Question Re:Thyroid Medication

[MOKASMOM]

So Moka was diagnosed with a thyroid problem. Didn't surprise me at all considering she has every other problem out there. Every month for the past 3 months her thyroid level comes back not normal. Her medicine has been switched now 4xs and I am at the max dose they can give her (so I am told). She is gaining about 2 pounds a month and is now 104Ibs. I need to know for people dealing with this kind of situation to let me know what is the maxium dosage can they get? What happens from here if she can not take anymore medicine cause I was told this is the max. dose?

Also she is and has been on raw and only gets 2 cups a day and 1 kong filled with peanut butter in the morning when I leave for work. No treats inbetween.

Any suggestions or input would greatly help me. I saw the vet early this month and Moka is scheduled again beginning next month to check the tyroid level. Also vet told me her hips are getting worse with all the weight she is putting on and claims if this continues she may have to be put down in the next 6 months. I am hoping for the best. She will be 3 in May.

Thank you in advance

Michele

P.S. Ment to say she is diagnosed as hypothyroidism (sp?)

[groupieindenial]

Try this, its totally natural and good for the body. Check into CLA "Conjugated Linoleic Acid", its a type of Omega 3 that improves the metabilism, and can help stabilize an overactive thyroid. A product offering a blend including green tea extract and such would be preferred.

[RottsNScotts]

Also, peanut butter is pretty high fat - my jar in the cupboard says 25%! This is not going to help keep weight off. Try some of the other treats people have mentioned using to stuff her Kong.

[MOKASMOM]

Originally Posted by RottsNScotts

Also, peanut butter is pretty high fat - my jar in the cupboard says 25%! This is not going to help keep weight off. Try some of the other treats people have mentioned using to stuff her Kong.

I do realize peanut butter is fatting but the vet feels with getting only 2 cups a day for food and her kong is a medium kong and it doesn't get completly filled with peanut butter that the vet said it was o.k. to continue that. The thyroid is what is causing so much weight gain. Before her thyroid was out of whack she only weighted 80Ibs and she was getting peanut butter then. Thanks for all the responses so far.

[Mavides]

What is the dose of thyroid meds she is on - and what brand of drug are you using?

[JeanT]

Does anyone have an answer about how much thryoid replacement is the max and why? My dog was diagnosed six months ago with just slightly below normal levels but large weight gain that had not responded to decreasing food and increasing exercise. (That's why he was tested.) When the thyroid med was started he lost 7 pounds in 6 weeks with no changes in diet/exercise. A month later he was tested again and had regained the 7 pounds plus 2. The level was low again and the med was increased. I just had him in today for thyroid levels and a C-6 (he had been highly positive and treated and this and the next C-6 will be to make sure the treatment was adequate).

Today he weighed in 6 pounds heavier! (Will find out level next Tuesday.) I expect the thyroid med to need to be upped again, but I am becoming very worried and discouraged. He is very willing to exercise but his endurance is dropping. This excess weight is literally killing him. If he were not so young (about 4), I do not think he would have the strength to heft this 30+ excess (and increasing) pounds.

Has anyone besides OP (and I guess now me) had a problem with thyroid management?

[MOKASMOM]

I don't know the name of the medicine because she is on the generic brand all it says on the bottle is Thyroid Tabs USP 2GR. Moka takes 1 pill 2xs a day. I hope this helps.

[spidey]

Has she been x-rayed? I might be concerned with a dog whose thyroid levels appear to be under control (i.e. she's on meds and her levels are normal) that there is something else going on. I would at least want to investigate it, personally, rather than assuming that the weight gain HAS to be thyroid-related just because she has a known thyroid problem. If she is gaining weight and you are absolutely certain that she is not eating any more than you've said, then I would look for a second opinion and rule out causes other than thyroid. That said, I have a friend with a large competitive agility dog who can only eat about a cup a day or he gains weight (and he has been thoroughly tested for just about everything, and this dog gets a TON of exercise), so it's possible that you're still feeding her more than she should have, regardless of what your vet says.

[Mavides]

Thyroid pills (for hypothyroidism) generally come in strengths such as 0.1mg, 0.2mg, 0.3mg etc...all the way up to 1.0mg - the doses are generally started according to weight and adjusted accordingly...what strength of pill is your dog getting?

[MOKASMOM]

I know she was on the 0.1mg and 0.2mg and that didn't work. The bottle just reads 2GR now so I will have to ask the vet next month when I see her how much dosage is 2GR.

[observer]

Missy has been on 0.8 mg twice a day for a long time. What "max dose" is she on now if 0.1 and 0.2 didn't work?

[ohdonna5]

My 11 year old Female is on Soloxine .7 mg two pills once a daily and she is doing excellent! She went from an overweight 114lbs to e healthier 94 pounds and seems much happier. She runs and jumps like a puppy (even though she has arthritis as well). But it took awhile if steady pills and monitoring to get a routine that worked. Good luck with your baby, I hope you find a doage that works!

[MOKASMOM]

So last night I went to the vet so they could take some blood for Moka's Thyroid problem. Now she weighs 106.4 pounds. That is another 2 pounds since last month. I ask the vet what is the dosage she is currently taking. Her response is that Moka takes 120mg 2xs a day. What we are finding out is that where I get her meds (WalGreens) is not giving me the brand name Armour(Sp?) but giving me the generic brand and it is not working.

My vet made a call to the makers of Armour(Sp?) and she was told that the generic brand will not always work and that you would be better sticking with the brand name on this one. So once the results from the bloodwork comes back which will be in a couple days her medicine will be switched over to Armour(sp?). The vet will also be carrying Armour (Sp?) so I will not have to go to WalGreens anymore.

Thought I would update everyone on what is going on.

Thanks

[observer]

Good luck! I'm not familiar with that particular medication, so the dosage still doesn't make sense compared with the numbers the rest of us are using. Most of the thyroid meds, if I'm not mistaken, are generics, as they have certainly been around more than 10 years. I hope the switch in medication works.

EDIT: I went to the company's website to read about the Armour medication. I can see how it differs from the other thyroid meds, but am still curious as to why your vet chooses this over the usual thyroid meds that I think most of us are using and why one of those would not work just as well, and probably be less expensive than a brand name.

That said, f you find the name brand does work, you might want to check with one of the online pet pharmacies to see if they have it and if it would be cheaper for you to get it from them with your vet's prescription.

[th1rston]

I've got Dominik on .8mg Soloxine 2xday. When the vet first started us out with it we were using 1.4mg 2xday but that caused rapid breathing/panting as well as some other issues. I cut back to the .8mg and the lbs. just started coming right off.

At one point Dominik had gotten to an astounding 135 lbs. which was causing stress to his joints and made him very uncomfortable. He's been on the Soloxine for a little over a month now and we're going in tomorrow morning to get a checkup and see how many lbs. he's shed.

It took my vet over a year to figure out what was wrong with my boy. Originally it was thought there was an issue with the Kidneys and we tracked his Creatnin lvls. as well as others in the blood 5 or 6 times. Then recently with the increase in weight and a nasty staph infection, thyroid came into the picture. I'm so glad it's finally been diagnosed and I can treat accordingly.