So many dogs get prescribed thyroid medication- not sure if it’s lack of understanding on the part of the veterinarian or if it’s simply how they’ve been trained.
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Here is what we learned in Vet school:
For dogs with a potentially under functioning thyroid gland , hypothyroid, or low T4-a test by itself is NOT a diagnostic…But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to owners whose dogs are taking thyroid medicine because the bloodwork came back and said the T4 was decreased, but no confirmatory test was run. You have to prove that it’s truly thyroid disease.
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And I’ll tell you why:
If I have the flu, my T4 will be low. But that is a normal, healthy, biological response to having the flu. Because my brain says wait a minute… she has the flu. She needs to take a nap. So let’s produce a little bit less T4 so she doesn’t have as much energy and she takes a nap. It’s called sick euthyroid. “Eu” means normal. So if you are sick, a normal function of your thyroid, is to depress the T4 levels. With a full thyroid test, you will actually see if the thyroid gland and the pituitary gland that directs the thyroid gland are working correctly.
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Most dogs, when they get blood drawn at the vet, are getting it done because they don’t feel right. They don’t feel perfect-like me when I have the flu. The T4 is going to be low, but that’s NOT the underlying problem. It’s just a manifestation of everything going on.
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So- don’t buy thyroid medicine until your vet proves it. You have to prove it.
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How do you do that?
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A full thyroid test measures T4, free T4, T3, free T3, TgAA (thyroid gland autoantibody). And because all of this thyroid stuff is confusing, quality reference laboratories will actually help the veterinarian interpret the results.
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Want to know more? Ask your vet important questions. Don’t mask problems with unnecessary medicine. Low T4 might not be a thyroid problem!
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Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.