Hi all,
Ok let me see if I can get all this in.
Leslie
Thank you for the info about Melissa, the very simplified versions of what you went through with your furkids regarding adrenal sizes, and your personal experiences about thyroid related issues.
Claire
Thank you for the insight on the Bichon and Poodle breeds.
I agree the most difficult part is not knowing how the feel or what they want and yet being required to make all of the decisions.
Lori
Thank you for providing the quote you did. I haven't been convinced it is typical Cushing's and I know I am not a vet, but like I tell others "I know my dog best."
Marianne
Thank you for the link to MSU. I did some more digging on their site. It seems a special mailer might be needed, but I do plan on asking about the specifics of the charges. They have a ton of info on that site and even though I don't understand a lot of it there were some things which just made sense. The special mailer is $136, which makes up most of the price. They quoted I think 270 for the MSU part and everything over is our vet charges. I also read they have to prepare the sample as it is not a "whole blood" sample they want for this test. It is a serum from being ran through a centrifuge and it is supposed to be frozen and can't have certain things happen to it of which I don't understand. I do think the premium panel is our best bet because of the part about non-thyroidal illness known to be present, we may not know for sure but there is a strong possibility.
Links below if you are interested
https://vdl.msu.edu/Bin/Catalog/Catalog.exe instructions for the premium thyroid panel
https://cvm.msu.edu/vdl/laboratory-s...nction-in-dogs has a section explaining the difference between the standard and premium panels
Joan
Thank you for chiming in about Melissa and your own thyroid experiences.
I will keep everyone posted on the tests and results.
Now for today. We went and gave her a bath since she has some crusty patches on her skin. She didn't like the bath too much, but she never does. She is comfortable and asleep right now. I would love to post more pictures (and more recent), but she seems to have a knack for knowing when a camera is around and doesn't stay put long enough. We use a natural anibacterial/antifungal for her shampoo it is by Banixx and we really like it.
Thank you all again,
Angela