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Diseases/Conditions > Thyroid

Thyroid
By Susan Beal, DVM, Shari Mann and Glen Dupree, DVM (as posted to the Wellpet list)

The following posts appeared on Wellpet about 2 years ago. This is a very lively and informative conversation between Shari Mann and Drs. Beal and Dupree on the role of homeopathy in thyroid dis-ease and genetics. It is *very* long, but very interesting.

Shari, Greetings,

Mercy, mercy I do declare / Half the fun of goin' is / A-gettin' there.

OK, let's add a bit more twists to this journey road we're on, and some different light to the trail,...

I'll try to respond to your notes pretty much as written.

Is it okay to keep giving the glandular supplementation to stimulate/help the thyroid pretty much indefinitely?

It has been my experience that this is not a real problem. If you listen to the body, and judge the reaction of the animal (and Vital Force), you may see that there may come a time when you can back off the thyroid glandulars.

This will also depend on what else you are using to return the balance and harmony to the system, as well as how damaged the thyroid is (as the homeopaths would say, the degree of pathology present in the case,....
This is cellular and tissue changes above and beyond functional changes, and as such may be felt by some to be relatively "less repairable".)

The glandulars that contain thyroxine free extract will not exert the negative feedback on the thyroid gland that the Soloxine appears to.

And what about breeding a bitch whose Vital Force is known to be out of balance in this way? Bad idea? Acceptable? Why?

Ah, here we really begin to waltz,... and perhaps with controversial steps, as well.

It seems to me that if you are taking steps to return the Vital Force to balance (for me, that's constitutional homeopathic prescribing, plus removal of the obstacles to cure), then these dogs need not necessarily
be relegated to the "never breed me" stack.

It's my opinion, that all things being equal, and sometimes if other things are not quite equal, that a bitch who has undergone/is undergoing successful constitutional homeopathic prescribing for conditions such as thyroid dysfunction (or skin lesions, or chronic otitis, or entropion, or developmental orthopedic dis-ease, or,....) will indeed make a better brood bitch potential than one who has had these conditions palliated or suppressed.

Ideally and optimally, we should breed truly healthy stock, but I feel those are a paucity in this day and age.

Think about some of the breeding stock we see, in which the bitches can't cycle without thyroid supplement or other hormonal intervention; whom we can't breed naturally because they either don't show heat, won't ovulate,
ovulate on some schedule unheard of in the canine (or equine or bovine, or,...) world; who refuse to stand for the male; who can't free whelp; and for whom a large litter is four pups, who then need to be hand-fed and supplemented because mom either doesn't have enough milk, is too tired from the C-section, or wants to eat her babies,....

You've really struck a chord here with me,.....

If these dogs were a bit more in the wild, perhaps they would be selected against,..... I'm not suggesting to ignore a bitch in distress, or never to AI, or to let the puppies starve, but we do need to examine the selection of our breeding stock at greater depth. The same holds true in other species.

Reproductive efficiency and normalcy is one of the first things to go in a state of imbalance, because it is relatively dispensable in the overall scheme, and because it is indicative of deepening dis-ease,....

I think the next best option is to breed a dog who has had serious attempts to correct the imbalances of the Vital Force - this is the only manner in which we will be able to strengthen the future generations and ensure survival of not only the breed, but of the species.

It's going to take some big efforts and some hard choices to do this. It can be done, but only if the breeders truly understand the true meaning of health and wellness, and understand how to achieve this, and have the desire and dedication to achieve this.

I stood in a barn yesterday and watched the third generation of homeopathically treated calves - what a bright, healthy, vibrant bunch they are !!! If you count everyone, there were actually four generations chewing their cud as we visited and fine-tuned remedy choices.

Their grandmoms were like the dogs we talked about a paragraph or so ago - dis-eased, and treated - who subsequently went on to not only enjoy a better level of health and wellness, but who produced some fine
calves, who then had their imbalances treated homeopathically.

These grandmoms are now on their second and third calves, and their daughters pregnant with/calving their first and second calves, and the whole bunch is showing easier breeding (no callbacks for the AI technician), easy calvings (and we are talking big beef breeds here), lots of milk, good mamas, not mastitis or retained placentas, and good healthy vital babies. It's wonderful !!

Now, don't get me all wrong here. I still pay attention to genetics and line and type, and those things I am really hunting for in a dog/horse/cattle-beast, but it's a bigger story than that. And, given a choice, I'd breed to the healthier, less palliated/suppressed dog/animal, ideally to one who had had some constitutional prescribing.

