet sends Carl's blood to her lab for chempanels and thyroid tests, then Dr. Dodds provides the interpretation and suggested course of action. Email with her his weight, all the results of blood work that you have and his dosage of Soloxine. She is usually very quick to respond and will not charge you for her time.

 

I hope you get some information that helps!

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Missing my beautiful boy Sunsands Carl 2.25.2003 - 4.1.2014

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Guest Adrianne

Did he come with medical records (guessing no or you wouldn't be asking us stuff?) Did his deceased owner have family that the group might contact and see if they have any idea where he was vetted? It would be nice to have not just his last thyroid labs but anything of his past.... Labs can be re-drawn if his records aren't accessible, that not an issue except paying for it!

 

 

Oh yeah, I have records. I'm holding in my hand 20 pages of vet records, and that's just for the last year. It's not that he's an unhealthy dog; he actually looks pretty good. I think it's just a combination of a daddy who loved his boy very much & took him to the vet for any and everything and a vet that documents EVERYTHING, including who your receptionist was for the visit. Apparently, there was 80 pages total for the years Larry was with his previous owner.

 

It looks like he's had full bloodwork done at least twice in the last year, but I don't know what a lot of these numbers mean. I think I will email Dr. Dodds and see if she can help me decipher some of this.

 

I have other questions concerning his health, but I'll wait and start a different topic for that.

 

Adrianne, Carl's weight ranges from 72 - 75 on average and he gets .7mg of Soloxine total per day.

 

 

In looking at Larry's records, it looks like his weight stays between 77 - 79 pounds. I also see that he was actually started out on .8 mg of Solaxine 1 pill 2x daily for a total of 1.6 mg daily.

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If your Vet is uncomfortable contacting Jean Dodds, I'm sure he knows that Michigan State is considered by many to be t-h-e place to go for thyroid bloodwork analysis.

 

 

Linda, Mom to Fuzz, Barkley, and the felines Miss Kitty, Simon and Joseph.Waiting at The Bridge: Alex, Josh, Harley, Nikki, Beemer, Anna, Frank, Rachel, my heart & soul, Suze and the best boy ever, Dalton.<p>

:candle ....for all those hounds that are sick, hurt, lost or waiting for their forever homes. SENIORS ROCK :rivethead

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In looking at Larry's records, it looks like his weight stays between 77 - 79 pounds. I also see that he was actually started out on .8 mg of Solaxine 1 pill 2x daily for a total of 1.6 mg daily.

 

So it sounds like at some point they cut the dosage - probably after rechecking. Most vets base the dosage on twice a day, but a vet recently told me that a single Soloxine dosage will last 24 hours. Vets hesitate to recommend the single dose because of "skipped" dosages if the pet owner forgets one day. Any excess dosage just "ends up in your back yard".

 

As far as side effects, I have 3 girls that have been on Soloxine for several years and there have never been any side effects.

Ann

 

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Just chiming in about the dose--Patrick takes 1.5mg/day (spread over 2 doses), he started much lower, kept going until symptoms resolved/blood levels came in line.

Beth, Petey (8 September 2018- ), and Faith (22 March 2019). Godspeed Patrick (28 April 1999 - 5 August 2012), Murphy (23 June 2004 - 27 July 2013), Leo (1 May 2009 - 27 January 2020), and Henry (10 August 2010 - 7 August 2020), you were loved more than you can know.

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Dude came to us already on a high dose of Soloxine (.75mg twice a day, weight 78lbs). He was at the tail end of the philosophy that had vets/groups medicating for symptoms rather than test results. He had very bald thighs/tummy/butt, was probably considered a borderline spook, had other behavioral problems.

 

After reading and researching, and under vet supervision, we ended up taking him off the meds altogether. His reading was still low-average but his behavior improved tremendously and his hair even grew back some. He was getting too much thyroid instead of supplementing a loss. Other than the side effects of too much supplementation, the soloxine itself didn't have any negative impact with Dude. Just like with people though, some dogs react to manufactured hormones rather than natural ones.

 

Please do contact Dr Dodds for info and help. Larry may/or may not need thyroid meds, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. Larry's in good hands!

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

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Angel is on this med for her low T4. (?) I took her in when she started to have seizures more frequently. When she had her first one, we just waited. It was at least a year before she had another. The vet felt that that was not a huge thing to give daily meds for, at a year apart. And thank God my dogs do not attack when she has one. Darby comes and get me. rolleyes.gif

 

Anyway, when Angel started to have them about every three months and then a grand mal (sp) she had blood work again and was put on the meds. We get blood work done about every 6 months and just this last time she had her dose up'ed a little.

