My dog is my mini me in every way possible. He’s hyper and bratty and talks entirely too
much. He’s itchy and wheezy and has
allergies and asthma. He's easily distracted and does not like to be woken from his naps. He’s a little on
the fluffy side and his fur dries in waves.
A few weeks ago I took him to the vet for a knee problem and had x-rays and blood work done. Hours later he was very ill and
couldn’t eat. I spoke with the vet the next morning and
she told me that a virus was going around. Days passed and Chase didn’t improve. While I was
out of town on business, the Englishman brought him back to the vet and he
needed fluids, antibiotics and a shot of anti-nausea medicine. This time, the blood work showed a thyroid
problem and he was promptly put on thyroid medicine. I joked with the Englishman that I should
take the medication, too since Chase and I had a history of the same medical issues. After weeks of worrying and an extra round of antibiotics, the worst seemed to
be over and Chase was back to his normal self with a twice daily new
routine: pop open his mouth, insert tiny
pill, close mouth and give him a kiss on the snout. It was a super quick routine and he didn’t
appear to mind.
I began to wonder about hypothyroidism
and searched the internet. I found a checklist of symptoms that sounded very
familiar. I wondered how that conversation
with my doctor would go:
Me: Can you please
run blood tests to check me for hypothyroidism?
Doctor: Why?
Me: Because my dog
was just diagnosed.
I thought about lying and telling the doctor it was in my
family. I had to schedule a visit for
severe allergies / cold / the crud and during the visit asked about a thyroid
test. The doctor asked me for a
reason. So, I bravely explained that I
was experiencing numerous symptoms but while they had my blood, they might as
well test for other things, too. Days
later I received a call from his nurse.
I had hypothyroidism and medication had been called in to my
pharmacy. Before hanging up the phone,
the nurse asked, “How did you know?” I
hesitated and then told her, “It was just a guess”. As I hung up, I thought, I would never share
the true story with anyone…except my vet.
