Thyroxine dosage?
One of my dogs has recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on thyroid tablets. He has had them for a couple of weeks and while there has been a slight increase in energy levels, it is nothing significant. He is due back at the vet in about 10 days for another blood test to check his levels and I suspect his meds will be increased. Just wondered if anyone had experience of this and could give me an idea of how long it is likely to take to find the best dosage for him and also what kind of dosage is normal - although I know it will be different for different breeds and dogs etc. He is a cocker spaniel and currently on 400micrograms.
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We recheck once after the initial finding of hypo-thyroidism. Usually that is all we need to do, so I would imagine your dog will be set at the next blood draw. (sometimes it takes more, but not often at all.) After that, we run a test once a year and refill the meds monthly until that time. Honestly, there is no "normal" dose. It totally depends on the blood results. If your dog is overweight, I would get him on a good diet and carefully measure his food. Your vet has probably already told you how much your dog should weigh, so you would feed him as if he already weighs that amount in order to have him lose. Another way would be to measure what you usually give him and cut that by 20%. Your dog may be lethergic because he is overweight and the weather is hot. While thyroid is totally necessary when dogs are low, it may not show a huge difference in your dog's activity level. This will be more based on his weight and temperament. I have seen dogs need anywhere from .1 to .8 mg twice a day. Don't hesitate to ask your vet all your questions and look up thyroid disease on this website: www.veterinarypartner.com This is a website you can trust, and our vets recommend it all the time to clients wanting to look things up online.
As MacBryan said, it will take some time to perfect the dosage and your vet will want to start gradually. Don't expect to see huge changes in activity, but weight gain should slow down and possibly lead to substantial weight loss if needed. You may see improvement in the dog's coat, it isn't as dry, and many dog's that were panting due to the low thyroid levels will breathe normally. It just depends on how low the thyroid stimulating hormone, T3, and T4 were and how therapeutic the dose is, your vet will continue to monitor those blood levels for the rest of his/hers life and may have you make adjustments then too.
It could take months, building up the dose gradually. Most vets will take a gradual approach as thyroxine overdoses can do permanent damage.
Thank you all for your advice. Really appreciate it :-)