 

She has been seizure free for almost a year. The last one she had was very mild.

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Guest IrskasMom

Adrianne ,I have really no Input about this Medication .I am just here for Support and some Mega Hugs for you and Larry and as the other already said,contact Dr.Jean Dodd . grouphug.gifgrouphug.gifgrouphug.gifgrouphug.gif

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Guest Adrianne

Thank you everyone for the information. I will definitely contact Dr. Dobbs; I want to be as educated as I can, so I can take the best care of Larry. (Sigh....if I'd been more educated when Wilbur broke his leg, I would have done things completely differently. sad.gif )

 

I'm looking at his records, and it seems on 3/17/2009 Larry's T4 level was <.2 and he was placed on 1.6 mg Solaxine then for hypothyroidism. On 8/7/2009, his T4 level was 43.6 and the Solaxine was decreased to 1.2 mg daily. Tthe bloodwork was rechecked 9/28/2009, and his T4 level then was 34.6.

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Guest Greytluv

Do you give him is Soloxine 2x a day? I thought it only lasted for 12 hrs :dunno Three of mine are on .3 2x a day. Email Dr. Dodds. She will probably want to see the blood work. Was the last on in 2009? She might want an updated one.

 

Dr. Dodds is the best. I adopted all my dogs from her :D

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Guest Energy11

I'd definitely get his thyroid functions re-checked. It does sound like a lot of Soloxine, but as everyone has said, it varies, based on the thyroid functions, weight, etc. Good Luck! Hugs to you and Larry!

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If he never had a full thyroid panel, I'd take him off for 6 weeks and then reassess with your vet. Particularly in an older dog, giving thyroid when it isn't needed can be a bad idea.

 

T4 isn't a good diagnostic test. Greyhound T4s can be below measurable levels, and they can vary from 0 one day to 2.5 the next (been there, done that).

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Guest grey_dreams

Zuki had multiple problems and with a full panel, consults with 2 of my vets plus an expert in Utrecht plus Jean Dodds (and with me) we all came to the same conclusion. He was put on a 6-week trial of 0.3 mg twice a day, for 0.6 mg total per day. All his symptoms resolved so he was on that for almost a year. We recently backed the dosage down to 0.25 mg twice a day and he's doing fine. Larry's dose does seem high, but like others have mentioned it will depend on a lot of factors.

 

Adrianne, I REALLY don't think it's a good idea to stop the Soloxine COLD TURKEY as Batmom suggested. Even if Larry doesn't need that dosage, his body metabolism has adapted to that level of Soloxine, and if you stop cold turkey you could generate A LOT of problems. I do think it's a good idea to discuss Larry's history with your vet, and above all consult with Jean Dodds, and re-run a full panel. Then you can all consult together of what to do.

 

Edited to add: You should be able to get the results of a full thyroid panel back in just a few days. So it won't take long before Larry's dose could be adjusted if that's what's needed. Even then, I'm sure your vet and any other vets you consult with would advise to slowly back down off of his current dose, to gradually decrease what he's currently getting, over the course of several weeks.

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There's no point to doing a full thyroid panel unless the dog has been off medication for @ 6 weeks. While the dog is taking medication, it doesn't show you anything useful.

 

You don't have to taper off thyroid meds. See last question here: http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/Sections/Endocrinology/Monitoring.php

 

And for more about thyroid testing, etc., see here: http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/Sections/Endocrinology/Thyroid_Canine.php

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Guest grey_dreams

When my 2 vets + the top endocrine specialist in Netherlands + Jean Dodds all agreed about the 6 week trial for Zuki, they told me that if he didn't respond to the med, he would have to be taken off very slowly over the course of a few weeks, by gradually decreasing the dosage.

 

And this is from the American Thyroid Association website:

(This is pasted from the bottom of that page, under Follow-Up)

"You want to try stopping thyroxine treatment. If ever you think you’re doing well enough not to need thyroxine treatment any longer, try it only under your doctor’s close supervision. Rather than stopping your pills completely, you might ask your doctor to try lowering your dose. If your TSH goes up, you’ll know that you need to continue treatment."

