Reading matter re establishment's attitude to hypothyroid treatment

[mstp]

A friend has a young animal who was born hypothyroid. Said animal has been put on thyroxin and is doing well. Having had the experience of doing well on thyroxin initially and then going slowly downhill until I began treating myself with T3, I thought I would mention it in case needed in the coming years. She was quite receptive and said she'd read around about it as she knew nothing. As I know this could lead down the 'dark establishment' route, does anyone know of any succinct alternative literature or, even Health Unlocked responses, that might give her food for thought if things begin to go awry?

[Hidden]

Has a vet prescribed Levothyroxine or has your friend sourced this herself?

[mstp in reply to Hidden]

The vet has prescribed it. Of course, I might be jumping the gun and assuming vets have a negative attitude to t3 like NHS doctors generally do.

[helvella Administrator in reply to mstp]

I suspect cost could make liothyronine unaffordable! Bear in mind, dogs need massively higher doses of levothyroxine than humans.

This article is very down on any form of combination but does, eventually, say liothyronine is a possibility.

Diagnosis and treatment of canine hypothyroidism

vettimes.co.uk/app/uploads/...

[mstp in reply to helvella]

Thanks Helvella. I wonder what the TSH and T4 reference ranges are for dogs. 😉Hopefully I won't need to pass that on but I've saved it for future reference.

[helvella Administrator in reply to mstp]

Yes - I noticed the smiley! But I think the answer might vary by breed - and lifestyle.

[Mixteca in reply to mstp]

My sister's cat was hyperthyroid. She had to take him to vet every 3 months & getbloods done twice a year. Which is way more than she got for her hypothyroid. She was under medicated for years.

[Hidden]

Quirky fact: vets are legally permitted to treat humans and even perform surgery with their consent. However, neither qualified nor unqualified non veterinarians can treat animals.

I don’t think the administration of Liothyronine by an owner would come under listed exceptions.

Non adherence is treated seriously

rcvs.org.uk/setting-standar...

[Zephyrbear in reply to Hidden]

That’s because vets learn about a wide variety of species and are therefore quite well acquainted with anatomy and physiology, including that of humans. It would probably amaze most people how much humans do have in common with animals. However, as a human doctor, they will only learn about one species and their knowledge may not necessarily qualify them to treat a dog or a horse… or a cow or a cat!

Personally, I learned much more about anatomy and physiology as an animal nurse than I ever did as a human one! And I never had to cart a single delightful bedpan around! 😁

[Hidden in reply to Zephyrbear]

😂

[mstp]

That's worth knowing! Hopefully the Levo will do its work so the Lio isnt needed. I wonder what vets think about it.

[Bertwills]

I have a hypothyroid dog. My second. Miniature schnauzers are particularly susceptible. Main thing to note is to make sure that the vet specifies a testing regime. They vary. Some like tests done first thing without a dose, a trough test. Some like a test 5 to 6 hours after dose, a peak test. Dose are sometimes split into 2 in 24 hours. They need to know how you dose.

I recently had a problem with a new vet who wanted my dog to stop taking thyroxine completely, after nearly 4 years on it. I think the problem may have come about by confusing the 2 test methods. Dog back on dose now after having put on a kilo in 3 weeks, water weight as he is definitely hypothyroid.

I recently asked about T3 use & it isn’t routinely tested just T4 & TSH. Main point he made was problems caused by using other meds that affect absorption particularly omeprazole & stomach meds must be given well away from T4. Dogs take very large doses of T4, 400 mcg for an 11 kilo dog!

Two dogs including the hypothyroid one

[mstp]

I suppose I was wondering whether vets are as anti t3 as doctors tend to be.

[serenfach]

I chatted to my vet about this. She knew the chemistry behind it and the complications, seemingly much more than my Endo! When I asked about T3, she said they will use whatever works for that particular animal. They send the blood away and it is up to the vet lab what they test according to the results, apparently.

Most farmers regularly treat their animals for all sorts of things. We have to be registered with a vet practice and the vet signs a book after the visit. All dairy herds have to have regular vet visits by law.