Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:57 pm BY ladyscarletthawk

Ok guys, dont know a whole lot but do know some.. I dont have a copy of the bloodwork(can get it), but did get a call from the vet with an update. Eve's thyroid levels are still low normal.. said her t4 I believe is 1.4, but if I recall almost 4yrs ago it was 1.9 so it has gone down(this lab's range is lower so she is still considered "normal"). Vet didnt feel comfortable with sending it to dodd's(altho he would) because he never heard of her or hemopet. Fine I can send the blood results to her anyway if I dont like what I hear.. plus her bloodpanel(not thyroid) would have been expensive to get to her so just had vet do it. He says he will speak with a specialist(forgot what kind) and see what he thinks about the results and will get back to me in a week. We may put her on a low thyroid dose and see how she does... a lady on my groomerlist has a doxie that showed signs of thyroid, but tested low normal.. vet put him on low dose anyway and his hair grew back! So that is what is up with her thyroid situation.. will let you know more in a week about that.
Now on the blood panel he said some things looked a lil off, but not so off to ring alarms right now. The one he talked to me about was her liver.. it's a lil high.. it was above normal when she had her retained puppy teeth pulled around 1.5-2yrs old & had the bloodwork done. He says that I may wanna put her on some liver stuff.. cant remember what stuff as I was washing a doxie when he called me *sigh*. Any recommendations? He said if it were in a older dog he might be more worried but she is young.. that is what sucks to me.. she is too young to have this sorta stuff! Poor baby.. she acts and looks healthy tho. Any thoughts? He said it is not an emergency but something to think about *sigh* wish I knew what stuff it was. Wonder if it was the revolution that affected her liver.. didnt even mention it.. will have to look at the label as I still have the box. We dont have use for such products in AK. I have noticed since watching the doxie and he is about her weight maybe a lil more, that she drinks more than he does while he is here. He does get wet food but it is mixed only to tempt him to eat all his food and he is fed at night. She doesnt drink more than what is normal for her, but more than him. Arrghh! MY head hurts now.

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 8:41 am BY Lets Talk
Laura,

Have you heard anything yet from Jean Dodds? I have been thinking about your baby and wondering if the tests came back from her yet?

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 4:38 pm BY ladyscarletthawk

Hi Pam,
didnt do the blood work thru dodds , I did it thru the vet as he was uncomfortable sending it to an organization he never heard of, altho he would if I really wanted to. It was cheaper without having to overnight things as I also had a blood panel done on her. IF I am not satisfied I WILL send all the results I have new and old to Jean Dodds for an analysis.
The results ARE in but the vet sent it in to HIS speacialist to look at which is what eased my descision to let him have a go at it. I have not heard anything from the specialist yet, but I will call on monday, but may not hear anything from him till the 6th when they have clininc at this base. I do know that EVE is *again* low normal on her thyroid. It is lower than when she was 6m but using this labs ranges it is low normal but would be LOW on the ranges from the other lab. To me that indicates a thyroid problem, but im no expert. ALso her liver is it Alt? is above normal, but it was like that when she had her teeth pulled at about 1.5y old. Thyroid can affect liver results, and when given the thyroid pills(syinthroid is what hubby takes) the liver levels go down as well. If not may need to put her on supplements.. whatever they are called. Dont know otherwise why her liver is above normal... could be just about anything,.. She was on the revolution for the first pre surgery bloodwork(which showed elevated enzymes), but it has been about 2 yrs since she has been on the revolution.. wonder if it still could affect the results taken a couple weeks ago. Hopefully it is ALL thyroid related, and will find out soon. I do worry about her.. the vet said the elevation is not alarming, but should think about supplements. AAARRGGH! Just wish the vet would get back with me already *sigh*. I will be happy with a thyroid diagnosis.. as opposed to cushings or some sort of poisening... I really suspect it is thyroid tho..

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 4:45 pm BY LETS TALK



I can imagine! I would be a wreck too! It is hard for me to imagine a veterinarian who does not know about Dr Jean Dodds! I would think that they *deliberately* play stupid though !

Sorry, I don't trust any doctors..human, veterinary or an others who might be hanging around!

{{{{kisses and hugs}}} to you and EVE!

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 5:02 pm BY PWD



Wow! I would definately be a wreck waiting for any results whether be a vet or a dr. Hope he gets back to you soon and give you all the information too. Yes revolution could still be in your babies system and it still could make the results differ. Any chemicals injested by mouth or skin can have a longing effect and many many years to actually get totally out of ones system. Unfortunately!

I'm kind of like Pam, where I do not trust the medical field much. Jean Dodds though I would!

