The DOG thread

[Gogar]

[R K T]

[R K T]

[Heel n Toe]

A friend in the UK sent this to me:

www.twitter.com/spaghemily/status/750180498832404480

[Tobra]

Happy Hew Year

[Baz]

OK finally got some input from my vet.....

Says per blood analysis, Winkipop is hypothyroid at the bottom of the normal range of thyroxin. Recommends thyroid meds to increase her metabolism and possibly help her lose some weight. The rest of her bloodwork looked fairly good, but reflected some of the effects of her weight gain.....like high cholesterol.

X-rays....she has arthritis in both knees, both hips (especially left), both hocks, and mild spondylosis of her spine. Stem cells can help all of this except her spine. He said he would like to send her chest views to his radiologist to rule out any issues in her lungs etc. In one view of her chest, he spotted a small "spot" in a lung which he believes is not significant but to be sure, a radiology consult would confirm his opinion.

So, I'm getting the thyroid meds asap, and he's going to check with the radiologist for the lung issue.

Holding off on the stem cell therapy for now...will keep everyone advised.

Woof!

of that spot. It's not imperative to have the consult, but would give me peace of mind.

[syncroid]

Baz, To me that sounds pretty positive. Winkipop is 11. That's old age for you and I my friend. Give Winki a hug from Olive and our family. Thank you for the update.
Wishing the best for you and Winkipop this year.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by syncroid

Baz, To me that sounds pretty positive. Winkipop is 11. That's old age for you and I my friend. Give Winks a hug from Olive and our family. Thank you for the update.
Wishing the best for you and Winkipop this year.

Thanks Dan and sweet Olive.....Winks says thank you for the hug and sends one back!

Hoping we can give my girl a little more comfort in her golden years.....and I'm very curious about effectiveness of this stem cell therapy.

Happy New Year, my friend!

[bugstrider]

Hey brother Baz,

I agree with Dan, pretty positive news for Da Wink.

Feel your pain on the thyroid meds though. Although we have been giving our 19 year old cat(82 in human) thyroid meds for the past couple of years. In fact we too had to have her rechecked and it was off the chart. Sounds like this might be for the long haul, you might see if your vet can send the RX to a Walmart pharmacy. Until we had to deal with giving pills in the AM and PM the meds got really pricy. The wife checked into the local Wally World and was told that it's common to get pet meds through them.

Since then, we have been getting them through the pharmacy and it's helped. I'm sure Wink will be a lot more comfortable with her new meds. The stem cell will be an interesting concept to follow.

Please give Winks some belly rubs and ear scratches from us and Sir Henry. Positive thoughts and New Year well wishes.


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[Baz]

Originally Posted by bugstrider

Hey brother Baz,

I agree with Dan, pretty positive news for Da Wink.

Feel your pain on the thyroid meds though. Although we have been giving our 19 year old cat(82 in human) thyroid meds for the past couple of years. In fact we too had to have her rechecked and it was off the chart. Sounds like this might be for the long haul, you might see if your vet can send the RX to a Walmart pharmacy. Until we had to deal with giving pills in the AM and PM the meds got really pricey. The wife checked into the local Wally World and was told that it's common to get pet meds through them.

Since then, we have been getting them through the pharmacy and it's helped. I'm sure Wink will be a lot more comfortable with her new meds. The stem cell will be an interesting concept to follow.

Please give Winks some belly rubs and ear scratches from us and Sir Henry. Positive thoughts and New Year well wishes.

Thanks Bugs! Same back at cha!

I'm going to look for a generic levothyroxine sodium for the thyroid meds and see what happens with that but will def. inquire at Walmart too....thanks for the tip!

[SiberianDVM]

Originally Posted by bugstrider

Hey brother Baz,

I agree with Dan, pretty positive news for Da Wink.

Feel your pain on the thyroid meds though. Although we have been giving our 19 year old cat(82 in human) thyroid meds for the past couple of years. In fact we too had to have her rechecked and it was off the chart. Sounds like this might be for the long haul, you might see if your vet can send the RX to a Walmart pharmacy. Until we had to deal with giving pills in the AM and PM the meds got really pricy. The wife checked into the local Wally World and was told that it's common to get pet meds through them.

Since then, we have been getting them through the pharmacy and it's helped. I'm sure Wink will be a lot more comfortable with her new meds. The stem cell will be an interesting concept to follow.

Please give Winks some belly rubs and ear scratches from us and Sir Henry. Positive thoughts and New Year well wishes.


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Your cat and his dog have opposite problems (cat thyroid too high vs dog too low) and will need totally different medications. And just as Wayne depends on us buying Pooschey products from Pelican to stay in business, most veterinarians derive income from sales of medications, and encouraging people to buy them at Wally World isn't going to help pay for that equipment or technician that might help save your pets life one day.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by SiberianDVM

Your cat and his dog have opposite problems (cat thyroid too high vs dog too low) and will need totally different medications. And just as Wayne depends on us buying Pooschey products from Pelican to stay in business, most veterinarians derive income from sales of medications, and encouraging people to buy them at Wally World isn't going to help pay for that equipment or technician that might help save your pets life one day.

Thanks for your post, Siberian.....I was wondering about this cost thing because when I checked, it didn't seem like the meds I would need for my girl were too expensive - so that makes sense that Bugs needs a different type of med.

For what it's worth....I always try to go through my vet for meds, when applicable. In fact when I needed heart worm meds (Ivermectin) he suggested I get the generic stuff to save a little coin. And when I checked out last Monday with Winkipop and was paying the bill, the counter person actually looked up a competing price for the Previcox and gave me that price instead of their regular price - which saved me about $30.00 on my bill.

