PT prayers requested please.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Hi guys, not sure how many of you remember me, it's been a while.
My Collie, Molly, who is almost 10 years old now was taken to the vet this morning after she had experienced what seemed to be a seizure. Our vet is still unsure of her exact diagnosis because so far she has been acting fine in that sense. She is having blood/liver tests done along with a few other things so we will know the results by tomorrow morning. She's been in sort of a downward spiral for the past couple of weeks with other issues but I'm hoping this is something that will have a "positive" outlook.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/FaKiNgReAliTy/f540a281-1.jpg?t=1280964619

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it.

Julie

[Karen]

Awww, prayers on the way for pretty Molly!

[shais_mom]

of course I remember you.
Prayers on the way for beautiful molly and you too!

[chocolatepuppy]

Many prayers for Molly...

[FurkidsMom]

Many good thoughts for your sweetie..they are our 4-legged kids.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I'm sending lots of thoughts and prayers out for Molly and family. I hope you're going to be fine, gorgeous girl. You are so beautiful.

[Freedom]

Prayers for Molly girl from RI! And cyber hugs to her family.

Perhaps she just ate something and this was a one shot issue? Oh I hope so!

[luvofallhorses]

Oh no! :( I remember you. Lots of good thoughts and prayers for gorgeous Molly. :love:

[Cinder & Smoke]

Hi God ~

Need sum Help fur an Ole-Tyme Talk Buddy - Miz Molly, da Collie ...

She's feelin kida *punky* and Momma Julie is worried.
Can You pop into da lab and look over the tests?
Sumpin Eee-Zee to fix would be nice - got any of them left?

A {{{God'sHugg}}} for Julie would be nice, too. ;)

THANKS, God!!

/s/ the Prayer Pups :love:

[MonicanHonda]

Aww, pretty girl. I hope all is well.... PT Prayers definitely.

[Husky_mom]

sending healing vibes.. ((hugs)).. hoping all goes well with Molly

and of course we remember you.. you should drop by more often ;)

[Miranda_Rae]

:love:Ohh Molly I hope they are able to figure out whats wrong and fix it!! I remember you Julie. Keep us posted.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Of course we remember you Julie! Although I'm sorry to see that you are back because of this!:(

Many prayers being sent out for pretty miss Molly. Hugs to Molly and you! Keep us updated if you can....:)

[robinh]

I know PT prayers work, so I'll definitely pass along the good health prayers said for my Kirby out to both of you.

Robin

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers everyone. She's home now, I picked her up from the vet a couple of hours ago. They said she was acting fine through the night and when I brought her home, I gave her one of her thyroid pills (called "thyro tabs") because I had stopped them for a little over a day thinking that she was experiencing side effect(s) since she has only been on them now for almost 2 weeks. The vet had told me that it was just a weird coincidence and that what was happening to her had nothing to do with the medication and wanted me to keep giving them to her as scheduled. About an hour after she had taken them tonight, her "fits" started up again -- I'm thinking she's on too high of a dose; she takes 2 pills daily, one in the morning and one in the evening and each pill is 0.8 mg (one of the highest doses available for this medication). Still waiting for blood and liver results from the vet.. They were supposed to call back tonight, but I haven't heard from them yet. I'll keep you all posted on this as I receive more information. Thanks again.

[Karen]

You're welcome, do keep us updated. Hugs to your furry baby!

[sana]

Poor Molly. Hope you have a positive result. God help you, Ameen!. Pryers for the cute collie

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Since she's been home she's been having episodes almost every 3 hours. The longest so far lasting almost 30 minutes. Keep them coming..

[chocolatepuppy]

More prayers on the way for Molly.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

More prayers and hugs for Molly on the way!:love:

[K9soul]

Julie,

I'd stop the meds again and think about getting a second opinion. That's a pretty high dose of thyroid med. Tommy has been on 0.8 mg twice a day and he was recently pushed back to 0.5 mg twice a day because he was a tad hyperthyroid on his last blood test, and he is a big boy. He has autoimmune thyroid disease and has a totally nonfunctioning thyroid. Too high a dose of thyroid med can cause hyperthyroidism, and hyperthyroidism CAN cause seizures, confusion, spells, or other symptoms.

You and Molly will be in my thoughts.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Thanks again everyone. I heard back from the vet yesterday; all of her tests came back and all of her levels were within normal range. Which is good news!

And no episodes/fits today either! :) Jess, that's exactly what I was thinking. My vet was and still doesn't think the thyroid meds have anything to do with her symptoms, but I disagree. I have not given them to her since the evening we brought her home and she seems to be doing loads better now. He was very surprised when I told him that she had started up again the same evening I brought her home after not having any problems when she spent the night at the vet whatsoever (she was not given a pill the entire day while she was at the vet, and was given one when I brought her home). I'm still documenting everything at the request of my vet and for my own personal knowledge so we can either rule-out the thyroid meds or see that that's where the problem lies. I'm thinking the meds should be completely, if not almost completely out of her system by now which would explain her improvement. My vet is calling again tomorrow night to discuss how she's doing and what our options are if she goes back to acting like she was.

