Odd Little Cannoli - a Medical Thread
- PooksiedAnimals
- Supporting my GL Habit
Thank you for the info. I will push for thyroid tests tomorrow.
- PooksiedAnimals
- Supporting my GL Habit
So - Cannoli has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (which I find vastly amusing, because she's now on the same meds I am to treat Grave's Disease).
Huzzah! A diagnosis. The vet was so positive it was not the thyroid, because she palpitated both Cannoli and Boadicea, and they felt the same - she couldn't feel any lumps in Noli. So we did the blood test (best draw ever - god that can be such an awful process), and sure enough, it came back high for they thyroid. She said a 6? Must be a different test/scale that for humans - for us the lower the number, the more active the thyroid. Anyway - this number was really high. Which given Cannoli's condition, I'm not surprised. I picked up the methimazole tonight - she's on 1.25mg a day, and we'll monitor her for the next couple of weeks.
For those of you who had pigs on methimazole - did you have it compounded or just give them a fraction of a pill?
Thank all of you that responded. I pushed for the test, confident that the thyroid was the direction to go.
Huzzah! A diagnosis. The vet was so positive it was not the thyroid, because she palpitated both Cannoli and Boadicea, and they felt the same - she couldn't feel any lumps in Noli. So we did the blood test (best draw ever - god that can be such an awful process), and sure enough, it came back high for they thyroid. She said a 6? Must be a different test/scale that for humans - for us the lower the number, the more active the thyroid. Anyway - this number was really high. Which given Cannoli's condition, I'm not surprised. I picked up the methimazole tonight - she's on 1.25mg a day, and we'll monitor her for the next couple of weeks.
For those of you who had pigs on methimazole - did you have it compounded or just give them a fraction of a pill?
Thank all of you that responded. I pushed for the test, confident that the thyroid was the direction to go.
- mmeadow
- Supporter 2004-2022
Scooby, our super-special first pig, had hyperthyroidism. She was anorexic and losing weight despite being fed a whopping 60 cc's of Critical Care a day. Her temp and heart rate were slightly elevated, I think. Blood work was frustratingly inconclusive, but she was started on the cat protocol for methimazole in lieu of data on cavies. I wish Dr. O. hadn't been as cautious, since it took weeks of slow increases to get to a dose where she felt better, ate nearly enough on her own, and could keep the weight on.
The methimazole came in liquid form from the animal hospital pharmacy.
Keep us posted on Cannoli!
The methimazole came in liquid form from the animal hospital pharmacy.
Keep us posted on Cannoli!
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- You can quote me
I have Hashi's. Can we trade? Please? Or can I please just have some of your blood??????? You can have some of mine. ;-)
"She said a 6? Must be a different test/scale that for humans - for us the lower the number, the more active the thyroid. Anyway - this number was really high."
It's a different test. The test for pigs is straight T4 (not sure if bound or free, or what, but it's T4). The higher that is, the more active the thyroid (or whatever reason there's more T4 floating around, as you probably know). For humans, the first test is TSH, and that's the one that the lower the number, the more active the thyroid. As far as I know there is no TSH, or TSH analogue, yet, anyway, for guinea pigs.
Ditto what others have said. The methimazole we've used has been a liquid, from a compounding pharmacy.
Be ready to tweak based on Noli's response. You should not need repeat bloodwork like they demand in humans to adjust her dosage. Keep in touch with your vet, but tweak it a bit if and as needed, which over time you probably will need to do.
We had a couple pigs that stopped needing it after a while. That may or may not happen with Cannoli, but just want to mention that it can happen.
Best to her and please keep us posted on how she's doing.
"She said a 6? Must be a different test/scale that for humans - for us the lower the number, the more active the thyroid. Anyway - this number was really high."
It's a different test. The test for pigs is straight T4 (not sure if bound or free, or what, but it's T4). The higher that is, the more active the thyroid (or whatever reason there's more T4 floating around, as you probably know). For humans, the first test is TSH, and that's the one that the lower the number, the more active the thyroid. As far as I know there is no TSH, or TSH analogue, yet, anyway, for guinea pigs.
Ditto what others have said. The methimazole we've used has been a liquid, from a compounding pharmacy.
Be ready to tweak based on Noli's response. You should not need repeat bloodwork like they demand in humans to adjust her dosage. Keep in touch with your vet, but tweak it a bit if and as needed, which over time you probably will need to do.
We had a couple pigs that stopped needing it after a while. That may or may not happen with Cannoli, but just want to mention that it can happen.
Best to her and please keep us posted on how she's doing.
- mmeadow
- Supporter 2004-2022
Some old and somewhat redundant threads on hypothyroidism with info on the cases of Figlet, Tracy's piglet Inca, and Scooby.
I had forgotten that Scooby may have developed a palpable thyroid nodule toward the end. (I still miss my feisty brown teddy! In her prime she was such an awesome Boss Hog. She's on the right in my avatar.)
An old thread with some details
Another old thread with some details
Yet another old thread with some details
I had forgotten that Scooby may have developed a palpable thyroid nodule toward the end. (I still miss my feisty brown teddy! In her prime she was such an awesome Boss Hog. She's on the right in my avatar.)
An old thread with some details
Another old thread with some details
Yet another old thread with some details
- PooksiedAnimals
- Supporting my GL Habit
No thanks on the trade. My aunt had Hashi's and ended up getting her thyroid irradiated. Mom has Graves too - so it's obviously a family thing. No fun, all around.
Yeah - I was surprised by the 6 - I was thinking TSH as well, and was expecting something really low.
The vet has asked me for a daily diary on food intake, behavior, weight, etc. I'm most interested in the water, because she's been drinking and peeing a ton.
Her weight is all over the place in the last two days. I'm weighing her twice a day; she typically weighs more in the morning than in the evening. Last night she was her lowest, at 847g, but shot up to 900g this morning. She gets her meds in the morning, the same time I do.
Since blood tests are hard to do and not reliable, I may need to get really tuned to her attitude and weight and be able to modify the dose based on that. A learning experience for all of us!
Yeah - I was surprised by the 6 - I was thinking TSH as well, and was expecting something really low.
The vet has asked me for a daily diary on food intake, behavior, weight, etc. I'm most interested in the water, because she's been drinking and peeing a ton.
Her weight is all over the place in the last two days. I'm weighing her twice a day; she typically weighs more in the morning than in the evening. Last night she was her lowest, at 847g, but shot up to 900g this morning. She gets her meds in the morning, the same time I do.
Since blood tests are hard to do and not reliable, I may need to get really tuned to her attitude and weight and be able to modify the dose based on that. A learning experience for all of us!
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- You can quote me
Your last paragraph is exactly what you will need to do. But it works. Doesn't need to be perfect; you're looking for trends as her body adjusts to the med.
The intake log is a very good idea; it'll help your vet learn, too. Just do the best you can and don't run yourself crazy trying to make it perfect. Again, trending is what you will be looking for, not the precision they attempt in humans. Please keep us posted; Noli's history may help others, too.
Best to Noli (and you and your aunt and mom, too).
The intake log is a very good idea; it'll help your vet learn, too. Just do the best you can and don't run yourself crazy trying to make it perfect. Again, trending is what you will be looking for, not the precision they attempt in humans. Please keep us posted; Noli's history may help others, too.
Best to Noli (and you and your aunt and mom, too).