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 6:53 pm BY ladyscarletthawk

Thanks guys :Group Hug: !
I am not the most trusting of docs either, but I felt I should give him the benefit of the doubt as he did diagnose a murmur, which I found can be another thyroid symptom. My MIL has heart probs and says that sometimes docs hear the murmur sometimes they dont, which has happened with Eve. The doc heard it last year and the vet tech heard it this year during her vax appt, but the doc said he didnt hear this time.. only a week since the tech heard it. It still rung in my head to send it to jean dodds, but I decided I can always send the results to her afterwards lol.
I didnt know about Jean Dodds either, thank god I do now, but he is a military vet(which makes it easier and cost effective to get all thses tests and such done), and we are in AK. Or he may have been playing dumb lol. He told me once that he and the other vet try to have meetings and pick the brains of the local civilian vets, but nobody showed.. so He *may* not have heard of her lol!
I cope with it with an out sight out of mind thing *sigh*. I would be a wreck otherwise, and it only last a couple of days before I start searching the web for more possibilities, but all I find is the same stuff said over and over again. So now Im trying to focus on showing Eve, as I have already entered the shows that are at the end of the month. I hope she does well, and get some points.. if not she is still a beautiful girl. I have some blurry pix of her in her show trim and her hair done up. I would have sent them cept they are blurry teehee. I will have hubby take pix under the right settings during the next show:). We were at a practice show, and she did really well, the judge said I had nothing to be ashamed of(talking about Eve). Still need to do some training with her(well both of us), not a whole lot as her table manners are excellent. I keep hearing that her attitude and behavior will make her competitive.. Im so proud!
Yall will be the first to know *wink*, the other groups if there is something to report lol.

Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 7:11 pm BY ladyscarletthawk


I hope it is not the revotution, that is affecting her liver so, I liked it because it has flea, mite, and heartworm treatment and has to be given once a month. We dont have such things up here, and no need for it, but dont know where we are moving next, altho he wants HI next. SO she will have to be on heartworm and probably flea meds altho not sure. Do you know how one gets the chemicals in the body tested for or is that something the vet would rec to see why her liver enzymes are elavated?

PostPosted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:29 pm BY ladyscarletthawk

Hi group,
Finally talked to the vet. He was real busy with inspections but was able to catch him during clinic on my base. Well as I said the thyroid was low normal, but the specialist he talked to said to give Eve 3mg (instead of the 1.5) to see if it helps her grow her hair on her hocks. Well at least before putting her on artificial thyroid meds, to see if it works. I may send the stuff to Jean Dodds but funds are low. I am also going to give her a different supplement to see if it helps with her hair. I am now less concerned about the hair thing and more concerned about her ALT results(liver). I was mistaken it was her BUN count that was high years ago, but is now normal. That is what happens when you look at site after site, trying to find a solution lol. I dont know about the ALT as there were no results from back then.

Right now the vet rec that Eve be put on SAM-e aka at the vet as Denysol, and Ursodiol to keep her levels down. Her levels are relatively normal everywhere else. There were some lows and highs mostly lows and very marginal like a .1 or .2 or even a 1 depending on the test if it makes sense. The only thing out of whack was the liver enzymes ALT which was 128 with a 5-65 reference range. I read Dodds site and it said if her ALT was high and the other 2 indicators of liver disease were normal(which they were), then she would put them on a liver flushing diet (dont know what that is) and some milk thistle or SAM-e.

To see if she has any liver dysfuntion I read and talked to a diff vet here that one should do a pre and post bile acids serum test or as, Jean Dodds recs because it is cheaper and more accurate, a urine bile acids test. I will ask if this vet will do this, when I get some money, and this time will send it to Jean Dodds, plus the other test results over the years to see what she thinks or if she sees something else about the results. I also read JD's said that in this case there isnt much or anything to worry about unless her levels are 300-400 or above.

I will probably put her on the SAM-e and not the Ursodiol as I prefer not to have her on too many meds. Melatonin is more natural and I feel more comfortable giving her that and SAM-e is rec by JD. When I talked to the other vet I told him the results, he didnt feel that she had any issues like liver disease, he was pretty stumped and rec the bile acids test. Then if liver disease was suspected then maybe an ultrasound. A liver biopsy is done whne cancer is suspected. Too bad I didnt have any ALT results from before as they would have been helpful.

That is my report on lil Eve, and she has nooo idea there is anything wrong with her, sweet girl.

Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:37 pm BY ladyscarletthawk

Forgot to mention that I actually measured her water intake and she drinks between a 1/2 cup up to a 5/8 cup a day. This is with no heat involved(hot weather) or hard exercise where she should be drinking a lot. Vet said that that is a lil more than she at 4.8# should be drinking. I forgot to ask if it had anything to do with her ALT results or anything else her BUN and Glucose are fine so I dont suspect kidney disease. *sigh* Wish it was just simple and I knew what was wrong with her if there was anything to worry about.

Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 12:38 pm BY Lets Talk



Awwww, sweet little EVE........{{{{{kisses and hugs to her}}}}}} She is so sweet. At least, so far it is not serious and lets hope it stays that way.

Can you get the tests from before by ordering them from where the were taken?

Not sure I understand all that you said....... but from what i am getting, it is ot serious, right! Do they think she has some toxin build up in her liver and that is why the *flush* would be good? Would it be something that would be a good thing, just in case? Is the procedure to do that invasive?