I'm hesistant to put her on seizure meds if she does in fact need them. The first medication isn't an option for her because mixing it with her thyroid pills would be dangerous. The second medication would weaken her hind legs and she's having enough trouble getting up and walking around now as it is. First and foremost, I'm going to have them put her on a much lower dose of the thyro-tabs and see if that makes a difference. My gut feeling is telling me that's what the problem is.

Thanks again guys, I'll continue to keep you updated on her progress. :) So glad she seems to be taking a turn for the better!!

[Catlady711]

Glad to hear the fits have stopped now, that must have been scary for both of you!!:eek:

You wouldn't by chance know what your dog's T3/T4 levels were when she was diagnosed do you?

At work dogs are typically dosed on a twice a day schedule and the size of the dose is based on the T3/T4 levels and the dog's size. Then we retest the levels once the dog has been on the medication 4 weeks and adjust the dose accordingly.

I looked up the label for Thyro-Tabs. Since it's a human product it's hard for me to tell how much of the warnings apply to dogs, however I did find a couple things that might apply. Now bear in mind that they are required to put ANY reaction or side effect on the label even if it's one person out of 10 million that had a problem with it so don't get too frightened over some of it.

thyro-tabs (http://www.rxlist.com/thyro-tabs-drug.htm) Due to the long half-life of levothyroxine, the peak therapeutic effect at a given dose of levothyroxine sodium may not be attained for 4-6 weeks.

The signs and symptoms of overdosage are those of hyperthyroidism (see PRECAUTIONS and ADVERSE REACTIONS). In addition, confusion and disorientation may occur. Cerebral embolism, shock, coma, and death have been reported. Seizures have occurred in a child ingesting 18 mg of levothyroxine. Symptoms may not necessarily be evident or may not appear until several days after ingestion of levothyroxine sodium.

Treatment of Overdosage

Levothyroxine sodium should be reduced in dose or temporarily discontinued if signs or symptoms of overdosage occur.

Acute Massive Overdosage This may be a life-threatening emergency, therefore, symptomatic and supportive therapy should be instituted immediately. If not contraindicated (e.g., by seizures, coma, or loss of the gag reflex), the stomach should be emptied by emesis or gastric lavage to decrease gastrointestinal absorption. Activated charcoal or cholestyramine may also be used to decrease absorption.


If it were my dog; I'd have her stay at the vet another night and let them give her the medication there. If there's a reaction they will be there to witness it which may tell them something. Or possibly have the T3/T4 levels retested. If your vet doesn't want to do either then I'd be looking for a second opinion.

[K9soul]

I'm so glad to hear she's doing better today. It would definitely be hard not to suspect the medication, either a side effect or that it is possibly raising her thyroid levels too high and causing hyperthyroidism. Having had collies, in my experience they can be ultra sensitive to medications and prone to reactions. I remember having to be careful what heartworm preventative I put them on because of that. I think you're right to go with your instincts and your plan sounds like a good one. I'll be keeping you and Molly in my thoughts. ((hugs)) to you.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Well, she's had a couple of fits today, though not as bad as what I've seen previously. I did some research on the medication and thyroids in general, and from what I've read up on, around 70% of dogs who have thyroid problems also experience seizures too. So, it does point to her having actual seizures instead of something else. What we're going to do now is put her back on the thyro-tabs and in 3-4 weeks take her back to the vet so they can test her T3/T4 levels and adjust the dose accordingly as needed (as Catlady said). This is what was planned on when she first started the thyroid meds almost 2 week ago, so we're pretty much back on schedule with that.

We're also going to put her on potassium bromide, though it'll affect her legs, it won't affect her liver or her thyroid, compared to the other medication. They're going to first put her on a "loading dose" to get her to a certain level, and once that happens she's put on a "maintenance dose." If she somehow can't tolerate the higher doses at first, they're going to just go ahead and put her on the maintenance dose instead. From there, we take her back 2 months after she starts this medication to see if any progress has been made. That's the overall plan for now.. may change should complications arise before or after all of this. I'm most concerned with her quality of life -- but for now, she seems to be perking up a little bit and that's all that matters. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted. Thanks again everyone.

[Daisy and Delilah]

I'll keep sending thoughts and prayers. Feel better, sweetheart!!

[Miranda_Rae]

It sounds like you are educating yourself well and trying to find the root cause of everything, and it seems like you are heading in the right direction. I hope things continue to look up, and she starts to act more like herself with these changes. Keep us updated....werent you going to school for Vet Tech, or was that someone else?

