Smooth As Ice -again

Smooth As Ice is Loki's AKC registered name. Her coat as a young pup was so silky smooth and soft she felt like a rare and expensive plush toy.

Over the past year we've seen her coat go all to hell. Her thyroid has been out of whack. Blood tests all showed her levels to be within 'normal' although low normal. But her coat and behavior suggested she was not feeling her Basenji best. At it's worst, instead of an expensive plush toy she looked like a bargain basement toy that had been left out in the rain for months on end then run over by rush hour traffic.

Some research on our end suggested that some hounds, in the specific article I read it referenced Greyhounds, normal thyroid levels are often higher than the 'average' non-hound dog. Meaning even though the blood tests show low normal, that is 'too low' for a hound. More research on Basenjis and thyroid levels corroborated what we reading in reference to Greyhounds and other hound dogs.

Our vet also did some research and consulted with an endocrinologist specializing in thyroid issues in dogs. We all agreed to start Loki out on a very small dose of levothyroxine. Initially it worked. Her coat came back and so did her energy. That was about 3 months ago.

It seems as though her body developed a tolerance for the drug. Retesting her blood revealed that her levels were better than before initial use of the Levo but her coat was falling out at an alarming rate. About 3 weeks ago we upped the dosage slightly and --WOW! She is Smooth As Ice again.

I'm sure we'll be doing this little dance of adjusting her meds the rest of her life. I am just so thankful that at least right now this is the only health issue she has. Dealing with Titan's Fanconi drugs and later seizures was nightmarish. One of those experiences that you just hunker down and do and don't think about until after it's over. Then you wonder how anyone manages to do so much with so little let alone how you manged yourself.

Keeping fingers crossed and knocking wood that this little hellion of Basenji is around and healthy for many, many years to come.