Who knows about thyroid in a dog?

Sinbad has both thyroid issues and allergies--his allergy is to a grass that goes to seed at this time of year Sept./early Oct.). He has no issues in the spring or summer. If there's paw licking, it is bothering him. Sinbad does not scratch or bite--he just licks.

 Dyan I'll have a look at specific numbers later but when Bugsy's thyroid was first tested he was low normal - I CHOSE to send a blood sample to Hemopet at that time because Bugsy had dandruff that wouldn't disappear (mild but constant) and was licking his foreleg.  He wasn't licking so much it was a wound but it was an odd behavior and 'new'

Anyway whereas his actual thyroid numbers were in the low normal range his autoimmune antibodies (TGAA I think) were off the charts - normal is under 25 and his was near 300.  She diagnosed him as having autoimmune thyroiditis (the most common cause of hypothyroid) and put him on a supplement.  It took nearly 2 yrs to get that TGAA number even near normal, his other thyroid numbers moved to the normal range quickly the foreleg licking stopped, his allergies are under much better control (thus I know when he gets into something he shouldn't because only then do I see dandruff, a dose of benadryl and it disappears)

So I would say see what you can do to send off a sample for a T5 test through hemopet as low thyroid HAS been linked to mega-esophagus and hind leg issues (including CCL tears) - prices always go up but I think it is $125 and my vet charges $18 for the draw and shipping

dyan

he should have been tested as a baby and wasn't

Testing a baby for thyroid issues is a waste of money, Dyan. MOST issues do not even begin to show themselves until age two...and more likely age 4 and onwards. It is a "grown up" problem not a baby problem. This is why dogs in a breeding programme should be inititially tested prior to breeding and RETESTED every couple of years. To catch any changes.

Allergy testing would probably be a better spend for your money than another Thyroid test. But try to get him stable and non itchy prior because a dog in a full out allergy attack is going to test positive for like...EVERYTHING.

rwbeagles

But try to get him stable and non itchy prior because a dog in a full out allergy attack is going to test positive for like...EVERYTHING

  When I made an appointment for Jessie to see the dermatologist at Purdue, my instructions were not to give her an antihistamine for two weeks prior to the appointment, or a bath;  the dermatologist wanted to see her in all her itchy glory and not have the test results affected by medications. It's not true that a dog will test positive to everything at the time that they are having problems; they will only test positive to those pollens which are causing the itching. Jessie is not allergic to everything, but highly allergic to certain pollens. She had both a skin and blood test; the determination to put her on immunotherapy was based not so much on how many things she was allergic to, but how high her score was, and if she had year round allergies. In her case, she tested highly positive to year round allergens (house dust mites, storage mites, mold)  as well as some pollens. If Gibby gets tested and is only allergic to pollens that are present a few months in the summer, your vet would probably recommend a short term low dose of steroids during that time rather than allergy shots.

kpwlee

whereas his actual thyroid numbers were in the low normal range his autoimmune antibodies (TGAA I think) were off the charts - normal is under 25 and his was near 300.  She diagnosed him as having autoimmune thyroiditis (the most common cause of hypothyroid) and put him on a supplement.  It took nearly 2 yrs to get that TGAA number even near normal,

  That's interesting. Did your vet try adjusting the dose to help raise the TGAA? Jessie just had her six month senior panel done and her T4 was normal but her cTSH was high, so my vet is having a free T4 and autoimmune antibody test done.

spiritdogs

this wonderful little tome wasn't written yet at the time, and her symptoms were there, but subtle:
http://www.amazon.com/Canine-Thyroid-Epidemic-Answers-Need/dp/1617810169/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315871648&sr=8-1

Thanks for including this link--this was the book I was talking about--just didn't have the title handy! I know Dodds was differentiating results for  differences by age (young dogs, senior dogs) for large and small breeds back in the early to mid 2000s. I imagine her information is a lot more detailed now, plus she's done so much work with breed specific thyroid test results. This book is definitely on my "must read this fall" list.

jessies_mom

It's not true that a dog will test positive to everything at the time that they are having problems;