I'm not sure how this will all translate into our responsibility as stewards and caretakers for the animals. We have many responsibilities as breeders, not the least of which is ensuring the survival of strong, healthy stock who carry on the characteristics chosen/desired in their individual breed.

I am also convinced we need to return, certainly in our livestock breeds, and perhaps even in our companion animal breeds, to those breeds who fill regional needs, who manage with minimal intervention, and who have a job or function.

I wouldn't be crazed about your personal inherited level of health - all that goes before us makes us what we are today, and that can be a very positive thing.

Sometimes situations in the familial past can help lead us to a remedy - patterns of behaviour, patterns of dis-ease, similarities in patterns, all that stuff,....(Often the remedy choices in the children lead us backwards to choices for the parents, too,...)

Ultimately, we are left with a situation in which we do the best job with the information we have available to us, and take the case as best we can, and judge what to do next by the reaction of the Vital Force.

My only advice as you obsess on the vital health of your parental generation is that which I use regularly - Breathe and be,.... You likely have far more armour than you might imagine, and a Vital Force that probably has been resilient enough to create symptoms and buffer itself from deeper dis-ease.

That's enough fire on the path for the moment. I'll let this filter and marinade, and continue on this ramble a bit later. I'm sure the compost has been stirred! I, for one, like the worms I'm seeing !!

Regards,
Susan Beal DVM

Shari, Greetings,

I'm here, listening to fine music, and trying to get caught up with the mail,...

Ready for the next round on thyroid and genetics ? - here we go ! I'll try and address your questions in some order, and I'll try not to get off on any tangents,.... Well, not too many,...

This will also depend on what else you are using to return the balance and harmony to the system.

What should I be doing here? Aside from a good, natural diet; lack of symptom suppression,use of insecticides, and so forth. Any particular diet recommendations for low thyroid?

It seems to me that there are a couple of categories of thyroid dysfunction that I see clinically. In some cases proving fresh and raw foods, and removing obstacles such as some medications (monthly heartworm meds in some cases, any and all drop on/feed through flea control products spring quickly to mind here) is all the system needs to rebalance.

In other cases, the dis-ease is deeper, and the case needs to be treated in a deeper manner. And, I'm a homeopath at heart, so,.... my preferred method is to take the case, and provide the appropriate remedy, and stand back and wait and watch.

The only way science says we can ascertain structural damage is via histopathology - break and enter, biopsy or necropsy,.... The thyroid function panels (the full ones - with the autoantibodies and all that stuff, not the simple T3/T4 tests) are the next best scientific assessment of function.

There are other ways too, but I know I would be on a tangent then. For instance, some methods of applied kinesiology testing done by competent folk can give you answers. I also believe that we can listen and watch the body - I think all the testing gives us "old news" sometimes, and what the body is doing now may not be reflected in the test.

Enough of that, 'cause I could really start to roll here,...

I've recently begun to ruminate about the potential effects of chronic chiropractic conditions on thyroid function. I feel that chiropractic adjustments affect the nervous system, and if we are not in full and proper motion, we have altered input (and output) from the nervous system.

We know that we can effect organ function through the use of chiropractic care - bedwetting in children, colic, chronic diarrhea/constipation, asthma, otitis, the list goes on. These are documented cases from the human literature. The veterinary literature is lagging (mostly because we hate to write case reports !!), but every animal chiropractor I talk to can tell similar tales.

Anyhow, I've really been thinking a great deal lately about optimizing function of the body, and removing obstacles, and it seems to me that chronic lack of motion in the vertebrae, especially the cervical and upper thoracic areas, as well as the cranial bones and C1 on base of occiput can influence thyroid function, because of the influence on the nervous input to the gland,....

(I suppose lack of proper motion of joints can be "lumped in there" with obstacles to cure,...., but I find it to be of serious import.)

With regards to selection of brood bitches, we spoke about using bitches who had received constitutional treatment, and you asked,

But what if part of my treatment has been palliation or suppression? What if the bitch I would like to breed has been caught in the middle of my personal learning curve?

Ideally, as we begin to understand how to properly assess the action of remedies and the laws of cure, you will see fewer cases of suppression and palliation, and/or will learn to recognize them for what they are, and see the need for another remedy or course of action.

You'll see that your "seeing" will become clearer, and you will be almost dogmatic in your assessment of reactions and treatments (homeopathic or otherwise) - are they curative ?? Is the system really healthier or has a symptom been eliminated/shifted ??

