Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi everyone,
Clyde has exceeded all expectations and had his one year ampuversary on June 2! Yay Clyde! Some of you saw my admittedly whiny post about having to have bloodwork to keep him on his Rimadyl. Thank you to all who answered, you were right, I was overreacting and so he had a check up and blood test last week. Check up was fine - no lung x rays done, the vet and I both agree we won't do that until he starts having breathing issues such as coughing and/or trouble breathing. But he did have a basic blood test done and all was good except his thyroid. Vet left a message today saying it came it at .3, when normal range is like 1 - 4. So its low.
Vet wants to run a thyroid specific test to see what might be going on. Cost - $250. Not so much worried about the cost, its just again, kind of what's the point - if his thyroid is too low, shouldn't he just have some medication? Won't that be the eventual result anyway after the $250 additional test? The vet even mentioned doing this, although he said he doesn't like to because its "treating the number and not the dog." I kind of think its going to be treating the number anyway...
So long story less long - anyone have any experience with low thyroid in their osteosarcoma tripawds? I tried a search but didn't seem to pull up anything on point.
Thanks for any help/comments!
Wheeee! Clyde, you are PAWESOME! I'm thrilled you reached that big milestone and are doing so well!
Yeah, it's easy to over-react but that's OK. There's a fine line between being vigilant and being paranoid. We all learn to walk it on the cancer journey. You're doing great and in the process discovered a condition that can certainly be manageable.
A quick forums search turned up tons of comments about thyroid issues. Sorry I don't have time to search through the results but hope you can dig through and find relevant convos. Let us know OK?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
If that is a total T4 then yes, that is low, although other factors can cause a total T4 to run low. I usually run a free T4 because it is more specific and if that is also low then your dog might need supplementation. Was his cholesterol also high? Is he overweight? Lethargic? Hair loss on the sides?
If your dog has no symptoms you could also opt to recheck just a free T4 in 1-2 months. Your vet might be sending an entire thyroid panel to Michigan State for $250. At our local lab a free T4 is $80.
Pam
Thanks Pam! His cholesterol was fine, he's not overweight or lethargic, and no hair loss. My vet mentioned the test he uses is sent to Michigan State, so I guess that's the gold standard one? He did say it was a total T4 I think (it was a voice mail, I haven't had a chance to actually talk to him about all of this yet).
Really appreciate your comments. I should be able to speak with my vet in the next couple of days, maybe I'll ask about the free T4 test. Thanks again!
Hi! A little late here, but:
Manni has had thyroid issues (as in low levels ) since waaay before the osteo diagnosis. If you start reading up on thyroid it becomes extreeeeemly complex and there is not a whole lot of good literature on it. Manni has been on meds for years but that is also a double edged sword because the meds take over the function of the gland and they basically have to stay on the meds forever. The thyroid hormones are, of course, part of the whole body chemistry and therefore pretty complex. Recent studies have shown that low thyroid levels can even cause osteoporosis (in humans anyway) so I find the possible connection to anything 'osteo' quite intriguing. There is actually more than just the T4 that can be tested but not a lot of vets (and labs) offer that. If you want Clyde to not be on the meds forever I would maybe wait a while and check all of the values again. I personally would go with the big tests at least once even if just -possibly- to avoid the cost of the meds.
All the best
tina
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
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