Thyroid Questions....Help Pyper is Lethargic

Bacca is hypothyroid but he also has liver disease/shunt. So these days its hard for me to determine what is what in his symptoms.

First off, get the bloodwork done and keep on it every 6 months or so. Medication (thyro-tabs) are wonders, but sometimes you might encounter other symptoms that need treatment

One identified, its very treatable with meds. But you will see some downstream side effects.

Be on top of skin funk.....this is a fungus like condition that progresses very quickly. Do NOT use an oatmeal based shampoo ever! Some groomers in attempting to deal with your dogs flaky skin will use this and it only makes it worse.

Best shampoo for dogs with oily dandruff...Nizoral. You can find it in your people pharmacy aisle, dandruff section.

And make sure you stay on top of the bloodwork. And don't miss a day of meds. And also thyro tab needs to be fed on an empty stomach. The vets don't tell you this necessarily.

Good luck with your baby. It is treatable but takes time to stabilize.
 
BarbV made an important comment - thyroid pills should be fed on an empty stomach.

However, I have been giving my 10 year old Daisy, her thyroid pill at mealtime since I work fulltime and am not home 3-4 hours after her morning meal.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that if a dog is fed grain free food, it is OK to give the pill at mealtime. Carbs block absorption?

It seems to be working for Daisy, with her grain free diet, as her thyroid count is now normal.

Daisy came into rescue at 38 lbs., and could only walk 3 steps without taking a break. She now weighs 22 lbs. and will run all over my yard, chasing bunnies. She is now very active and happy (yes, Daisy was another foster failure :rolleyes2:)

On another note, I asked my vet if it seemed that Shelties were more prone to low thyroid than other breeds. He feels that Labs are the most likely to suffer from thyroid issues.
 
Dawn, I'm sorry to hear Pyper isn't herself. But hopefully it is something as easily managed as a thyroid issue. Sending good thoughts--keep us posted!
 
I heard from my vet yesterday. She is still waiting for one more thyroid test to come back, but so far the results show no problem with Pyper's thyroid levels. I'm surprised, but I guess happy that it looks like no thyroid problems. I cannot figure out why she's having these symptoms. The vet said, maybe it's the heat or the weight gain....even though she also said Pyper is not over-weight, just heavier than she used to be. It's a mystery.
 
Ask your vet for numbers. Post them here. What is within the "normal" range for most dogs is often too low for Shelties.

I have one that's on thyroid meds. When his meds are off, his coat is strange and feels kind of greasy and he itches. Up the meds a little bit and all that goes away.

Those are just the 2 fastest ways for me to tell his meds are off.
 
Dawn, when you get your numbers you can also email Dr. Dodd. She's willing to help and provide guidance on thyroid issues. A few people on the forum have contacted her for advice on their numbers and received responses pretty quickly.
 
The vet just called with heartworm test results...neg. So I got the numbers, (which mean nothing to me) but here they are:

T4 2.2
3T4 equilibrium 32.7
 
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