2nd opinion for dog's Thyroid test results

SandyEggo5

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with hypo-thyroidism in dogs. Buddy, our 9 year old golden retriever, had the following results on his thyroid test:

T4: 1.46 ug/dL

FT4 (free T4): .57 Ng/dL

Ph: 8

Our vet indicated that he'll need to be on meds for the rest of his life due to these results. I'm inclined to get a second opinion, but I'm wondering if I can get any advice here first before shelling more $ out for a second test & interpretation. Does anyone know what these results signify? Is it borderline? I know I can ask my vet, but I'd like an biased opinion from someone who won't be profiting from the meds we'll have to buy for the rest of our dog's life.

And just a little background, we had the test done because it was part of the wellness plan we had purchased. Buddy hadn't been acting any differently and we didn't suspect anything was wrong. We just wanted to get our money's worth from the plan we bought.

TIA!

LuckyAngel07

I take it this "wellness plan" was through Banfield? Their the only vet I know of that does this (unless some forms of pet insurance cover xyz for office check-ups). 

If it is Banfield, I'm disinclined to trust them. Took my cats to them for a couple of years and just felt like we were part of an assembly line getting checked out and shuffled on our way.

I don't know what the "normal" values for T4 or pH should be in dogs, but a quick search indicates 6-42 pmol/L (0.47-3.3 ng/dL).

This Site seems to have some more helpful info on lab testing for free T4 (about halfway down the page with the picture of the lounging greyhound and heading "Measurement of T4") although it doesn't include any info on normal ranges.

This PDF looks like it might be helpful, too (laboratory ranges shown on page 3).

SandyEggo5

No, it's not through Banfield, but thanks for the info!

aggiebug

Well the range can actually vary depending on the diagnostic lab used so I would take the above ranges lucky found with a grain of salt.  

That being said I think on most ranges it is only mildly out of range.

Mild hypothyroidism can be caused by the time of day the blood was drawn, as well as any type of stress in your pup's life.  If it were my case and we didn't have any symptoms of hypothyroidism (the site given by luckyangel is a great site with symptoms on it) I would just recommend monitoring at this point.  Maybe retest next year or maybe only if you start noticing changes that can be associated with hypothyroidism.