# Lethargic or low energy?



## deborah.lepas (Aug 8, 2017)

Hi everyone, 

I wanted to talk about my Golden Retriever Henry, who is going to be 4 years old in a few weeks. Every person I see mentions how long energy he is, and someone even asked if he was always 'this lethargic' and it got me a little worried. 

Yes, he has always been very low energy, since he turned about 3 years old. We have a small dog run in the building, so we usually take him there so he can get some interaction, and that is usually that for 20 minutes plus a 10 min walk outside in the morning, and in the evening, I usually hang out at the dog run for about an hour. When at the dog run, he very rarely runs and just kind of chills and stays in place and walks around.

We try to take him to an actual dog park once every 2 weeks or so for him to run around off leash, and 30 minutes there is more than enough to knock him out for the rest of the day.

I'm just starting to get concerned by everybody pointing out how mellow, calm he is, and even the fact that he always looks sad (I think that's a golden thing). Should I be? Last time he had his blood work was a couple weeks ago and the doctor said he was fine. Every time we take him to the vet, they say he is doing well. 

Food (amount per serving / 2 servings a day):
1/2 cup Honest Kitchen Kindly 
1/2 cup ground turkey cooked
2 tablespoons Kirkland Pea and Turkey wet food
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 fish oil capsule
1 tsp probiotics

Please let me know your thoughts and if I should ask for the vet for additional tests to be done. 

Thanks!
Deborah


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## Siandvm (Jun 22, 2016)

Apart from the fact that your vet says he looks fine and that he recently had blood work done (more on that in a minute), there are a couple of things in your post which concern me. It may be that he is just a mellow dog and, once he got out of the puppy stage, he is just kind of chill. But if his mellowness is comment-worthy, it may be more than that. Additionally, dogs with hypothyroidism can develop what is actually, medically, known as a "tragic facial expression" due to a condition known as myxedema. Yes, goldens can definitely have super sad faces, but if it is beyond that, it is worth a look. However, I would have thought that your vet would have picked up on it if it was that so, again, it may be normal. 

So, here's the question: when they did blood work, did they check his thyroid? This should involve both a T4 and a freeT4 test. If not, it might be worth getting those done, if only for your peace of mind.


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## deborah.lepas (Aug 8, 2017)

Yes, he did get a blood test done a little bit ago. The vet was initially concerned about thyroid issues from blood test, but she did an additional test and it came back all clear. I didn't get a copy of the blood results and didn't get a chance to ask for one because they are currently closed. 

Any other ideas?

And just to add on him looking sad all the time, he likes resting his head on a table or the couch and looking up, which makes him look like the saddest dog in the world. When outside walking, he usually has a big smile.


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## Peri29 (Aug 5, 2017)

Oh my God. You are exactly describing Henry which we homed last year. He also had his blood test fine and nothing wrong ortopedically. He was just a very laid back golden. Therefore, we named him Henry after King HEnry . I already homed a very laid back golden Prince Edward 3 years ego, last year a Henry, this year to be homed a King Louis and looking for my next royal boy " William". If healthwise all fine, I would not be that much paranoid. They are only laid back. However, some dogs need more mental stimulation. They are smarter than you think. If yours have a little higher IQ as our Henry, average dog toys & plays will not excite them much. Just like children. While some of them enjoy football, there is his brother enjoying chess. Wish you a long & happy life with Henry


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## deborah.lepas (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks for the infos and loving all of those English names! I do work on more mental stimulation with him and he does get quite a lot from the dog run being with other dogs, even if not physical. I'll definitely continue to work on his mental stimulation - any tips?


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

It should be noted that a low normal thyroid result for Goldens is actually low. Many vets just say it is normal, when it is actually low normal. I agree that your dog sounds classic for low thyroid. You need to check with your vet to see what tests were run and what hisnresults were. If it was a simple t3, that is not enough. A full thyroid test should be run and sent to U of Mich.


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## deborah.lepas (Aug 8, 2017)

Why the need to send to U of Mich?


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## deborah.lepas (Aug 8, 2017)

Oh, I just asked for my vet for a copy of his blood test and here is the infos provided:

T4 levels were 1.6 and they consider 1.0-4.0 Normal and under 1 to be low... Thoughts?


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