Prince's Blood Test Results - Page 4

Just do what you feel is right for YOUR dog, Deanna.

"Since we were drawing a sample I figured it would be a good time to check for thyroid problems mostly because of the aggression issues we have had with Prince.".

So pl. allow me to suggest why excessive testing is a bad idea, even though there may be an opportunity to get the test done cheaply or even free. Take for example T4, if you examined 20 normal dogs, statistics predicts that 1 out of 20 results will be abnormal, simple by chance. This relates to 95 % results lying within 2 SD, or 5 % (1 out of 20) being out of normal limits. The situation gets worse, if you get 20 tests on 1 dog, 1/20 results will be abnormal solely due to chance. Now that you have an abnormal result, you are bound to investigate it with another set of tests, and the cycle continues. Ofcourse, the vets will love you.

Wow. Here I was thinking that this is a great thread that illustrates what people are always saying when an owner notices a distinct change in their animal's behavior, "to have your dog checked for underlying health issues." So, Deanna happens to do that, not because she "has money burning a hole in her pocket",  , (LOL BTW), but because she is experiencing behavior issues that are a cause for concern.

She's a real conscientious owner and Prince is darn lucky he ended up with her. 

Bee: You miss z point. Its good to get your dog checked if there is an issue. I am objecting to the large test panels which are being marketed.

Whenever anyone wants to step up and offer to pay for all of Prince's medical care out of their own pocket, that will earn you the right to opine whether she's 'over testing' or not.  The dog has displayed a change in behavior, and it is the type of change which could be nothing more than a training issue, OR it could be due to one or more health abnormalities which are documented to produce the very type of behavioral change of concern--or it could be BOTH, and if BOTH aren't addressed then nothing is likely to improve.  It is patently UNFAIR to any dog for an owner and/or handler to attempt to address a behavioral problem through training methods UNLESS they have first ruled out any medical conditions that could either trigger the behavior problem or contribute to its manifestation.

Though if Deanna chose to have testing run for everything a blood sample can possibly be used to test for, that's her prerogative as well, since she's paying for it.  Testing healthy animals has its place, as it will establish a baseline by which future test results can be measured to aid in diagnosis when the dog falls ill to something that's challenging to identify.

I did not realize that thyroid problem can cause increased aggression. I thought and I believe that in case of hypothyroidism  opposite to aggression and it is generally sluggishness, skin problem ( elephant skin) , loss of hair  and serious weight gain. I do not believe that it is appropriate for vet to suggest to test for thyroid  because the dog is showing aggression.  
Yes the owner can spend it's money anyway s/he wants but this is a forum and I believe we are discussing merits of such testing here thus spending money is part of the issue. The decision of the one spending is personal though.But I do not think anybody wants to spend money just with sole purpose  to the pay vet's mortgage.

Also if we decide to test for thyroid levels 
To avoid overdiagnosing and overtreating the disease ( hypothyoridism), it is important to confirm the significance of a low T4 using a more accurate thyroid function test, such as the FT4 by equilibrium dialysis. Other blood tests are also available for diagnosing hypothyroidism. One is an assay for thyroglobulin autoantibodies; these autoantibodies are present in about 50 percent of dogs with autoimmune thyroiditis. This test must be sent to a special laboratory for analysis.
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/hypothyroidism-in-dogs
Prager Hans

Poor dog, if he only knew.

Sorry but I must agree with Prager here.

HANS SAID: I did not realize that thyroid problem can cause increased aggression. I thought and I believe that in case of hypothyroidism  opposite to aggression and it is generally sluggishness, skin problem ( elephant skin) , loss of hair  and serious weight gain. I do not believe that it is appropriate for vet to suggest to test for thyroid  because the dog is showing aggression.

HANS PROVIDED THIS LINK  http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/hypothyroidism-in-dogs   It contains the following information:

 

Hypothyroidism has been found in association with dilated cardiomyopathy, strokes, coronary artery disease (rare in dogs), von Willebrand’s disease, and myasthenia gravis. At least two-thirds of hypothyroid dogs have high serumcholesterol levels. Finding elevated serum cholesterol on routine blood screening warrants a workup for hypothyroidism. Behavior changes, including aggression, have also been noted in hypothyroid dogs, particularly German Shepherd Dogs.

The recommended blood test for screening purposes is the total T4. This test is indicated for dogs who have findings suggestive of hypothyroidism on physical examination. A normal T4 is fairly conclusive evidence that the dog does not have hypothyroidism. However, a low-normal or below-normal level does not mean the dog is hypothyroid, because concentrations below normal are common for many reasons other than hypothyroidism.

 

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 Do CARRY ON---- RUGER1 with your plan, and keep on doing what YOU think is best for Prince.   

SSDD.