It'll be part of your thought pattern, in the same manner in which you assess a dog when you walk into the room has become an integral part of you - breed, sex, condition, temperament, way of going, potential for trouble,...

At this point in your learning curve (spiral ??), you have to consciously think about those things, because many of the old patterns and behaviours are ingrained, and must be changed if you are to function in this new mind thought.

So we stop, think about what our old response would have been (In the past, I treated skin infections with,...), think about what the results of that were (palliation usually - thank the heavens for a strong Vital Force !! Perhaps suppression, a deepening of symptoms and dis-ease,....), and decide on what to do in the new paradigm (maybe we should change kitty's diet, get rid of the clumping litter, stop vaccinating, and see what she looks like in four to six weeks, then we can do an intake,.....).

And it goes like that - it seems like baby steps at first, because it is all we are able to handle. After you learn the dance, you don't even realize you are moving to the music,.... It's a part of you, in your gut and soul and pattern of being,....

And so, you'll ultimately recognize the bitch for what she is, and where she is, and do the very best you can with the information you've got. And maybe a palliated homeopathy case is better than a suppressed case,... We do the best we can with what is presented to us.

Maybe I'm naive, but I do believe there are good breeders out there, attempting to do just as you suggest.

Hey, I know I'm naive, but I believe the same thing. I also see it in my daily contact with breeders, both companion animal and livestock. That's what gives me hope for the future,.... Remember the herd of increasingly healthy cattle ??

I sure agree with your ideas about giving dogs (and other critters) jobs. They need to feel useful and important, and have a purpose, even if it is just to keep the couch warm until I get home. It's ideal if you can match the job to the breed, and certainly you need to respect the breed because that will tell you how big a job they need, how seriously they will take this obligation, and how easily distracted they may become.

I just don't like being told I'm doomed to ill health because my parents were unconcerned with theirs. I don't believe it, and it makes it difficult to accept the overall premises of homeopathy.

I don't think that predetermination is part of homeopathy.

The beauty of the body and the Vital Force is its constant ability to change and respond - and homeopathy is a means of catalyzing those changes.

Parental health can often provide clues to case management, and to a remedy selection. It can indicate, for instance, that the patient may be dealing with a suppressed skin eruption, or a vaccinosis, or,.... and that will give the homeopath somewhere to start. It help identify the miasm, the basis for the dis-ease, the specific chink in the armour, so to speak,....

It may give us some indication of how likely we are to have the patient return to "crystal health" - where the optimal level of health is for that individual. Maybe that individual, when their health cup is full to overflowing, only has a cup that holds 90% of "crystal health",... This is not solely predicated on parental health, but is influence by the patient too - choices, and reactivity, obstacles to cure, those things you know.

(The traditional Chinese Medicine folks speak of different types of chi - it's sort of like that a bit here,....)

I also feel that with thoughtful homeopathic prescribing, and recognition and removal/buffering of the obstacles to cure, it is possible to supercede the level of health of the parental generation.

There, enough compost turned ??

I enjoy watching you turn this all over and around. You are doing some serious work here, and it's delightful - broad and bright !!

I await the next installment,...

Regards,
Susan Beal DVM

Shari - I couldn't let Dr Beal have all the fun so.....

Is it okay to keep giving the glandular supplementation to stimulate / help the thyroid pretty much indefinitely?

If your aim is to cure and there is adequate vital force, active tissue and correct remedy given, you will not need to continue indefinitely - only until the gland can function on its own adequately. If there is not enough active tissue or if the vital force is not capable of effecting cure, and if the glandulars are working sufficiently well, then it is much better to palliated the situations with glandulars than with synthetic, single purpose substitutes. If the glandulars are not sufficient with the amount of thyroid tissue present to give adequate levels of thyroid hormone, then consider a synthetic.

Does such supplementation ever do "harm" in the sense that the Soloxine makes a lazy (nonfunctional) thyroid?

Glandulars allow/stimulate normal function of the tissue rather than suppressing it through the feed back systems of the body.

And what about breeding a bitch whose Vital Force is known to be out of balance in this way? Bad idea? Acceptable? Why?

Depends on your agenda. If you are interested in producing the best pups possible and striving to improve the breed in general, the best approach is to cure the parents as much as possible before breeding. The idea is to breed the best and healthiest to the best and healthiest for the long term betterment of the breed/species. If you are a puppy-miller (this is a theoretical question) and are only interested in a product to sell, then why bother worrying about it (and why would you be on this list any way with an attitude like that)?

