For the past two years, we never said the following sentence: “Emmett is out playing with Lucas and Cooper!”
It’s been, “Lucas and Cooper are playing, and Emmett’s sleeping at my feet.”
Now…
Emmett plays with his brothers from Maggie Marton on Vimeo.
(Sorry, crappy cell phone video. It was a total spur of the moment capture!)
Quick synopsis: He had several individual symptoms that we took him in for over the last couple years. Unfortunately, the practice we were going to had a lot of staff changes, so for the last two years, we saw 4 different vets. Each symptom was chalked up to something (lethargy = well, he’s 10 now… hair loss on his tail = allergies… rash on his stomach = allergies… weight gain = he didn’t get much exercise while I was in treatment… and so on) and somehow there was never a big picture view.
We took him in for his annual here, and I started talking to her about the fur on his tail. She decided to run a T4 test, and his levels came back as “low-normal,” so not a huge red flag, but when she added up everything else, she wanted us to try him out on a medication for hypothyroidism. Four weeks in, you can see him in the video above. He’s been SO playful! Wrestling and running with his brothers, and the other day he went and dug up a stick to chew on. All this activity is in short bursts a few times a day – he is still 10+, despite the medication – but he’s just seeming so much more vibrant!
I’m happy and relieved, though a little part of me thinks… if only we figured this out sooner.
What about you? Solved any medical mysteries lately? Any unexplained symptoms? Has anyone else seen a big change like this with a new med?
oh Maggie, thats so awesome! almost brought tears of joy, would’ve brought tears if I wasn’t smiling so much. I’m so happy for him and for the rest of your family. Sandy was running around playing with a visiting dog 2 days before we had to say good bye to him, very short bursts (nothing like Emmett’s) and he occasionally fell over due to his hips but he was playing. so nice to see your three playing chase together, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them run like that.
Thanks for sharing our joy, Sof! You know… I think you’ve inspired me to get video of Lucas and Cooper’s all-out insanity black-out running matches. I’m going to work on the logistics this weekend… 😉
Go Emmett!
He’s like a new man! 🙂
That is so wonderful, Maggie! Yay for Emmett. Both Bella and I have hypothyroidism and I can tell you, for me at least, it took a long time to figure it out. Like you said, the symptoms, taken individually, can all be explained away.
In Bella’s case, Dr. Dodman believes that sub-clinical hypothyroidism (that border-line result like what you saw in Emmett) can contribute to aggression. She’s due to have her levels tested again because we’re seeing some strange stuff.
So lovely to see your dogs playing though. Gave me a great smile to start the day. 🙂
Wow, what a dramatic impact. Just glad your vet was able to help Emmet feel more like himself.
My husband is on meds for hypothyroidism. It never occurred to me to notice if he was playing with Honey more since getting his prescription. 🙂
HAAA! Too funny, Pamela! His energy level was one of the things she said could change, so it’s worth keeping an eye on. 🙂
Same results for me with my 16 year old cat. The thyroid medication, methimazole, has brought, what we thought was our dying cat, back to life. The T4 test is so totally overlooked not only in animals, but also in humans. Our Boots was also low on potassium. Happy for you and Emmitt. How old is Emmitt?
That’s really interesting, Phyllis. I wonder why it’s an overlooked test?? Hmm… Emmett is about 10ish years old. We’re just estimating, of course, but we use his adoption date (July 6) as his birthday, so according to that calendar he turned 10 this past summer!
That is SO great for Emmet’s sake! I know you’re glad to have your puppy coming back to the way he was. Low thyroid can also cause depression in people, but I’m not sure about pets, but I’m betting it could. A small piece of advice: Once you’ve found a specific medication that works, don’t let them change it for any other brand. It’s been proven in humans that not all thyroid medications are the same. I’ve heard of people being given name-brand thyroid medications, then being switched to generics and having severe effects like heart palpitations and inability to sleep. I know that’s humans, but I wouldn’t want to risk it with pets since they can’t tell you if something like that feels bad–except for you knowing your dog really well and watching for odd changes.
Oh, wow. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing such a useful tip. I’m going to pay really close attention to our monthly refills!!
This is so wonderful to see! Emmett never really wanted to play but I bet he is so happy to have the energy to do it now. Watch out Cooper, your big brother may not tolerate your shenanigans any more! Just really great news Maggie.
WOW! That’s amazing! I’ve been thinking for awhile that the doc needs to up my own thyroid meds. This video has convinced me that it’s time to be vocal about it. I can totally relate.
Definitely be vocal!! You deserve to feel your best!!
My 10 yr old lab mix Ellie started losing hair on her tail about a year ago, and they thought it was her thyroid, but turned out to be Cushings (after a lot of tests). She was losing leg strength also, and she seemed to be aging drastically. But, after her diagnosis, she started her meds, and within weeks she was romping around the yard again. we’ve struggled with diet for a while because her medicine dampened her appetite a bit and she wouldn’t eat her prescription food. We’ve finally got a half homemade/half kibble diet going and she’s as healthy as she can be for a senior battling two chronic illnesses. Couldn’t be happier with her progress 🙂
Wow – I’m so glad you’ve had such great process after a correct diagnosis. Do you mind sharing how you got there? Did you do a T4 test? I’m super curious because one of Em’s vets said “maybe” Cushing’s, and we didn’t pursue that… Wondering if we should do additional tests?
This is so exciting to see! It’s never easy when our wrinklefaces (2 pug-frenchie mixes haha) aren’t feeling well. Emmett is so happy in that video, brings tears of joy to see a dog once practically “bedridden” up and tackling the world again.
Thank you so much for sharing this Maggie. My son has been diagnosed with INCREDIBLY mild hypo, we’re still in testing to see what’s wrong. Many prayers of success sent your way from us!
Aleeyah,
Yourdogcetera.com