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Check out the links I attached from the acknowledged US experts in thyroid testing for dogs, MSU. They've been doing this for years and have multiple experts who do research on canine endocrine issues. :)

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Guest grey_dreams

Check out the links I attached from the acknowledged US experts in thyroid testing for dogs, MSU. They've been doing this for years and have multiple experts who do research on canine endocrine issues. :)

 

:colgate I did check out the links you posted. It's the same site you directed me to the last time we had a lively discussion about TSH testing, and it's the site that says a 25% error rate in a diagnostic lab test is acceptable. :lol Thanks for reposting the link :)

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Check out the links I attached from the acknowledged US experts in thyroid testing for dogs, MSU. They've been doing this for years and have multiple experts who do research on canine endocrine issues. :)

 

:colgate I did check out the links you posted. It's the same site you directed me to the last time we had a lively discussion about TSH testing, and it's the site that says a 25% error rate in a diagnostic lab test is acceptable. :lol Thanks for reposting the link :)

 

Where does it say that?

 

They're the gold standard for canine thyroid testing and interpretation here in the U.S.

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Guest grey_dreams

Ok, here we go again.

 

The TSH test is an immunological test (ELISA) that depends on the fidelity of the antibody they use to measure TSH. They say that they miss in 15% of cases ...

"Unfortunately, a proportion (around 15%) of hypothyroid dogs could also have this last pattern of results (low thyroid hormones, normal TSH)."

 

...while other studies show that as much as 25% of cases are missed.

 

Recombinant Thyrotropin (TSH): Standard for the Next Generation of Canine TSH Immunoassays with Improved Sensitivity

 

Researcher: Duncan Ferguson, DVM, PhD, University of Georgia

 

Hypothyroidism, a failure of the thyroid gland, is the most common hormonal abnormality in dogs, causing a variety of medical problems in many breeds, including hair loss and skin infections.

 

The measurement of serum levels of the pituitary hormone thyrotropin (TSH) has been used as a reliable and sensitive screening test for thyroid glandular insufficiency in human medicine for many years, but the "first generation" assays for canine TSH (cTSH) are missing as many as 1 out of 4 cases of hypothyroidism, resulting in no improvement in diagnostic sensitivity compared to total T4 measurement. Furthermore, the available assays have not been sensitive enough to distinguish low values of cTSH from those in the normal range. Towards the goal of improving current and future immunoassay sensitivity based upon a pure recombinant canine TSH (cTSH) hormone standard, our laboratory has succeeded in cloning and sequencing the two peptide subunits of canine TSH and have expressed them in small quantities. Using techniques recently developed in our parallel work on equine TSH, we plan to express and purify recombinant canine TSH in high quantities and validate its use as a pure immunoassay standard to facilitate its worldwide use.

 

 

 

Other References

 

 

● Dixon RM, Graham PA, Mooney CT. Serum thyrotropin concentrations: a new diagnostic test for canine hypothyroidism. Vet Rec 138: 594-595, 1996.

● Iverson L, Jensen AL, Høier R, et al. Biological variation of canine serum thyrotropin (TSH) concentration. Vet Clin Pathol 28:16-19, 1999.

● Jensen AL, Iversen L, Høier R, et al. Evaluation of an immunoradiometric assay for thyrotropin in serum and plasma samples of dogs with primary hypothyroidism. J Comp Pathol 114: 339-346, 1996.

● Diaz Espineira MM, J.A. Mol JA, Peeters ME, Pollak YWEA, Iversen L,van Dijk JE, Rijnberk A, Kooistra HS. Assessment of thyroid function in dogs with low plasma thyroxine concentration. J Vet Intern Med 21:25–32, 2007.

 

 

15%-25% error rate is HUGE.

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Many of those references are over 10 years old.

 

It goes without saying that you can't judge a dog on TSH alone -- MSU's own literature tells you that -- but it is a useful test, especially for sighthounds where even fT4 by equilibrium dialysis may be off the bottom of the scale ... and still be normal. I wouldn't treat a sighthound without elevated TSH unless the dog had very clear hypothyroid symptoms.

 

If you're going to medicate based on T4, at least get the fT4 by equilibrium dialysis. No question that that is the best version of fT4 available. Again, tho, in a sighthound, it can be off the bottom of the scale.

 

 

Like OSU and some others, I believe sighthounds are overdiagnosed as hypothyroid. YMMV.

 

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Guest grey_dreams

The abstract is from 2007 and cites another paper published in 2007. That's recent work. But yes, the knowledge that the TSH test has low fidelity goes back further.

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