Neuro Symptoms/thyroid

[NeylasMom]

That's great news!

 

But $270?! MSU only charges about $150 if I recall plus whatever your vet charges to draw/ship the blood. I think you can monitor with only T4 moving forward, but if you need a full panel look into MSU.

[cleptogrey]

thanks- it's also interesting his coat has returned to his old coat. felix always had scant chest hair and a thinner- but full coat. last year he turned into a fuzzy bear. it's good to see that things look like they are returning to normal. his collection of logs for the log lady is growing daily!! that's my boy!

[tbhounds]

Looking good! Just run a T4 from now on (6 hours post pill admin).

Edited to add about the charge-Im sure the fee included a tech fee to draw the blood and the sample needs to be sent either overnight or 2 day air-that can be costly.

Edited October 30, 2017 by tbhounds

[cleptogrey]

thanks TBHOUNDS!!!

 

and thanks for the info re:fees. the vet herself drew the blood, very hands on but you are right shipping is costly. and the appointment is scheduled for the 6hr mark after his 9am pill. it's good that both you and ralph(my long time friend the wandering vet- worked in nepal, india, you name it as well as ny, nj , florida and the Philippines) both said "just run a T4" .

[Batmom]

Agree, T4 is fine for monitoring meds. So glad he seems more like himself!

[cleptogrey]

6weeks later, from my original post BLOOD work shows that his T4 is LOWER, by 1! Felix is going on 0.3 dose of soloxine. Why would it drop? You guys probably have a better idea than anyone but Dr. Couto. When I return for testing in 6 weeks I will ask if this time they consult with him if results are still off. Oh, as to the cost, it wasn't that bad, $56 for the T4. I was expecting worse,but what do you think about the drop?

Edited November 10, 2017 by cleptogrey

[Batmom]

Why would it drop? Is there anything else going on with him -- on other meds, changes in weight, etc.? If not, could be that the 0.1 dose is just too low to achieve any change in his circulating T4 level. That is a tiny tiny dose. But you know what? If he's feeling well, it's all good -- that matters more than the numbers.

 

At some point you could run a TSH too, to see if that has dropped back to normal. I'd see how he does on the 0.3 dose and then consider whether to run just the T4 or add the TSH.

 

Be interested to see what tbhounds / JJNg / others think.

[cleptogrey]

Baton, I stand to correct myself, some i posted 0.1 when he is in 0.2,now 0.3. Felix did loose 3/4# over thw last 6 weeks but he had gainwd that much prior to going on the soloxine. His coat has returned to the tight short coat of thw past with nearly bald chest. It was down right thick and hairy. He is acting like himself which means much more than #s at this point. Thanks for the input. Oh, no signs of anaplasmosis right now. Who knows, he belongs to that lovely tribe of mystery dogs that we all seem to favor!

[tbhounds]

Timing of the blood draw is most likely the reason for the drop. Did your vet discuss that with you?

Maybe this will help...

“The lowest thyroid level of the day is found by taking the blood sample right before a tablet would normally be given. The highest level of the day is found by taking the blood sample 4-6 hours after it is given.”

[cleptogrey]

the blood was drawn exactly 6 hrs after the meds were administered. her instructions were 6-8 hrs post meds.

 

as i mentioned he's acting more like himself, but when i look at his skin and coat it's brittle. i am giving him fish oil and NUPRO supplement daily and changed over to salmon based PRO PLAN. annie's coat and skin looks fine-

 

here's what's in old fashioned Nupro

Active Ingredients - Desiccated Liver (Pork), Norwegian Kelp, Bee Pollen, Imported Yeast Culture, Flaxseed, Lecithin, Garlic Concentrate, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Calcium Citrate

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (min) 25%
Crude Fat (min) 9%
Crude Fiber (max) 20%
Moisture (max) 11%

Vitamins
Vitamin A 2635 IU
Vitamin D 48 IU
Vitamin E .074 IU
Vitamin C 100 mg
Vitamin K 42 mcg
Vitamin B-1 224 mg
Vitamin B-2 10 mg
Vitamin B-6 2.333 mg
Vitamin B-12 114 mg
Pantothenic Acid 0.907 mg
Folic Acid 275 mcg
Paba 25 mg
Choline 149 mg
Inositol 75 mg
Rutin 50 mg
Biotin 140 mg

Minerals
Calcium 330 mg
Magnesium 99 mg
Phosphorus 274 mg
Potassium 422 mg
Sodium 215 mg
Zinc 4 mg
Copper 1.07 mg
Manganese 0.4 mg
Iodine 300 mcg
Sulfhur 248 mg
Silica 55 mg
Molybdenum 40 mcg
Boron 390 mcg
Selenium 20 mcg
Iron 7 mg

Proteins (Amino Acids)
Alanine 0.70 mg
Arginine 0.33 mg
Aspartic Acid 0.94 mg
Asparagine 53 mg
Cystine 0.05 mg
Cysteine 84 mg
Glycine 0.49 mg
Glutamic Acid 1.37 mg
Histidine 0.24 mg

