Seriously. I’m putting my foot down. Lilly and I have a
veterinary appointment this morning, and I’m asking for them to draw
blood according to exacting standards, and I’m shipping the blood to
Dr. Jean Dodds at Hemopet in California for detailed thyroid testing. She’s considered by many to be the ONE WHO KNOWS when it comes to canine hypothyroidism.
If
memory serves, I’ve asked 5 times (with 2 different veterinarians) about a possible thyroid cause for
Lilly’s extreme moods. But, because she’s not fat, because she’s not
losing hair, because she’s not lethargic with poor endurance, I’ve been
steered away from the idea.
I’ve felt pooh-poohed.
I
haven’t dramatized recent changes too much, but suffice it to say that
something is definitely up with Lilly. She’s had a serious behavioral
set-back. I’m seeing fear behaviors that I haven’t seen in a long, long
time. She often hides in the house, for hours. She’ll fling herself to the ground in fear, even at home, for no apparent reason. All you have to do is read the last 4-6 Weekly Training Updates to see that there’s been a shift.
Dr. Dodds collects and aggregates data at Hemopet. This allows her to research and comment upon what’s normal and what’s not based on a dog’s breed, sex, age, etc — rather than one narrow set of norms that’s supposed to apply to all dogs.
I’m a little nervous about all the instructions the vet staff and I need to follow to make sure the blood arrives in CA in a usable form, but I’ll do my best.
So, stay tuned for this medical mystery to unfold.
Talk to me again about how you discovered your dog’s thyroid problem…
And next time you are @ the DR. take this book with you. LIFE TO THE MAX by Robin Reynolds…. it is a great book about a dog and the life lessons they can teach….. I will be following your dog’s story….. check out the life of MAX. 🙂 http://www.lifetomax.com/
I know! My poor sweetie girl.
In fairness, they’re giving me 15% off the appointment next week as compensation for the hassle. But, still, once I set my mind to something, I like to see it through promptly. The delay will eat at me, for sure.
I think this is a good idea as well. It does seem like something physical could be up with her.
Too bad about the unnecessary trip to town. I hate it when people waste my time, drives me crazy. Surely they could have given you more warning. Or at least reimbursed you for the gas.
Yep. It’s a small 2-doctor practice. I think there are only 5 staff members and only 1-2 of those are registered technicians. Apparently, the technician scheduled for today didn’t show up. I don’t know why.
Nope. Lilly is still taking her meds, but they don’t seem to be working. So, either she needs more or new meds, she’s having serious thyroid issues, or she’s ill or in pain in some way I cannot detect.
I waited a few weeks to see if it was just a fluke, but it isn’t. She’s definitely acting strangely. So, once I made the decision to explore it medically (yet again), I get kinda crabby when there’s a delay.
Thanks for your concern and support. We’ll just continue taking it one step at a time.
I’d be pretty p.o.-ed, too. This must be a pretty small vet clinic if there wasn’t even anyone available to draw blood.
I think you’re wise to take this step. I was about to write and ask if you’d stopped giving the SSRI because you seemed to be having many fewer good training sessions. I hope you get some kind of definitive answer (when you finally get the blood drawn and assayed).
Picture me having a full-on temper tantrum. I’m not really … at least not on the outside … but I’d like to.
Our appt got canceled (long story why). BUT, because we live in the boonies, the phone message came too late (about 10 minutes after Lilly and I loaded up and left).
So, I drove all the way to town for nothing. And, I wasted about an hour and a half of time … plus plenty of gas. I’ve also expended a fair amount of emotional energy. *sigh*
My next option was an appt NEXT TUES with one of the relief vets who helps out at the practice. She’s met Lilly once.
To say that I am NOT pleased with the delay is an understatement.
I was prepared to only have the blood drawn and skip the exam for now, when I heard the doc wasn’t available on arrival, but there wasn’t even anyone in the building who could draw the blood.
Paint me crabby.