And there was the first Gotcha Day for Liam 1/1/08 and we celebrate it every year
this year on IG and FB and Twitter we posted his adoption Day photo and his current photo
he attains 15 1/2 on 2/1/23
prior Gotcha Day Blog
will give you a history
it's last year's Gotcha blog
easy peasy a refresher
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4302462737248030380/5411280733109274249
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| 1/01/08 01/01/23 |
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This blog post is about another Gotcha Day though
Liam has an issue that arose at his physical in November from his blood work
Extremely high thyroid count
The vet had us come back and she could not feel a lump
She then did a T4 test
This test shows the allowable thyroid range
The end highest normal range is 40
Liam’s is 39.9
Hyperthyroidism is extremely rare in dogs and it seemed Liam might have it
Hyperthyroidism is the condition caused when your pet's thyroid produces an excess amount of hormones.
Hyperthyroidism is a very serious but relatively rare condition in
dogs, which typically results from thyroid carcinoma, (an aggressive and
fast growing cancer of the thyroid).
here is the link with info
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/endocrine/c_dg_hyperthyroidism
Common in cats (not contagious)
Usually indicative of cancer
With no lump to be felt or seen it could be very early and we could catch it
He had an Ultra sound on Tuesday November 23, 2022 at LIV a special center in Plainview
This condition explains his insatiable appetite resulting in no weight gain
And his unstoppable energy and barking
And frequent trips outside
All symptoms that are common in older dogs
At 15 and a 1/2 he has so far been healthy except for the back legs giving out at times
Got the results from Liam’s ultra ultrasound and talked to the vet
He does have a mass on one side of his thyroid
Apparently when there is a mass in a dog on the thyroid, 90% of the time it is cancer
Gotcha
Options
Have a full body scan to see if it has spread
If not remove the mass
Another option wait
We are doing the second
Liam had the TPLO surgery last year refresher link
That was major
Do not want to do anything invasive again
Because it is so rare there is no data as to whether this cancer is fast moving or slow moving
I told the vet that on the walk yesterday he galloped along and did zoomies at the end in the backyard
This hyperthyroidism gives him enormous energy and appetite
So we will see
we have not noticed any acceleration in discomfort or behavior other than what we have experienced up to now
the appetite, the barking, the shedding of hair, the excessive thirst all of which are symptoms of hyperthyroidism
I check every morning to see if he is breathing
and he always is
he usually has been out several times during the night
It goes on
my tattoo Liam walking by
a phrase attributed to Robert Frost upon being asked about what he had learned in his long life
watching and waiting
Happy 15 1/2 Liam
Woof, woof
