lrayburn Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 As I've mentioned before, Nellie's transformation since she started treatment with Thyroxine has been AMAZING. This morning, we had an illustration of just how well they have been working. I've been very consistent about Nellie getting her pills at the same time each morning but we unexpectedly had to spend the last two nights with a friend and I didn't have her pills with me. We got through yesterday just fine but this morning Nell woke up on the wrong side of the bed and sitting in the middle of the living room, she flashed her "ugly face" at any dog who came within a couple of feet of her. She hasn't behaved like that in months. So we stopped by the vet this morning and picked up an extra bottle. We'll never leave home without them! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Lisa, I've noticed a similar phenomenon with Sophie. Her fuse is much shorter if she misses more than one scheduled pill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I have a question for y'all on thyroxine. My dog is dog reactive and sometimes snippy if people move too fast. Generally has more of a hair trigger with stressful situations than is normal. It's really most noticeable with other dogs... but I've worked super hard to only let him have good human interactions, which I can control much better. Much tougher to control how another dog acts around him than another human. If a dog has low thyroid, could it exhibit mainly as dog reactiveness? Or would it exhibit across the board? At home, with me, Buddy has a consistently sunny temperament. He's always happy and playful if he's "in his comfort zone." The only time he'd consider growling is if he were in pain and I caused the pain to increase. (Even then, he's remarkably sweet about letting me check his wounds, etc.) My vet ran thyroid tests on him last year, I think, and they came back normal - so I didn't push it. But I didn't request all the specific, most accurate ones people talk about in here. Other than the reactiveness, Buddy's health is wonderful - soft coat, bright eyes, good teeth, healthy appetite, etc., etc.. I'd just hate to be missing this thyroid thing as a possible piece of the puzzle if it could help. Thanks! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurae Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Mary, Sophie had severe GI issues and it was only after a long period of misdiagnoses that we finally did a thyroid test. But if I were you, I'd get the full-panel thyroid test and have the blood sent to Dr. Dodds. It's cheap and if Buddy does end up being hypothyroid, he'll be so much happier and more comfortable being treated (and so will you!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrayburn Posted February 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 If a dog has low thyroid, could it exhibit mainly as dog reactiveness? Or would it exhibit across the board? At home, with me, Buddy has a consistently sunny temperament. He's always happy and playful if he's "in his comfort zone." The only time he'd consider growling is if he were in pain and I caused the pain to increase. (Even then, he's remarkably sweet about letting me check his wounds, etc.) I think reactivity can be very specific - Nell was mainly dog reactive. I can get away with murder with her and she does not react. Other than children, she is pretty good with people. After treatment, her threshold with other dogs and generally stressful situations (lots of dogs, lots of activity, lots of new people, strange noises) is much higher. Nell's T4 test was considered low-normal and I pushed for treatment but I had some other concerns that caused me to think thyroid as well (poor shedding, low heat tolerance, hard time losing those last couple pounds). I'm not sure about the more thorough thyroid testing panels. However, I think that some dogs may need to function on the middle to high end of normal to feel good. You might want to investigate the more thorough thyroid panels but Buddy's issues may come from another place. Nellie still has her issues and does react but her threshold is higher and her fuse is longer now. Good luck, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.