# Lincolns Thyroid Thread



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Alright, had the blood work taken and its being shipped. Will get the results of the CBC tomorrow and the thyroid portion next week. Took about half hour to get 6ml of blood. Did it in 3ml shots because I thought that may be a bit better for him. Poor guy he wasnt to happy but he eventually he simmered a bit.


----------



## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Lincoln*

Praying that Lincoln's tests come out alright.
Please let us know!


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I know it may sound weird. But im praying his thyroid is low. Then maybe I have finally figured out whats wrong with him. If his thyroid is low, then maybe I have a shot to fix or at least help his skin problems.


----------



## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

I would be hoping for hypothyroidism too as it is easy to treat and could possibly improve his other issues. I was hoping my kitty came back hyperthyroid since she isn't doing well but that isn't the issue... we still don't know what is wrong (besides just her FIV possibly acting up).


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Yes, it would make it so much better for Lincoln if he was hypothyroid and the meds helped him greatly. Its easy to treat and I am willing to treat it. Maybe his "allergies" are not actually allergies and its just his thyroid/allergy to staph and no food allergies etc. 

Then I could put him on a cheaper food (but still quality) and not have to worry about protein sources. We will see how his CBC looks tomorrow...I think its going to be worse then the one in April but we shall see


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Okay. The Vet tech called me a short while ago. She knew I was going to be happy when she saw his blood results. Lincolns WBC has picked up and his platelets have as well. 

Best of all...ready?

His T4 aspect of his thyroid is LOW. Reference is 10-45 hes at 8. When doing Dr Dodds calculations using the 50% range after adding 10 to 45 and dividing by 2 he should sit at 27.5 or more. Hes low. Regardless of what the other portion of the thyroid test shows...hes getting thyroid meds!!!!

Heres a copy of his results, personal as well as vet info was edited out for privacy reasons


----------



## tikiandme (May 16, 2010)

I'm glad you're finally getting some answers. I hope that with thyroid supplementation, Lincoln's skin problems will start to improve. It will take a few months for them to resolve, so try not to be impatient. I know it's hard. I went through similar circumstances. After I had my dog's test results back from MSU and they showed he was hypothyroid, my vet wanted to wait 3 months and retest before giving him supplementation! I said I wanted him to have supplementation immediately so that what was left of his thyroid gland would not totally be destroyed. He was started on the medication and it helped him a lot. I have a feeling it's going to help Lincoln, too. Keep us posted. Please post the rest of your results when you get them.


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Well the T4 isnt reliable for definite diagnoses of thyroid issues. Steroids can lower the T4 as Dr Dodds explained it to me. Which is why im waiting for the final results to come in next week. This is going to be a rough weekend. I doubt ill sleep at all  Ive been battling his issues for years and its to the point where if I dont find out whats up I give up. The thyroid test was the last grasp/big spend I was able to do. 

So far nothing has worked out with him, I hope that I can catch a break and find out he does in fact have a thyroid problem.


----------



## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Fingers crossed that all Lincoln's problems can be traced to his thyroid, and yes, I feel odd wishing a dog has low thyroid, but I know how many issues Lincoln has and how you've been searching for the reason.


----------



## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Not sure whether to jump for joy for you and Link or not. No one wants a sick pet but if his problems can be explained then hooray. I hope it is all tied to his thyroid .


----------



## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Good luck with the rest of the tests! I am praying you get some answers.


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Still waiting on the results. Should be in Monday/Tuesday. At this point, even if his thyroid is low-normal I want to try the meds. Lincolns never been a text book case so even low-normal IMO could be causing these issues.


