Saturday, March 12, 2016

Sounding Off On Saturday


Happy Saturday!!!



The Momster asked us to let her take over our blog for today.  We agreed for a fee of some tasty treats.  So here's Mom.

I am on a bit of a rant here today.  Since last fall, we have been trying to get Ciara's thyroid levels back on track.  She had been on the brand name Soloxine for a couple of years with great results.  Then Soloxine became unavailable unless you are lucky enough to have a vet who has a big supply of old stock.  Not happening here.  Since there is no firm date as to when Soloxine will begin to be produced again, reluctantly I decided to go with the generic "levocrine" chewable tablets.  I had my concerns about switching to a generic because I know there are instances where generic and brand do not match up perfectly.  Little did I know that a switch to the same level of medication but as a generic would cause Ciara's levels to drop by more than 50%.  Since that drop we have increased her dose level two times, and now today we are on our third increase.  Since the huge drop in the fall, there has been absolutely NO change for the better in her levels; in fact, they have even dropped a little more.  Every time we change her medication, we have to wait 4-6 weeks and then have the blood rechecked.  So here we go again with another increase.

If you have a dog who was on Soloxine for low thyroid and you switched to a generic, I strongly suggest you monitor the dog's thyroid levels with a blood test just to be sure the medication is doing what it is supposed to do.

Thyroid issues have been linked to seizures, although we do not have any confirmation that this is the cause of Ciara's. But this poor girl deserves to have the right level of medication to help her get her thyroid to an acceptable functioning level.  In addition, no wonder we are fighting the battle of the bulge.  Low thyroid and weight gain go hand in hand or paw in paw.  



Thanks, Mom.  We hope there is a solution for this problem soon.

Woos - Ciara and Lightning, and Mom


31 comments:

  1. We can understand the RANT! Seems every time SHE finds a product SHE likes, it's taken off the market or 'improved' beyond all recognition. At least SHE hasn't had anything with dire consequences. Maybe you can find some of the original online. We'll keep our paws crossed. Hugs to everyone.

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  2. Oh boy, I'd rant too! Has the vet thought about ThyroTabs? Gibson was on that and afterward his thtroid levels remained right in the perfect range for the rest of his life. I hope they find the right meds. I'm think of you, and Ciara, a big, big hug to you and can you give a loving Husky hug to Momster? xo

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  3. Oh no my sweet Ciara...bless your little heart and your Mom. She is working so hard to get you at the right level w/o a lot of help from the meds.
    We are so sorry and for sure we send prayers I wish we knew some answers to help. Mom and I send you both a ton of hugs and love. I'm glad you have the blog so that you can get your questions out to others who might have answers.

    Gosh Ciara I know about the battle of the bulge I'm just a tad too rotund too and Mom watches what I eat but I guess it is A G E related.
    Madi and mom

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  4. I will try to remember to ask my vet about it when I next see her (this month). I am not sure that Soloxine is available in France but if it is, I will let you know. This is such an annoying and seemingly unnecessary problem.

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  5. We really hope you get it all sorted out too. It is so hard when you can't get it perfect.

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  6. That's awful and we sure hope the original comes back soon. Nothing worth than depending on something and then it up and disappears.

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  7. We think that this is a Rant that is WELL WORTH it... we are glad that you put the Word.. and Warning out fur our furends...
    Paws Crossed that a solution to this is found.. SOON.

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  8. The pharmaceutical industry is a pain for people and their pets. We hope you can find a solution soon.

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  9. I agree, she deserves to have the right level of medication. Hang in there Mom, hopefully that will happen soon.

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  10. We hope she is feeling better soon. She's lucky to have a Mom who's concerned and remains informed to make the best decisions for her.

    Abby Lab

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  11. So sorry......we would like to bite those drug companies.
    Ciara deserves their best.

    ♥♥
    Wyatt and Family

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  12. Aww Ciara, it sounds like you've been having a hard time with this. Some days you're the one lifting your leg, some days your the hydrant. Or the birdbath, something I like to lift my leg on!

    Anyway, I want you to know that even though I've never had any health scares, I know you will get past this and you should make the best out of this situation and be joyful in the little things to the point where peeps will look at you and won't know what's been going on.

    You are strong, Ciara. Remember Balto? And Hachi? Lassie? Old Yeller? Benji? They all had some troubles but they were strong, and that's why they're so well known. You guys are well known among us bloggers because we know you are strong and I'm sure you could win the Iditarod if you wanted to!

    Here for you and Lightning,
    Christmas the Dachshund

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  13. Aw man. I agree with Millie and Walter about the troubles we get trying to get the medication we need. They recently had a regional shortage of the brand name of my anti-depressant medication, luckily the generic worked just as well but I know how scary it is.