Since the condition of the parent's vital force is transmitted to offspring at the point of conception, it is always better for the pups to have the parents as healthy as possible prior to breeding. Remember that the unbalanced vital force may not be manifest in the same fashion in the pups as in the parents.

If the parent's problem seems minor (on the surface at least) and you decide to breed anyway knowing this problem exists (and therefore there is an unbalanced aspect of the vital force), this imbalance will be transferred and may manifest as something more serious in the pup as more stresses and unbalancing influences are added.

Breeders of animals are concerned with genes and DNA, specifically regarding health conditions and disease. You are saying the level of health of the parents at the moment of conception is inherited as well. Am I correct in seeing this as an additional factor to be concerned with?

Is it correct that the homeopath just as concerned with genetics and DNA as is the more traditional medical practitioner?

These questions get back to the question of where or when disease originates - with the pathogen, with the stress, with the DNA or with the vital force.

To my thinking genetics and DNA are more bound to the physical and conformational and should be respected from these aspects. The vital force is more bound to the health and vitality of the organism and should be respected from these aspects. Inherited disease is there because of the inherited unbalanced vital force. Inherited physical characteristics are there because of the inherited DNA.

In a situation of multiple births (such as a litter), do all littermates start out with an identical level of health?

Yes, independent of individual stresses related to the birthing process. However the manifestation of the level of health may be totally different in each pup, as the expression of the vital force is a unique, individual characteristic of the pup. One may manifest the chronic dis-ease as temperament problems, one as skin or ear problems, one as a recipient of GI problems, etc.

Isn't it difficult to know with certainty what the level of health is? How do you balance between optimism (this animal is in perfect health at the moment) and caution (something's bound to be wrong)? Surely a problem can surface later that hindsight will reveal was operant upon the Vital Force at the time of conception.

This is where the knowledge and the skills of observation of the caregiver play such a big role. When we expand our definition of health beyond the common allopathic definition (just because the individual is not showing signs of pathology does not mean there is an overall healthiness and well being in this pet) and observe the subtle signs (waxy ears are not normal, bad teeth and gums are not normal, fears of loud noises are not normal, allergies and hypothyroid are not normal, etc.), we become much better at evaluating the true situation and will not be caught off guard as often.

I can see a how a person of conscience might say "it was okay to breed Suzie-Q, because her problem of [hypothyroid / PRA / hip displasia / heart problems] was not in evidence; her Vital Force was in balance at the time of conception. Is a breeder held to different standards for problems which have resolved, as opposed to problems which surface later?

If the problems have been cured (balance restored) then they will not affect the offspring. Problems that arise after breeding will not affect the offspring. Only the state of the vital force at that point in time is of concern. Again however we need to expand our definition to include more than the gross physical manifestation of disease and learn to acknowledge the subtle signs.

I must say I hate the idea of having inherited the level of health of both of my parents at the moment of my own conception. They were not careful folk! It's all "chinks" and no "armor" I am afraid, if indeed I am to accept this rather unpleasant form of predetermination. Is there a palliative you could toss this way to ease gloomy, doomy thoughts?

At least you know who to blame. There does that make you feel better?

On another list I read of a stud being used who had recently been diagnosed with osteosarcoma. What is the homeopathic view of the resulting effect on the litter?

Cancer, allergies, hip dysplasia, bad ears, food sensitivities, are all outward physical manifestations of the unbalanced vital force. Gross end stage pathology like cancer usually shows a vital force that has given up or has been exhausted by the chronic dis-ease and the suppressions arising from chronic treatment. Judge for yourself what this individual is passing on.

Thanks for letting me participate in the mental aerobics.

Glen Dupree, DVM

Hello, Susan

Let's go on with the homeopathic view thyroid dis-ease and genetics. I hope everyone else is having as much fun as we are!

If I'm making mistakes in understanding, please correct them. It's fun when you expand, and of course the tangents merely provide more grist for my mill (and you know how it grinds, too).

Based on your statement, I assume that in some cases hypothyroid can be resolved by removing the obstacles to cure:

In some cases proving fresh and raw foods, and removing obstacles such as some medications (monthly heartworm meds in some cases, any and all drop on/feed through flea control products spring quickly to mind here) is all the system needs to rebalance.

Would you recommend breeding a bitch (or dog) whose thyroid problem had resolved in this fashion?

Without any formal testing?

I also believe that we can listen and watch the body - I think all the testing gives us "old news" sometimes, and what the body is doing now may not be reflected in the test.