This time around I asked my vet about getting a generic version for the thyroid med and I will wait for him to tell me what I should do. I do have respect for the business end of things but feel as a consumer, I also need to explore ways to conserve budget.

Your input is always appreciated here.....I'm sure Bugs wasn't trying to beat up his vet....after a while you only have so much of a budget for your companions and stretching the dollar helps keep them going rather than just putting them down or letting them hurt.

I guess there's a Porsche analogy in there somewhere....

[bugstrider]

Originally Posted by SiberianDVM

Your cat and his dog have opposite problems (cat thyroid too high vs dog too low) and will need totally different medications. And just as Wayne depends on us buying Pooschey products from Pelican to stay in business, most veterinarians derive income from sales of medications, and encouraging people to buy them at Wally World isn't going to help pay for that equipment or technician that might help save your pets life one day.

All that was meant on the Rx reference was that there "might" be alternatives to getting the meds. I totally get the idea of purchasing our pets medication through our Vet, which is the best one we have ever had with our animals. In fact with the exception of our particular "cat's thyroid" issues, we exclusively go through our Vet. I also get that by purchasing the needed pet's need through them, it also pays for education, staff, insurance and any associated overhead. All I was do was trying to do was be helpful.

By the way, getting the thyroid medication via a prescription at the pharmacy, was our Vet's suggestion.

We don't skimp on our pet's care and our vet knows that. She knew that Annie's (19 years)thyroid treatment was going to be lengthy and will be expensive. It was her way of helping by recommending this route so we could continue her treatment rather than being "done" with the issue. Her and her staff are more family to us than just our Vet. When I had to make that "hard" decision for a family member that was with me when I was 12 and was 37 when that time came, our Vet made a donation to the UCD Vet School on her behalf. Slate Creek Vet is da bomb in El Dorado County.

Onto another topic, today will be an interesting one regarding Lump's morning walk. Last year, the Mrs bought him a pair of those little protection booties. We put them on and Henry did the best moon walk I've ever seen across the laminate floor. Don't recall laughing so hard. I guess where I am going with this is that today will be his first official bootie walk........because

First snow in a very long time....... however, I think we need to have serious negotiations before getting Lump up out of bed.

"Your joking right?"



"But I don't wanna go! I don't, I don't, I don't"


"Haha..................I won"

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[SiberianDVM]

Originally Posted by Baz

Thanks for your post, Siberian.....I was wondering about this cost thing because when I checked, it didn't seem like the meds I would need for my girl were too expensive - so that makes sense that Bugs needs a different type of med.

For what it's worth....I always try to go through my vet for meds, when applicable. In fact when I needed heart worm meds (Ivermectin) he suggested I get the generic stuff to save a little coin. And when I checked out last Monday with Winkipop and was paying the bill, the counter person actually looked up a competing price for the Previcox and gave me that price instead of their regular price - which saved me about $30.00 on my bill.

This time around I asked my vet about getting a generic version for the thyroid med and I will wait for him to tell me what I should do. I do have respect for the business end of things but feel as a consumer, I also need to explore ways to conserve budget.

Your input is always appreciated here.....I'm sure Bugs wasn't trying to beat up his vet....after a while you only have so much of a budget for your companions and stretching the dollar helps keep them going rather than just putting them down or letting them hurt.

I guess there's a Porsche analogy in there somewhere....

I graduated Vet school in 1988, and I quit practising (and went to work at the USDA) in 2008, so some of my practical knowledge is woefully out of date. But I will say this: our pharmacology instructor in vet school had a PhD in pharmacology and was a very smart guy. He told us way back then that one of the few drugs that he would only dispense as a name brand was Synthroid (L-thyroxine), because their quality control was so good as compared to the generics. Times may have changed, but this is a relatively cheap drug, especially if bought in the 1000 count bottle, so why take a chance?

[bugstrider]

Hey brother Baz,

The wife just showed me her niece's new family member. I think you will approve.

Dec 4th




M







Today, btw her name is Heidi. Brings back memories of my Murphy dog at her age.



Cheers Bugs

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[Baz]

Originally Posted by SiberianDVM

I graduated Vet school in 1988, and I quit practising (and went to work at the USDA) in 2008, so some of my practical knowledge is woefully out of date. But I will say this: our pharmacology instructor in vet school had a PhD in pharmacology and was a very smart guy. He told us way back then that one of the few drugs that he would only dispense as a name brand was Synthroid (L-thyroxine), because their quality control was so good as compared to the generics. Times may have changed, but this is a relatively cheap drug, especially if bought in the 1000 count bottle, so why take a chance?

Interesting - I did not know that.....thanks, Siberian!

I'm not the expert which is why I asked my vet for his opinion. Hopefully he will advise me on whether a generic would be the way to go or not, for this particular application.

I will let you know what happens and hope you will continue to add your input as you see fit.

If anyone needs any advice in my line of work (landscaping,irrigation, and low-voltage lighting), I'm always happy to offer my input, too. That said, many times i will tell someone their best route is to get a good local contractor and let them assist on the project. A man's gotta know his limitations....

Bugs - those are some awesome photos of Sir Henry....lol.....butt sKritch from the girls!

[Baz]

Thanks for the Heidi, pics, Bugs....very cool! Of course get her socialized....take here everywhere and let her meet everything and everyone she can and she'll be fine.

Woof!

[Joe Bob]

[Joe Bob]

[bugstrider]

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