    I hope things look up for you soon, and wish I had something more to offer.

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  14. Aw man. I agree with Millie and Walter about the troubles we get trying to get the medication we need. They recently had a regional shortage of the brand name of my anti-depressant medication, luckily the generic worked just as well but I know how scary it is.

    I hope things look up for you soon, and wish I had something more to offer.

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  15. OMD, sweet Ciara doesn't NEED this problem! Stoopid drug companies!

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  16. Oh gosh, that is awful. Ciara,we are so sorry you are having all this trouble. Wish they could find some of that original medicine for you. We sure have our paws crossed for you. Sending some good thoughts too.

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  17. Mom's right, sweet Ciara ~ you deserve better. And I hope it comes to you soon. Hang in there dear girl.

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  18. From what I could find, Levocrine (0.5) is a lower dosage than Soloxine (0.8) I will consult Dad the pharmacist about this and let you know. Perhaps you could buy levothyroxine from the human pharmacy, probably for a lot less money. There is no shortage of that as far as we know.

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  19. Oh, we're so sorry to hear about the meds problem Ciara is having. How we wish we could help! Thyroid problem is a no joke as my human mom is having it so she knows right medication and right dosage of it are crucial. We hope you can find a good supplier of Soloxine or something equivalent to it soon. Hugs to you guys!

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  20. Well you deserve to rant! Poor Ciara has enough issues without the thyroid med one and I hope someone has some experience to shed some light on it for you. Often generic drugs for humans just don't work either - hopefully there's an EASY answer for Ciara.

    Sending POTP!
    Love, Sammy

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  21. Oh, that is terrible. We don't understand much about those kind of drugs, but the problems you all have been having is just not good. Fingers and paws crossed for a solution soon.

    Kiki and Nala

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  22. Ciara,, were so sorry you have to go through all of this!
    Its not right! Why cant drug companys really care.... care about you and others!! Changing things,, and stopping producing things,, that have helped,, is wrong!
    Your mom has a right to rant...
    We understand and want you to feel better.
    love
    tweedles

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  23. That's the very kind of thing that would make our mom's head explode! We hope something works out very soon!!!
    Cammie!

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  24. I hope you get her thyroid levels WNL soon. Boo.

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  25. Generics are a problem. Dad's seizure meds are generic and he has to have the exact same brand all the time. Recently, his health plan provider dropped the brand he was taking and he had to find a new one. With the help of a really great pharmacist (local and family owned) he found one that didn't make a big difference. Good luck finding the right combo for Ciara.

    The Florida Furkids

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  26. Poor Ciara, so unfair she can't get the medicine she needs and that worked best for her.

    If Tuiren continued to have seizures having her thyroid tested was the next step. Although our vet didn't think it was an issue based on her physical exam. Paws crossed so for so good for us.

    Purring and crossing paws that Ciara's thyroid gets stabilized.

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  27. Oh dawg! I'm sorry Ciara is having so much trouble. Angel Cinderella took Soloxine regularly, but we don't pay attention to it now and hadn't heard about the supply problem. I hope everything works out for Ciara real soon!

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  28. Oh my... what a frustrating series of events! I have to take oral thyroid meds, and I too am very sensitive to the brand, etc.

    Our Angel K had thyroid problems, specifically low thyroid. We tried the normal meds for a while but her T3 levels never came up to normal, even when her T4 levels were okay. We finally started using natural thyroid ("ArmourThyroid"), and that finally smoothed everything out for her. The difference is that synthetic thyroid meds do not contain T3 and rely on the body to convert T4 to T3. ArmourThyroid contains both.

    I thought I'd tell you that story just in case it can help at some point. It sounds as if Ciara's thyroid issues are probably different from K's.

    I am sending you POTP. It stinks that it takes so long for thyroid levels to stabilize so there's always this 4-6 week lag time. It can take forever to get it right. Hugs to all of you.

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  29. I'm sending an email. We're trying to help.

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  30. Is the drug the same for humans as for dogs. If it is the same you can look up on the Internet and see that it is available in both Canada and Mexico. I hope this helps

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  31. hello woos its dennis the vizsla dog hay i am verry sorry to heer that the preetend soloxine is not wurking as wel as the reel soloxine for ciara!!! my brother tucker wuz on soloxine for menny yeerz and i kan only imadjin wot wood hav happend if it had suddenly bekum unavaylabul wile he wuz stil with us!!! me and saya send ciara menny tail wags that her levels git fiksd soon!!! ok bye

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