Or would you recommend testing such as a thyroid function panel as performed by MSU or Hemopet (Jean Dodds)?

Would you consider other methods of ascertaining thyroid function adequate for determining suitability for breeding?(And tangents are fun.)

There are other ways too, but I know I would be on a tangent then. For instance, some methods of applied kinesiology testing done by competent folk can give you answers.

Let us suppose that thyroid malfunction did not resolve by removing obstacles to cure, but that a homeopathic practitioner resolved the case.

Would you recommend breeding the cured bitch (or dog)? Test thyroid function, employing a thyroid panel or other methods?

Are you saying that the homeopathic resolution removes all genetic components to dis-ease, that because of the return to health of the Vital Force in the parent, it is perfectly okay, in general to breed a cured animal?

Do these homeopathic principles apply to diseases other than thyroid also with a genetic component? Things like cardiomyopathy, nephrology problems, entropion, hip dysplasia?

Does the true homeopath find genetic testing unnecessary?

For myself (not a breeder), this is fine, as far as it goes. And we agree that many are attempting to do just that (we're not really naive, at least not on this point). But doesn't the nature of the imbalance in the Vital Force need to be taken into account? If that imbalance could be considered to have a genetic component, should it not be tested for? If the animals involved could pass on the disease, why breed from them? There are others to choose from, those who test "clear."

I've known breeders who believe in homeopathy who yet do genetic testing, who would find it unconscionable to breed an animal with renal problems, heart problems, dysplasia, luxating patella; that sort of thing.

I've known breeders who believe in homeopathy who say that genetic testing is entirely unnecessary, that it is contrary to homeopathic belief, that a balanced Vital Force can not pass along imbalance.

I'm quite sure I'd never have the confidence to assume that I knew enough to state with finality that the Vital Force had no serious weakness. I would hedge every bet. Flying on your own is one thing; in conscience one must exercise a bit of caution when responsible for other souls.

What say you? You getting tired of my circular spiral learning curve (not to mention the circuitous thought pattern)? Hope your flashlight battery is well charged. The path may be there, but it remains to be seen.

Any homeopathically inclined breeders care to comment? (A wise student employs many teachers.)

And as to questions, you know; please everyone else join in the asking. Don't leave all the fun to me!

Shari Mann

Shari et al, Greetings again,

Here we go with the next installment of meanderings and my thoughts.

>>In some cases proving fresh and raw foods, and removing obstacles such
>>as some medications (monthly heartworm meds in some cases, any and all
>>drop on/feed through flea control products spring quickly to mind
>>here) is all the system needs to rebalance.

>Would you recommend breeding a bitch (or dog) whose thyroid problem
>had resolved in this fashion?

Nothing in stone here, but I would consider this dog to have a higher level of vital health than an animal who had the obstacles removed and did not have the thyroid return to normal balance. By this I mean to say the Vital Force of this animal seems stronger and more resilient than a dog who is unable to return to a more balanced physiology via removal of obstacles.

I also think it's important to recognize that the example dog isn't "truly healthy" as our expanding and increasing definition of true health is concerned. He is, however, relatively more healthy (less dis-eased) insofar as his body was able to achieve some balance once the obstacles were removed.

So, I would consider breeding this dog. I would also suspect that this dog would have some symptom or history (even if symptom free at the moment (resting, suppressed, palliated,.....)) that would lead one to the appropriate homeopathic remedy.

And, in answer to the question I hear in your gears - yes, I would breed the dog who has shown improvement (cure, or moving toward cure) through careful homeopathic prescribing. Her Vital Force is healthier, and this will be reflected in the subsequent generations.

The question of formal testing is an interesting one. As the scientist and veterinarian who must interact with others in the field, as well as one who is responsible in some way for "validating" homeopathy and other traditional healing arts to the general and professional public, I fully realize the need for "hard data".

I also recognize the body and lab results are not always synchronized, and there is a lag, both in the development of dis-ease sufficient to cause changes in blood parameters, and the rebalancing of the body sufficient to foster a new equilibrium and restore blood values.

Trouble is, no one knows how long the lag is,.....

I try not to dispense on lab results, but instead study the entire animal, and judge from there.

For instance, I see hyperthyroid cats, who clinically are doing well, and who, from a homeopathic perspective are moving toward cure, but who still have thyroid parameters way up there.

I don't change just on that - the body takes time to re-establish equilibrium, and those thyroid values may be among the last things to "catch up".

>Would you consider other methods of ascertaining thyroid function
>adequate for determining suitability for breeding? (And tangents are
>fun.)

