thyroid problems -- urgent advice needed!

[ergarrett]

Hi,

I have a Cairn that is almost 2 years old. She kept throwing up every 2-3 days, so we took her to the vet. He checked her out and performed blood tests, but concluded that she needed her food changed. 2 days later he called to say that her blood tests came back and her thyroid level was extremely high. Normal range is 1-6 and hers is 25. Other than the throwing up, which is not a symptom of a thyroid problem, she is perfectly healthy. The vet then did an x-ray and could not find a tumor in her thyroid. We are currently consulting with several vets and schools to determine the best course of action.

Has anyone experienced this problem?

[Guest]

I would seek out a holistic vet.

I would think surgery should be the very last option! And besides, no one knows exactly what is wrong.

[bradl]

I'm always worried to see 'urgent' anyhing posted on the Internet. It's a great place to do some types of research but I woudn't trust any advice you get or find without double and triple checking with different sources. This includes my advice!

Now he wants us to take her to VA Tech to have a radioactive scientography (spelling?) test done and then possibly surgery

It doesn't sound like surgery is automatic but might be recommended if scintigraphy revealed a mass that an X-ray did not. Speaking only for myself, I'd rather have more information than less. I take it VA Tech is a vet school? It sounds to me like an appropriate referral for additional testing so that you can make an informed decision as to the best course, once they understand what's happening. You are entitled to ask them about alternatives as well.

You may wish to contact the CTCA Health Related Concerns committee to see if they might have referrals to additional resources you may find helpful. Clare Redditt (cairnacr@capital.net) is the contact for conditions that don't have a specific, named coordinator.