One more time, with feeling
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.