Normal, yet – Not so Normal

Well, the preliminaries are in. Toby’s blood tests were normal, however, Toby’s thyroid results were all on the low end of normal and his cholesterol was on the high end of normal.

Toby’s results:    
T4: 1.31        
FreeT4: 0.74                
T3: 46           
FreeT3: 1.9
Thyroglobullin Autoantibody: < 1
Cholesterol: 314 (This has come back as high as 400 in the past)       

The Lab range that Dr. Dodds used as a case specific range for Toby were these:
T4: 1.3 – 3.20
FreeT4: 0.75 – 2.00
T3: 30 – 70
FreeT3: 1.6 – 3.5 
Thyroglobullin Autoantibody: < 10 = Negative
Cholesterol: 92 – 324

Based on the borderline T4 and FreeT4, Dr. Dodds recommendation was to retest Toby in 6 months.

However, my vet recommended that we contact Dr. Dodds to discuss the results further, as he has seen other dogs being treated for Hypothyroid at similar levels to Toby. So, I dug out Leah’s records, (who is also low-end of normal thyroid and being treated with Soloxine since 2006, upon Dr. Dodds’ recommendation), and this is what I discovered:

Leah’s results:
T4: 1.54
FT4: .58
T3: 69 
FT3: 2.1
T3 Autoantibodies: 0.8
T4 Autoantibodies: 1.0
Cholesterol: 190

It appears to me that Leah and Toby’s thyroid levels are pretty similar, and in addition, I found this note on the bottom of Leah’s results:

Adult Optimal Levels:
T4: 2 – 4
FT4: 1 – 3
T3: 50 – 150
FT3: 3 – 8  

Toby’s report had no such note, but in looking at the one on Leah’s, to me it looks like all of Toby’s levels are too low. But, Leah was tested in 2006, and her problem was sudden onset fear aggression. Possibly, the testing ranges were different then, or they are more proactive in treating a serious issue such as aggression. Also, when we sent the blood sample to Dr. Dodds, we listed “Behavioral Issues” as the reason for testing, and nothing more – since we were mainly concerned with Toby’s weird irrational fear behavior.

Maybe those were the reasons for the different recommendations for two similar sets of test results?

So, today, I wrote a nice, (albeit lengthy), letter to Dr. Dodds explaining all of Toby’s recent health and behavioral issues, to see if they might be somehow related to his low-normal thyroid issues. Additionally, my own vet asks that I start keeping a log of any further ‘odd’ behaviors that Toby develops.

Perhaps I should just direct him to this blog?

Oh, and Toby is still pacing at night, and he got sick this morning, which he rarely does. So, I’m still a bit concerned. As always, will write more when I know more…but if anyone has any thoughts or similar experiences, feel free to share.

REMINDER: Kirek is still missing. Please keep looking.

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