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Hi Everyone:
I forgot with all this going on that Dr. Bruyette answered my email very oddly this time. All he said was Tipper seems to be doing well, and that is good??????? I am shocked he never answered any question I asked. Maybe he was busy and will elaborate later. He did thank me for referring great people to him. Blessings
Patti
Hi Everyone:
I just sent Dr. Dodds more info on Tipper. I am hoping to get a consultation with her maybe next week or so, don't know how busy she is right now. I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day and your babies one too. It would seem after researching on Dr. Dodds site the attack Tipper did on Toby could be part of this problem, and when she tried to bite me, as she has never been like that before and it was one of the many symptoms Tipper has. I am playing with grace and just want to cry when I look at her. Blessings
Patti
Sending you and whole patti gang a great big Happy Valentines Day.
Yes, aggression and personality changes can be a big part of thyroid issues.
Hang in there! hugs,
Sharlene and mollymuffin
I just wanted to add one thing. I have been saying in my post about Tipper whining and she has never done that in her life. Well it is one of the symptoms also, so I think I can see where this is going. Blessings
Patti
i wish you lots of strenght with all this research about tipper''s tests etc.
lots of work it seems.
my ian had the muscle tremors before the vetoryl and it stopped completely after the first pill, so the other way around.
flynn's behavior mellowed after his thyroid got low, so the opposite of tippers.
every dog reacts in a different way symptom-wise so it seems.
i have to go and walk the dogs in the storm.
hope the weather is improving in your area.
sleep well!
Patti,
as you have explained everything, it makes perfect sense to me. Especially since Daisy also does better with the dosage split and given twice a day.
I'm so glad that Dechra is working with you! I wouldn't give your vet another dime. I'm sure that there are others who would be willing to work with Dechra and the other specialists to learn more about Cushings and low thyroid problems.
Crossing my fingers that your friend can find Grace a happy home!
It sounds like things are starting to look up finally!!!!
Hi Everyone:
I woke up to an email from Jean Dodds. Thank God there are some people that take their responsibility serious, I am so thankful to her. I explained my vet situation to her and that is why she helped me so quickly. She is a wonderful human being and I am so grateful for her help. She did exactly what she said unlike some others I hired who took the money and ran and did nothing. So here is the report:
Because Tipper is a Jack Russell Terrier they need more thyroid to maintain their basal metabolic demand. Tipper is on the correct medicine and the correct dose. She would like to see Tipper's levels boosted to the upper half of the mid range. She also felt this because of Tipper's symptoms which are extensive.
She suggested that if I wanted to not go to the Vetoryl since Tipper is having problems to got o the Melatonin and Lignans.
So I know Tipper so well I am fortunate that I was able to realize this when it first started because it can cause paralysis of the larynx and Tipper does have tracheal issues!! I did right by my girl and I am happy for it.
I am wanting to know what you all think of this now that the expert has spoken? What do you think of the alternative treatment? Do you think Tipper's symptoms are too strong to control with this natural method? I thank God I was able to see something wrong with her and get on this right away. I am also glad she is on the correct dose that my vet fought me about to double. I am so glad I never listen to him. No one knows these dogs like their moms! I have noticed Tipper seems better and acting better, not laying around wanting to play and not as moody and depressed. This was the best money besides the ultra sound that I have spent to help her. Now I just have to figure out how to pay the credit card bill! Oh where is my money tree? This is a happy day for me as I knew my dog was off and now that is one less worry put to rest. Now I must concentrate on the dosing and get it right. Her 5 mg will be here probably by Wednesday. She is still moving all around at nite so I know her cortisol is rising then. Thank God when I had my vet call in the Rx's I made him give me refills as where would I be now? I would have no 5mg refill and him no where to be found. I wondered why all of a sudden Tipper starting whining. She has never been a whiner and that struck me as really odd. Well the lady took Grace's flyer to work today and I am hoping someone will rise to the challenge and want her. She has lost about a half a pound since I am controlling her food. So she is doing well that way. Delora goes to the Dr. for an exam on Tuesday as she is still bleeding after 3 months. I made her promise to talk to the Dr. herself and write questions down and have him answer them in writing as she does not hear well. I hope she gets a miracle the poor thing. Thank You all for your help in advance. I am going to email Glynda so she looks at my thread to see the Dr. has gotten back to me. Blessings
Patti
I am so glad you heard from Dr. Dodd. The only comment I can make is that for me, it is hard to evaluate what is cause and affect when I do two things at once to Zoe. Is there any reason her thyroid wouold make her restless at night or any other supplement or medication she may be on? Since some of the low thyroid problems can mimic Cushings, would it be better to give yourself a chance to see her behavior now since she has started the thyroid meds?
I know you said Dechra did not want her off her Vetoryl. I am just commenting on the change to twice day dosing which I thought was the plan. But that is about the only thought I would have Patti.
Patti, if Tipper were my dog, I would not switch to the melatonin and lignans. Our experience here is that they will not control excessive cortisol to the extent required by Tipper. As far as the Vetoryl dosing, I truly do defer to Dechra's recommendations at this point.
As for the thyroid dosing, I think you will just have to see whether Tipper seems better or worse as time goes on. One drawback to Dr. Dodds' differential norms/ranges based on individual breed are that they reflect her personal, unpublished database. Other researchers have not been given the opportunity to evaluate her data. From what I've read on the internet, some pet owners feel that their dogs have improved using her recommendations; others do not. But that is standard for most treatments, after all. So I think that for Tipper, you will just have to see how she does.
I do want to warn you that too much thyroid supplementation can cause some of the very symptoms you are hoping to correct: excessive hunger, thirst, urination, restlessness, rapid heartbeat, etc. So to give your annoying vet a tiny bit of slack, I can see why he may have felt reluctant to start supplementation if Tipper's results still fell within the normal range on the Michigan State profile. But given the complexity of Tipper's situation, it is very unfortunate that he didn't request their written interpretation so you would have it to compare/combine with Dr. Dodd's assessment.
Since you have seen Tipper worsening, I surely understand why you are anxious to make some changes, though. So we'll all be anxious to see how she responds. As Addy warns, though, it may be hard to sort out the source of any improvement or worsening since you will be changing both the amount of the trilo and also the time of dosing alongside the thyroid supplementation. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you will only see improvement, and than we really won't care about the source anyway!
Thank you Addy and Marianne. To me the lignans did not sound good because of Tippers strong symptoms all the time. So I will stick with the Dechra plan. I know it will be hard telling what is what. Tipper is on such a low dose of thyroid meds that there has not been a difference in drinking and peeing with the exception of today as she is only getting 20mg vetoryl and I know that is why. She has been acting more alert and better the last three days than she has for 2 months now. Today she wanted to play and catch ball her favorite activity and she has not wanted to do that for a while so I know she is already feeling better. I am hopeful she continues to improve as it makes me worry less. I guess that is all of us can hope for is improvement and quality of life. Blessings
Patti