Enzymes
Amlase 125 mg
Trypsin 103 mg
Papain 207 mg
Lipase 117 mg
Protease 125 mg
Bromelain 115 mg
Pepsin 32 mg
Diatase 29 mg
Pectase 25 mg
Hydroxyproline 27.3 mg
Isoleucine 0.20 mg
Leucine 0.68 mg
Lysine 0.62 mg
Methsonine 43.1 mg
Valine 0.33 mg
Ornithine 8.67 mg
Phenylalnine 0.34 mg
Proline 0.46 mg
Serine 0.52 mg
Threonine 0.37 mg
Glutamine 137 mg
Tyrosine 0.37 mg
Taurine .02 mg

Essential Fatty Acids
Arachidonic Acid 550 mg
Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) 1600 mg
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) 675 mg
Oleic Acid (Omega 9) 450 mg

[tbhounds]

You typically won’t see a hair coat change for about 4 months-it takes time. I never heard of waiting 8 hours post tablet before the blood draw-it’s typically 4-6 hours post. Because the draw was 6 hours post I would tend to believe that’s why you saw a little drop in the result.

[cleptogrey]

will mention this to my vet when i reschedule. i did read both the 4-6 and 6-8 hr. wait. thanks

[XTRAWLD]

. these greyhounds make temperamental BMWs, Fiats and old fashion Land Rovers look reliable!!!

Quote of the year!

[Guest nicky604]

I just adopted a greyhound also named Felix (GM's Felix).

 

He is hypo-thyroid, symptomatic, been to the vet, had a full thyroid panel

 

with poor results (outside of normal range).

 

I'm struggling to get him to gain weight.

 

He weighed 65 lbs at the vet.

 

He has diarrhea too.

 

I've been feeding him 2 cups of food, twice a day plus lots of treats.

 

But it just goes right through him ):

 

Heartworm negative ..

 

 

[cleptogrey]

I just adopted a greyhound also named Felix (GM's Felix).

 

He is hypo-thyroid, symptomatic, been to the vet, had a full thyroid panel

 

with poor results (outside of normal range).

 

I'm struggling to get him to gain weight.

 

He weighed 65 lbs at the vet.

 

He has diarrhea too.

 

I've been feeding him 2 cups of food, twice a day plus lots of treats.

 

But it just goes right through him ):

 

Heartworm negative ..

 

 

how long have you had your Felix?(your is only the 2nd grey aside from mine w/ that name in 11 years). it does take a while to get their gut cleaned up and for them to start gaining weight once they are off the track. don't be shocked if you need numerous rounds of flagyl. try boiled white rice or yams or potatoes as a carb to help add some calories and they are good for the loose poop. don't start changing foods and do run a stool culture. if you post the #s and the normal range there are quite a few thyroid savvy gh owners here as you can see. both TBHOUNDS and BATMOM read and responded pretty quickly. did they just do a T4 or a full panel? good luck, Feelie is my affectionate name for "The Felix". mine has always been quite the character.

[Batmom]

Did he have a full thyroid panel, or just the T4? Is he on thyroid meds? Dosage?

 

Have a fecal and complete bloodwork been done?

[cleptogrey]

GOOD NEWS!!!

 

IT LOOKS LIKE 0.3MG SOLOXINE IS FELIX'S SWEET SPOT! now, it's pain management. we are heading down to texas in 3 weeks, the warm weather should do all of us some good!

 

 

btw, the other felix....has your vet looked into ATYPICAL ADDISON'S ?

[Batmom]

Wonderful!

[seeh2o]

Great news! I would stop the Nupro, it has too much kelp in it which, per my very, the iodine in it can interfere with the thyroid meds. I had to keep Carl and Doodles off anything with kelp in it. When I started feeding them raw I had to keep them off of crucifeous vegetable, too.

[cleptogrey]

thank you seeh2o,(i think i found the jean dodds article that you must have read). i am going to talk to both my vet and nupro customer service on monday. felix has been on Nupro for the last 3-4 months. last 2, T4 test performed while he was on the supplement. his #s were low prior to starting it, but the vet(greyhound savvy) who read them thought he was at the borderline and decided to skip supplementation but had thought of it and decided that since it was borderline to wait. they were low back in april. (can't cry over spilt milk).

 

i need to check and see if the 300mcg does affect him. of course he has had wonderful results w/ the Nupro and after going thru 2, 5# tubs i purchased a 20# tub of the stuff! but customer service of both Nupro and Chewy are excellent. It's the thought of shipping something that heavy!

Edited December 17, 2017 by cleptogrey

[cleptogrey]

i quick called Nupro today and the rep. suggested that I have his T4 test done while he is on the supplement. The last 2 tests were done when he was on the Nupro, full dose. The current results are within the normal range, my vet is happy. From what I read only Jean Dodds commented that there shouldn't be any iodine. The other remarks in articles did not steer one away from it.

 

Unless things change, his coat, gut(lots of probiotics in it) and stool are happy.

 

SeeH2O, please forward any other findings so I can reflect upon them, thank you!

 

also, thanks GTers for your support!

[cleptogrey]

Just did lepto booster and checked t4#. It's now .9. As with Gus his numbers did not register on the 2nd test.