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Thanks both of you. :) She started the other meds yesterday and so far, so good. She absolutely hates taking it (it's in liquid form so we have to squirt it into her mouth) but she's happy with the treat that comes after that. ;)

Miranda, yes that was me. I'm a pre-vet major. Applying for vet school probably within the next year or so!

[Karen]

Ah, the joys of medicating reluctant animals. At least she likes the treat that follows! Any chance you have a compounding pharmacy handy that could make it yummier - like liver-flavored or something?

Prayers still being said for your pretty girl.

[Miranda_Rae]

Miranda, yes that was me. I'm a pre-vet major. Applying for vet school probably within the next year or so!

Well i am very glad that she is doing better, and I don't blame her!! i hate taking meds! :rolleyes:

So what is a pre-vet major? Are you going to be a vet or a vet tech? because I am going to go to school for Vet Tech this fall (after we get a house and get settled a bit more- doing too many big changes does not work well for me:o )

[K9soul]

Was just checking in for an update. Glad to hear that so far so good. I can commiserate with pups that are hard to give meds. With Tommy or Raven I can usually hide it in some food and they'll take it easily. Tasha is another story :rolleyes:. She'll dissect the food to avoid the med. And if you try to give it to her manually she turns into clamp-jaw. Keep getting better Molly!

[wolfsoul]

Sorry to hear about the seizures! Thyroid and seizures pretty much go hand in hand unfortunatly. I hear about them all too often since they're so common in Belgians.
Hopefully Molly adjusts to the meds and her seizures go away! With the correct dosage, the seizures should go away (unless it is not the thyroid that is causing the seizures, but at her age it's not likely to be genetic epilepsy).

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Thanks again guys. She's been on both meds (for thyroid and seizures) for a few days now and no seizures so far. Looking good!

However, they really do weaken her hind legs. This was her last day of the loading dose to get the drug level up so from here on out we'll just be giving it to her to manage it.

[Freedom]

So the seizures are a part of the thyroid problem, NOT the thyroid medicine.

Poor Molli, going through all this and not understanding what is happening to her! Please give her some hugs from me.

What a relief for you, to have the seizures behind her. That must be so scary, seeing your pup go through that and not being able to do anything.

[Reachoutrescue]

Many prayers for Molly - may she get through this and have nothing but great test results. I know how it is to worry about your pet - I am going through that right now with our Scruff. Good luck and please keep us posted.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Well, she's not doing so well again. She's having a very hard time getting up and walking around and is acting extremely lethargic. I'm reading up on a few issues and it now seems like she's showing signs of Cushing's Disease. Her symptoms pretty much match all of the ones listed. We're stopping the seizure medication for a few days to see if that makes a difference, yet we're still going to continue giving her the thyro-tabs. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again everyone.

[AdoreMyDogs]

I'm so sorry to hear about your beautiful girl :( I do hope something is figured out and everything is OK with her.

It's nice to see you back on PT, although I'm sorry it's under these circumstances. I'll keep her in my thoughts. Give the pups a hug for me, please.

[Reachoutrescue]

Any updates?

[boomersooner]

Prayers for Molly! Keep us posted!

[GoldenRetrLuver]

She's still the same. We're monitoring her this week to see how she does and if she'll make any improvements on her own. She's still eating and drinking, just doesn't want to do much of anything else really. If nothing has changed by next week we're taking her in again to see what else we can do if there are any other options.

[sana]

Lots and lots of healthy prayes for sweet Molly. Hope she gets well soon. This is a sad news that she isn't recovering but I still hope she does ok.:( Don't lose hope. It can help in moments you never thought of.:) May God give her the best health. :)Ameen!:)

[sana]

May God give you strength dear Molly and May God give you patience to go through all this. For Molly and GoldenRetrLuver

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Hi Pet Talk, it's been a while. Molly has been having seizures almost every night for the past week and she's been very weak. She went to the vet this morning. My vet says it's around an 85% chance that she has a brain tumor and there is really nothing more we can do other then to keep her comfortable and put her on some pain meds. I know that Pet Talk thoughts and prayers really work, and we could use some right now.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Praying for pretty miss Molly. And for you, too. Miss seeing you here on PT! :love:

[Sowa]

I hope everything is ok for you and your pup :(

[dukedogsmom]

I'm so sorry :( I know how much it hurts. I hope its not what the vet thinks and she gets better. Give her some hugs from me.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

My girl is a fighter! :) :)

She's been doing very well on the meds and the seizures have stopped. She's tired most days, but overall, she seems to be happy. I'm treasuring every moment I have with her.

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers everyone!

[wolf_Q]

I'm so sorry to hear Molly has been having these health problems. That is a great update though hope she continues to improve!

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Yay this is great news! I'm so happy to hear this! Keep on fighting pretty miss Molly!! :)

[Daisy and Delilah]

I hope you feel better soon Molly. I'm so sorry you're sick. Thoughts and prayers going out to you all from Florida.