Hypothyroidism in Sheltie.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thyrozine is indeed the same medication as Soloxine. They are both something called levothyroxine which work to improve the thyroid levels in a dog with hypothyroidism.

Interpreting the test results depend on which type of thyroid tests were done. There are several tests including Total T4, Free T4, TSH, T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis and Two Step T4. All of these have different results and different ways that they can be interpreted.

If it was just a T4 (or Free T4) test that was run I don't usually put a dog on thyroid medicine unless the dog has very obvious symptoms of hypothyroidism including weight gain, poor coat, extreme lethargy and lack of appetite. The reason for this is that other things can cause a T4 level to be artificially lowered. An example would be a hidden infection. This is why I usually run a combo of tests to determine if hypothyroidism really is the problem.

.1mg is a very low dose of thyroid medication. There is likely no harm in trying it to see if you notice an improvement.

I hope this helps. Thyroid disease can be hard to understand sometimes so let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie


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