Low Thyroid Condition....

[Kara]

Just wondering if anyone has had a dog that has had a low thyroid, and has needed medication for it. After the blood tests were evaluated for Taurus, we discovered that was the cause of his lethargy (sp??)... has anyone had any experience with this they would like to share with me?
How long did it take to notice a change?
Is there possible side effects to the meds that you noticed?
Are they on the medication for ever?

I will discuss all this with my vey, but its nice to hear some personal experiences from owners who have dealt with it...

thanks,
Kara

[elegy]

i don't have any personal experience, but i can tell you that yes, your dog will have to be on it for life, and occasionally there are dogs that react poorly to the generic version of the medication (usually vomiting/diarrhea i believe) but that in general it is pretty well tolerated.

i'm not sure how long it takes for the meds to start making a real difference, but i know that once they get into the system and the thyroid levels get back to normal, that the change can be very dramatic.

[Maryellen]

my gsd is going thru this now, i am taking her for a second opinion next week she is lethargic, losing muscle mass, drinking more water than normal, and has an odor about her. my vet said she was fine, so of course i dont go there anymore. if it helps, my cat had a thyroid problem and she was on Tapizole for 2 years (she was 16 years old and by the time she hit 18 she had other problems as well).

[Kara]

Maybe this is just me being stupid, but is it possible that I would allready see a difference after only 1 1/2 days medication? I have noticed quite a difference in Taurus allready.... but maybe Im just looking for one? But today was the first time in quite a while that he was waiting for me at teh door when I got home, complete with the bum wiggle we have loved in the past! Also, his tail has been wagging all day, which is another thing that he did before, but we had been missing lately....

I also feel like a terrible mother, because I kept sayign to me husband "Taurus is gettign so fat... what's wrong with him, why is he so fat?"... I have been saying this for about 4-6 months now.... and now I find out this is why... *bad momma*... It was hard for us to tell what was wrong though, because we just had him neutered in February, so alot of these changes in him (fatter, lethargic, lazy) we thought he was just adjusting after the neutering... when it didn't get better, that is when we took him in..... so glad we did!!

[blover27]

I am so happy for you and your boy! Sounds like he's making great progress

[Laurier]

I have hypothriodism, and will be on synthroid for the rest of my life, same with dogs.

I did a little searching on the net.

You will start to see a change in attitude with in a week. It will take longer for any hair lost to grow back and for him to lose the extra lbs. he put on.

Glad Taurus is starting to feel better!

[turtle]

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Glad you found out the problem and that Taurus is doing better.

The only thing I can add is that powdered kelp is a good supplement and it helps thyroid conditions. I buy it at my local health food store, it is about $3.50 a pound and a pound goes a long ways. I put about a 1/2 teaspoon in her food mixed with water about 3 times a week.

I am sure you can find more info about kelp on line but it's a good supplement and can't hurt.... My dog has no thyroid problems but gets it anyway, she likes the taste of it and always licked the bowl even longer when she has kelp powder with dinner!

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