Hypothyroid

[DobieMom2]

Hello all!!! Im new to this forum and my eldest girl was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. My vet tells me this is common in dobies but hasnt seen this in a dog her age. I have started her thyroid med soloxine and of course went straight to the internet to read about the side effects, reactions ect..

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this med and has ever had an animal with hypothyroid disease? I was a little nervous to read stories of people reporting seizures and skin sores. Im scared to death!! Any info would be so greatly appreciated!!

 

[DobesMom]

How old is your girl? Sorry to hear you're facing this.
My blue has a bad coat & I assume I'll be medicating her eventually, myself.
Hope those who are in the know can help you out!!

 

[McGuyver]

All is well

I have two of my three have this and have been on the same meds for years. If this is the only problem your dog has or get's feel lucky. This is one of the most common things you will find in your Doberman. Just remember to give your dog the meds on time every day and you should have nothing to worry about. You will have to go back and have this checked to make sure your dog is getting the right dose in a few weeks and after that only once a year for check ups.

My two live a long and happy life with zero side effects.

All is well.

 

[DobieMom2]

My girl is 2 years old and according to my vet you usually dont see this untill their older years. Im a nurse and work for an endocrinologist so I have some knowledge about the the bld work and the importance of giving her med on time. Then again this is in regards to people and not animals. Im glad to hear that those of you who have dealt with this have positive feedback.

Mcguyver what thyroid med does your dobie take? I just started her dose yesterday. How long did it take before you saw any difference in your dobe?

Thanks again for the feedback!! Makes me feel more at ease.

 

[McGuyver]

We use soloxine as well, Autumn get's .8mg and Owen get's .6mg twice a day. The biggest thing we saw was the weight of our dogs went into balance only after a few weeks. I would guess that it took about 6 weeks or less before we saw a noticeable difference. I could be mistaken since it has been such a long time ago. But I remember that it didn't take long at all.

 

[DobieMom2]

Lucy just started on .8mg twice a day and im sure that will change once we get her levels to where they need to be. Her poor coat is so awful looking. very dry and flaky and no shine whatsoever! She gained dramatic weight and im hoping that gets better fast so we can enjoy our walks again.

Im just glad I saw that something wasnt right and took her in when I did. Thanks again for the info!

Did your vet mention any signs to watch for in case of an overdose??

 

[DoberDon]

Our Shiloh's been on Soloxine for almost a year now,.8mg twice a day.We noticed her coat getting very thin with her belly getting bare.A blood test showed below normal on 2 hormones,started her on the .6 dosage 2X daily then had bloodwork done and increased the dosage.Now we just do a blood test with her yearly checkup to make sure the levels are good,they are we just did them last month.
Like you when we first found out it was scary so I emailed our dobe rescue lady and she said much the same as McGuyver,that it's the best problem you can have with your dobe because it doesn't shorten or reduce the quality of life and Soloxine is very cheap.We got a years worth over 700 tablets of the .8 for less than 100$ on petmeds.com.
The biggest problem we've found is just that sometimes it's a hassle to give the meds twice a day,no big deal really! I'm not so sure that 2 is really all that unusually young either to be diagnosed although I'm surely no expert,I wouldn't worry about it once the dosage is balanced and you find a convenient schedule for giving the pills,it's nothing!! Good luck!! Don
I don't think you can "overdose" on hormones,it's more the damage caused if you maintain the levels too high longterm(again I'm no expert)

 

[Dobiegirl]

If I remember correctly my Emmy was DX around 2 or 3....she lived a healthy life...no problems at all with her thyroid meds.....

 

[DobieMom2]

Thank You all so much for the insight!! Like I said I was freaking out and I knew if I came here I would feel much better about the situation. Hopefully soon I will see a difference in lucy and she will be back to her old self again.

 

[DobeNmor]

My Dobe Marlee has been on .6mg Soloxine since I adopted her in 2006. She was about 16mos old then.She was in horrible condition, hair loss, itching, extremely swelled feet, sores, dull coat, lethargic. BUT she was also neglected for some time prior to being rescued, weighing in at only 36 lbs. Anyway, she showed significant improvement after about one month on meds. and good food. One sign of too much Soloxine is panting, thirst, anxiousness.I had a Golden Retriever a few years back that also had borderline hypothryroid and he didn't tolerate the meds well at all.The main thing is to monitor the level closely the first few months, then follow the Vets recommendations. Best of luck and good health!

 

[Dobified]

Rudy has been on .04 for the last few months of Levithyroxine. When he was first diagnosed he was put on .08 and as the years went by he regained some function of the thyriod and has been reduce to .06 and now to .04. No side effects or anything of that nature to report with his dosage or type of meds. BTW he will be 9 in May.

 

[MyBuddy]

I find it interesting that the thyroid actually regains some function. I didn't know that. I actually am on meds myself and I thought it was explained to me that as we age (no comments please! ) the gland kind of deteriorates, thus the meds. Is it something different in dogs,esp. young ones? I'm very surprised that as the dog ages the thyroid gland actually improves.

 

[MLR]

I find it interesting that the thyroid actually regains some function. I didn't know that. I actually am on meds myself and I thought it was explained to me that as we age (no comments please! ) the gland kind of deteriorates, thus the meds. Is it something different in dogs,esp. young ones? I'm very surprised that as the dog ages the thyroid gland actually improves.

I, too, am hypo thyroid after having my thyroid radiated and killed. In either the age related thing you mention MyBuddy or as in my circumstance you don't regain thyroid function. Once it's gone it's gone. It can regain function if it is caused by other factors like thyroid storms. This isn't really considered the thyroid shutting down. This is just a fluctuation in an otherwise still active organ.