Yep, depending on the individual, and the circumstances,......

Now, we're speaking of an animal who has undergone/is undergoing successful homeopathic prescribing,....

>Would you recommend breeding the cured bitch (or dog)? Test thyroid
>function, employing a thyroid panel or other methods?

First, recognize we are not treating thyroid problems. We are treating a dog who has, as part of the symptoms of imbalance of the Vital Force, manifest with the symptom of thyroid insufficiency.

This is an important distinction here - we've talked on and on about this, but we need to remind ourselves that we are treating the dog, not the diagnosis. This is important.

If we make the diagnosis more important than the individual, we are doomed to failure.

That aside, yes, if that dog showed an returned to wellness, and a true freedom from dis-ease, (and was one who was a true and honest representation of the breed), I would put that dog in the breeding program.

>Are you saying that the homeopathic resolution removes all genetic
>components to dis-ease, that because of the return to health of the
>Vital Force in the parent, it is perfectly okay, in general to breed a
>cured animal?

>Do these homeopathic principles apply to diseases other than thyroid
>also with a genetic component? Things like cardiomyopathy, nephrology
>problems, entropion, hip displasia?

Ah, now you're really asking for the hard stuff here,....

What I am saying is that transfer of traits is bigger than the protein on the DNA,.... I believe there is a certain level of energetic transfer between the generations also, and that you can influence the expression of the genome in many ways,....

I feel that many of these "inherited problems" are not initially fixed in the genome, but are chronic dis-ease, untreated or suppressed and passed through the generations. After a time, it becomes integrated in the stock more solidly, much as the true homeopathic miasms are integrated into the Vital Force.

(Maybe we need to talk about miasms,..... Briefly, miasms are the broad categories of dis-ease in a homeopathic perspective. They are integrated into the Vital Force, and "predispose it" per se to manifestation of certain types of dis-ease and symptom pictures.

Determining the type/category of miasm involved in the symptom picture helps with the remedy selection. Additionally, knowing what category the remedy falls into as far as which of the miasms it deals with, helps with remedy selection, as well as in determining if it is likely the case will need another remedy later in the sequence to complete the cure.

Anyhow, homeopaths feel these miasms are passed generationally, and can be integrated into the genome,.... As we speak, the veterinary homeopaths are beginning to feel there are new and different miasms in animals that are not present in humans. We are beginning to feel that there are dis-eases so firmly established in the animal population that they have become a permanent fixture,... The Rabies miasm is one of these,....

Enough on miasms for the moment,.....)

Dr Dupree wrote a really fine post a month or so ago, in which he, much more eloquently than I, explained this energetic component of heredity. I read it, and thought "That's what I was trying to say,...".

Basically, it's bigger than simple genes and genetics. There is an energy, a suggestibility, and an expectation to this as well. As such, I believe that it is possible to improve the health of subsequent generations, and eliminate/reduce/modify what have hitherto been considered "genetic" or "inherited" conditions.

>I've known breeders who believe in homeopathy who yet do genetic
>testing, who would find it unconscionable to breed an animal with renal
>problems, heart problems, dysplasia, luxating patella; that sort of
>thing.

>I've known breeders who believe in homeopathy who say that genetic
>testing is entirely unnecessary, that it is contrary to homeopathic
>belief, that a balanced Vital Force can not pass along imbalance.

Again, no right answer here,.....
My gut feeling somedays is that we look and look and look at the test results and forget to look at the animal,....

And part of this is redefining things and scenarios. Many situations which have been thought of as incurable, or surgical cases, or,... can now be viewed differently (recall the entropion discussion of months past,...). This also gives us a huge potential as far as restoration of health and wellness is concerned.

That has most certainly been my experience as I continue to explore the healing arts - We need to redefine the rules and perceptions, because those of the past do not hold in this new paradigm,..... It's really amazing, when you think about it. We are making a new model, and cannot limit ourselves with the "old" rules and plans,....

Back to you. My torch is still fueled, but it seems this part of the path is quite bright at the moment,....

Regards,
Susan Beal DVM

Some more links to Thyroid information:

Hillary Gorman's website & class notes
(http://www.hillary.net)
Veterinary Medical Info-Dogs and Cats by Katherine James
(http://www.suite101.com/articles/article.cfm/3005)

Canine Hypothyroidism: Diagnosis and Treatment
Hypothyroidism
(http://www.thyroid.org/patient/brochur5.htm)
Canine Health
(http://members.tripod.com/~afis/hometest.html)