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I am still waiting for his thyroid results . Im hoping they come in tomorrow


----------



## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

Anything? :crossfing


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Okay got the results in. I broke it down for everyone. Hes "normal" according to the labs references but according to this site he is low http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/HowtoAnayzeYourDogsThyroidTestResults.pdf

T4- 8 Reference 10-45
50% Range- 27.5
Low

T3- 0.86 Reference 0.69-2.31
50% Range- 1.5
Low

Free T4- 16 Reference 8-40
50% Range- 24
Low

Free T3- 2.9 Reference 1.7-5.3
50% Range- 3.5
Low

T3 Auto-antibodies- 0.8 Reference 0-2
50% Range-1
Low

T4 Auto-antibodies- 1 Reference 0-2
50% Range- 1
Normal

Thyroglobulin- 9 

Based on this were going to start him on a low dose of Soloxine and see if we notice any improvements.


----------



## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

I hope the meds help


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I got 250 tabs of Soloxine. .5mg each. One twice a day. $30. Not bad at all


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I hope ive made the right decision in choosing to try the meds. According to the lab references hes "normal" but when calculating the 50% mark hes not. Anywhere ive read said that if a large active breed falls below the 50% mark to try supplementing. 

Time will tell if this works. Now to be patient for a couple weeks and see.


----------



## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Give it 4- 6 weeks...


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Sally's Mom said:


> Give it 4- 6 weeks...


What do you mean? 4-6 weeks to see if I notice anything? The vet told me to retest his T4 in 8 weeks to see where its at then. He told me to keep him on a low dose of the Vanactyl P (2 tabs a day). Now, if we were wanting to see if he keeps getting infections wouldnt we have to take him off the steroids and just keep him on the Soloxine?


----------



## MikaTallulah (Jul 19, 2006)

1 change at a time Start the thyroid med first then after a month or 2 re-evaluate. If he he doing 10x better evaluate the need to continue the steroid or drop it to only 1 tab.


----------



## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

It does take time. I had to ha mine tested after about 2 months, and the same with me when I was put on thyroid meds.


----------



## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Yes, it does take time for the thyroid levels to normalize after starting supplement, but if Lincoln is like my guys, you will see changes in as little as two weeks. I saw it first in the fur with Toby. When you retest the vet might order a thyroid post-pill absorption type of test. I don't know how other vets do it but I'm instructed to fast Toby, dose him with his supplement, then get the blood drawn in a 4-6 hour window after supplementation. I can't remember if we did this for the first recheck, but that's what we do now that he's been on the meds for several years. It's much cheaper than the full panel BTW.


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

Yeah he said to just retest his T4 in 2 months to see where its at. He did receive 6mg of Predisolone 24 hours prior to the test but I really dont feel that had much effect on the test. Hes showing obvious thyroid symptoms so I felt at least trying the Soloxine was worth a shot. Hopefully im not wrong


----------



## youarecool (Oct 4, 2012)

please keep updating! i feel bad, and i know what its like to have your dog constantly go through infections, to be cured with antibiotics, and then within a small matter of time, all your effort and money was wasted and came back again!


not trying to hi-jack your thread, but you can read my thread and maybe tell me if you experienced the same thing? im right behind you in the sense that im going to be calling a vet and seeing what i can do about testing of the thyroid.

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...-condition-allergy-pros-here.html#post1815111


----------



## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

youarecool said:


> please keep updating! i feel bad, and i know what its like to have your dog constantly go through infections, to be cured with antibiotics, and then within a small matter of time, all your effort and money was wasted and came back again!
> 
> 
> not trying to hi-jack your thread, but you can read my thread and maybe tell me if you experienced the same thing? im right behind you in the sense that im going to be calling a vet and seeing what i can do about testing of the thyroid.
> ...


I checked your thread out, mine was doing it as well. So I would be getting a thyroid panel done on yours. 

Just an update. Hes been infection free for a month or so!!!!!. I re ran a thyroid panel (just the T4) it came back at 38 with a ref of 10-45 so were lowering his dose to .4 twice daily rather then .5 twice daily. Ill re run a T4 in 6 weeks and if that checks out ill re run a full thyroid panel after that to check everything. 

Ive been away for a couple days, just got back  PM me if you want anymore information


----------

