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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Thyroid Question
| Hi all. Harvey was diagnosed with IMHA in March 2010. His platelets have been a little on the low side, but otherwise his blood counts are doing ok. He's been weaned off the prednisone and now is only on 250mg of mycophenalate. Next week his thyroid is being tested to see if he needs medication for this. I've heard the medicine is cheap but the test can run $150 to $175. My question is, is this a test that we do only once or it does turn out that he does need the medication, is this going to be like a monthly expense? Its getting expensive and I just want to be prepared. Thanks! Ashlie & Harvey |
| Ashlie Atlanta |
| Ashlie, I have had 3 dogs with thyroid problems so I am quite familar with the process. If Harley needs to be on thyroid medication, he should be tested again 6-8 weeks after the start of the medication to make sure the right dosage is being given. Prior to the second test, fasting should be done at least 12 hours before this test and a thyroid pill should be given 6 hours before the test. Talk to your vet if you need this second test, because many vets forget to give clients these instuctions. After that, testing only needs to be done on a yearly basis to make sure nothing has changed and the right dosage of the medication is still being given. Make sure your vet is doing the FULL thyroid pannel. This consists of several elements including TT4, TT3, Free T4 by dialysis, Free triiodothyronine (FT3), T4 Autoantibody, T3 Autoanitbody, Thyriod sytimulating hormone and Thyroglobulin autoantibody. We have always had our thyroid work done at MSU (Michigan State univeristy). Many vets and laypersons (myself included)belive that MSU is the gold standard of thyroid testing. You are correct thyroid meds are very inexpensive. They can sometimes make a huge difference in dogs with AIHA/IMHA. |
| Joanne MN |
| Ashlie, You might want to contact Dr. Jean Dodds at Hemopet. She has developed a Thyroid test that is breed specific and is very familiar with the AIHA issues as well. She might even be cheaper as she is a non-profit. I am sure someone will post a link if you can't find the info. |
| Penny Lytle Creek Calif |
| Hi Ashley, Joanne is quite correct---the thyroid meds can make a "significant difference' in an IMHA dog, and the pills are cheap. Mercedes was on thyroid meds for a while as she had a "sick" thyroid from the huge amounts of prednizone and azathiopine she was on. I have had two tests done by Dr. Dodds---the cost for the T5 and a full CBC was $115! I'm not sure what a "thyroid only" test would be (it would be less, for sure) but she has all of her prices posted on her website, so you could check it out. Maureen |
| Maureen BC Canada |
This thread was discussed on 28/09/2010
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