Most dogs owners that take in their itchy dogs, when I ask what they're allergic to it's "everything"...IMO it cannot hurt to test NOT during a peak allergy fit and eliminate the possibility. Why not do the test or test when the dog is NOT an allergic histamine ridden mess? Of course if your dog is never NOT itchy, you probably should assume it's allergic to most things in this world and medicate the poor thing to alieviate it's issues vs trying to figure it out over the course of weeks.

erica1989

I think I mixed up your postings a bit then! I thought this had been more of an ongoing issue

He rarely scratches and this has never happened to his feet before.... his ears become smelly a lot but this past spring is the first time that he tested positive for yeast.  His whole underside is clean, nothing that looks red or itchy.  I took him to the vet because his knuckles on his all of his feet were red and he licked so much of the fur off of them...especially the back feet. That said..he loves to lick his feet and bite his nails especailly the back ones.    Everything was pretty normal and all of a sudden one day its there.     But...his hair thinned out around one eye last summer..... and he has some discoloration on his neck skin and all of that make me think thyroid testing.

rwbeagles

 

Testing a baby for thyroid issues is a waste of money,

Why are all of the Dane puppies that come from show breeders thyroid tested ? 

Truley

It has been very high/high for mold and weed. Weed usually means Ragweed. I know that it has been high here as well, Kord's allergies progressed to me having to go and get meds because OTC were not helping. 

calliecritturs

dyan

You know..... its just so weird.....these results came back just like our human test results come back....with your test results and then a Lab range..... guessing that often each lab has a little different range. 

Any lab other than MIchigan State or Dr. Dodds are going to use the SAME grading system -- it's standard.  What MS and Dr. Dodds use are HER (Dr. Dodd's) breed-spectific protocols that she developed.

So no -- your vet is trying to put his own spin on it for some reason.  He seems to really want you to see *him* as some kind of authority which is where this all falls apart for you.

Allergies in dogs *increase* as they age.  It's not uncommon and you said the magic word when you said he started licking **this spring**.  Allergy time. 

Actually Callie, the lab ranges are different from different labs. For instance I had my Cholesterol, Vit D and a WBC done last fall...after 6 months I had to have them done again but this time went to the lab in the medical building where my doctor was and the ranges were different on the result sheets. Not just that...but my friend just had the same tests done and the ranges were different from her results done at the Cleveland clinic.       My vet read Gibbys results to me over the phone and said his results were normal and there was no thyroid issues. I had him send them to me, and put them on the forum.  He originally did a thyroid scan at the office, it came back 1.5 with the lab range being 0.8-5.0 and said "We can send this to the lab but I feel confident with this 1.5."  I opted to send it and he understood saying that it would be easier to treat a thyroid problem then allergies.   And I told him about Bubby so he knows my feelings on the low end of normal.

He actually just started this foot thing a couple of weeks ago.  He licks...but he licks everything....his feet, legs, chest, me, his toys..etc

rwbeagles

dyan

he should have been tested as a baby and wasn't

 

Testing a baby for thyroid issues is a waste of money, Dyan. MOST issues do not even begin to show themselves until age two...and more likely age 4 and onwards. It is a "grown up" problem not a baby problem. This is why dogs in a breeding programme should be inititially tested prior to breeding and RETESTED every couple of years. To catch any changes.

Allergy testing would probably be a better spend for your money than another Thyroid test. But try to get him stable and non itchy prior because a dog in a full out allergy attack is going to test positive for like...EVERYTHING.

While I agree that testing a baby is probably not useful, it is a fallacy that dogs get this as "grownups" - my dog clearly had issues even before her first birthday, and the reason she got diagnosed at all was that when we started agility training at age one, she had no idea where to put her hind feet.  Here was a brilliant and otherwise talented dog that completely fell apart when she tried to get up on the lowest dog walk plank!!!  This used to be the conventional wisdom, so I can understand why you posted it, but no more.  

again.........................having had a show dog in my Bubblegum....on a Dane forum that is made up mostly of Dane breeders or show people.....what is the point of advertising that the pups have been thryoid tested? 

While they may not have symptoms yet, it must show up, no?  Becasue why do it then?