Tags
allergies, canine hypothyroidism, health tests, hemopet, rabies challenge fund, vet, veterinary endocrinology
from Youtube channel MercolaHealthyPets
LINK/VIDEOS: Dr. Karen Becker interviews Dr. Jean Dodds
16 Thursday Jun 2011
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Thank you so much for posting this interview! It’s very informative as well as explanatory, & helps me better understand Jello. He (11y.o. trindle rescued Basenji) has hypothyroidism and probable cushing’s disease. I’ll be checking out Dr. Dodds’ website to see if it’s possible for me to afford having Jello’s next testing for thyroid levels sent to her (money is soooo tight). I feel certain that my wonderful veterinarian would be open to the suggestion of another, more specific, more informative laboratory, but of course I’ll discuss it with her 1st. When I was still able to work, I was a medical laboratory technician at a pediatric hospital; one of my duties was performing thyroid testing. This all makes so much sense to me. And Dr. Dodds’ upcoming specific food antigen testing, and longer range rabies vaccine effectiveness? Wow, cool! Thanks again!
I don’t quite understand the relationship between hypothyroidism and Cushing’s, but I’m mindful of it. I’m glad you have a vet that you trust, and I do hope she is willing to work with you and Hemopet. Our previous vet was unwilling to work with her lab — but he was willing to draw an extra vial of blood for us to mail to her lab ourselves. Our vet charged us $230 for the same set of tests that Hemopet charges $115 for, AND the latter came with consultation that our vet was too stingy to provide — unless we forked over another visitation fee.
This all went down about this time last year, and every time I think about how it went, I get incensed again. At any rate, I’m glad that vets like Dr. Dodds are around to provide reasonable alternatives to more “traditional” institutionalized veterinary medicine.
The food antigen testing is very exciting to me too. I’m a little uncertain of how well it works, but I’m still tempted to try it, just to see what it can reveal.
I don’t know that there ‘is’ a relationship between hypothyroidism and Cushing’s, just mentioned it ‘cuz both affect my wonderful boy. Even if I have to ship/mail a sample myself, it surely seems like it’ll be easier than the early days of testing for hemolytic anemia; mid 1970’s, somebody’s vet would volunteer to do a free or low cost blood draw and centrifugation (sample preparation), every Basenji in the greater Cincinnati area (it seemed) showed up to get stuck, somebody donated a six pack of cheap beer to freeze, somebody else donated a small cooler, a 3rd somebody drove to the airport (in Kentucky) to ship our hopes and dreams to the only place in the world (at that time) that did the H.A. testing, the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. When we got our reports back, we were told the laboratory personnel appreciated the (still chilled) packing material!
I’m also looking forward to the available consultation (cost seems very reasonable); my laboratory experience in no way = managing/treating a disease.
Food antigen testing; makes me think of a Basenji named “Tucker’, I think, about whom I read in the BRAT blog. I think you had commented on that post. His severe food allergy/sensitivity manifested in severe behavior disorders. Made me wonder if current or future knowledge could have saved my first Basenji, who would change from the sweet, funny, playful, cuddly boy he truly was into a viciously attacking demon without warning or, seemingly, any clue at all. It was horrible. He gave me so much, including this fierce love for Basenjis, and I had him euthanized. Just not fair at all.
Sorry to go on so long…