And DoberDon, there is a real danger of overdose with thyroid remplacement hormones. These aren't like female hormones. Too much thyroid hormone can cause hyper thyroidism. It can also cause a heart attack if it's too much T3. So if ever anyone's dobe gets into this med on their own and swallows the whole bottle, rush them to the nearest vet a.s.a.p..

I'm sure DobieMom2 can fill the rest of us in much better than I can. Thyroid problem's are no different in dogs than they are in humans since we're so much alike.

P.S. One thing I don't understand is why the two doses a day? I only take mine once a day in the morning.

 

[DobieMom2]

MLR I was worried about the twice daily dosing as well. Im not sure if this is something that will change or what. My vet did say that lucy is severly hypothyroid and when he said the "s" word I knew we were in trouble. Hopefully as we go along the hormone levels will return to a "semi" normal level. It is true that the gland never improves most people (depending on the damage) get the thyroid removed because its basically useless and sometimes causes more trouble than its worth ex. goiters, toxic nodules. Another member said her dobie was on a 2x daily dosing as well. We go for bld work again in 4 weeks to make sure no adjusting is needed.

I will keep my eye on any antsy behavior as well. I just cant wait to see a change in her and welcome my old baby back!! I feel awful that she has been sick and badly for this long. I think she knows with the vets help and with me being paranoid and an overbearing mother she will feel better soon!! hahahha!

 

[DobieMom2]

DOBIFIED- how often did you have to take your dobie to get bld work drawn?? They tell me every 6-8 weeks for the first 2-3 months then every 6 months after that. Someone even mentioned once a year after the levels returned to a "normal" state. Just wondering about that one

 

[MLR]

I wouldn't feel guilty DobieMom2. I have a nurse friend and she loaned me a home nurses handbook from when she was in college and they say the biggest hurdle with a thyroid patient is the family because they just thought the slovenly, sluggish behavior was the person. It creeps up on most people slowly. They really don't realize themselves that anything is wrong except they feel tired. I knew when I became hypo because I was watching for it after the radiation treatment. When it got to the point where I was taking 6 naps a day and even saying the word potato chip would make me gain weight I called my endocrinologist and said it was time to test. Even he didn't believe me but I was right. So how could you have known what was going on? The behavior you experienced with Lucy could just have easily have translated into how an animal behaves when they're getting ready to pass on. It's the same thing. They just slow down. But I would be specific with you vet about the dosing regime. I doesn't make any sense to me unless it's only until she's regulated. I'd want the blood work done as often as possible. Right now I'm, also, 7 years post breast cancer and every time they stretch out the time between follow up appointments I still panic a little. Trust your vet and watch Lucy for signs of sleepyness and weight gain. Take her temp if it makes you feel better. It will be slightly below normal if she's not on her right dose. At least that's what my pharmacist who is also hypo thyroid told me. Just know it's better they dont' jump start her on the full dose because of the heart concerns from too much meds. With people the dose goes by weight and my endocrinologist started me immediately on the full dose according to my weight and my blood pressure shot through the roof. I backed it off myself and gradually worked my way up to the dose he prescribed. That took several months. Another thing you could ask your vet is where you put a blood pressure cuff on a dog. I truly don't know. But the blood pressure is going to be high either way; if it's hyper thyroid because the heart is racing, if it's hypo it's because the heart is pumping slower and harder. By taking her vitals every once in a while at home it might reassure you more. I'm sure she'll be fine though like the rest of our members have said. And light exercize won't hurt her now; even if it's a slow walk. You'll wish for these days when her metabilism is back to normal. But she's going to be all right. I'm praying for her.

 

[DobieMom2]

Thanks for the prayers!! I was wondering if I should have my Vet check for any cardiac issues. Lucy was a present from a friend and I have the feeling she was from a backyard breeder. Olive is from a breeder in buffalo and I know everything about her parents and what olly was tested for VWD, thyroid and hips. Unfortunantly with lucy I know nothing in regards to her parents lineage or what if any tests she was tested for. She is only 2 years old and my worst fear is that something is going to happen to her and our time together will be cut short. Im hoping that this thyroid issue is the only thing we have to face.

She seems better already too! Her eyes have cleared up and she seems to have a little more energy than she did. I know it will take some time before I see any drastic changes but already Im feeling better about her condition. I will def ask the vet too as to where the bp cuff should be placed. Thanks again for the prayers it means alot!!

Once I figure out how to operate on this forum I will post some pictures of my girls!!

 

[MyBuddy]

That's wonderful that you are already seeing improvement!

 

[MLR]

DobieMom2~~~"Unfortunantly with lucy I know nothing in regards to her parents lineage or what if any tests she was tested for. She is only 2 years old and my worst fear is that something is going to happen to her and our time together will be cut short. Im hoping that this thyroid issue is the only thing we have to face."

One thing you know for sure is that she is a dobermman. The other is that she is probably a higher end dobe because of the health issue already presenting. This seems to be more common in the more carefully bred dobes than the byb ones. My male has championship bloodlines and Vwd. My female has not so good bloodlines and she's as healthy as a horse. Now, before anybody gets upset, this is just my personal observation. Wherever she came from she is a princess as all female dobes are. They are royalty and they know it. :doggyhug2:

 

[DobieMom2]

hahahaha she is a princess that is for sure! I like how you said that. Anyone who owns female dobes know that one for a fact!