Re: Fjords & Thyroid
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Amy K White) Valerie, TSH is used in veterinary medicine with small animals (dogs,cats,etc.) but not with horses yet. This may be due to cost, lack of research, or both. Herbivores can vary from carnivores in their endocrine and metabolism systems so it is not always easy to use the same data between the two. Work is being done on the subject by Dr. Nat Messer at the Univ. of Missouri Vet School and hopefully a more reliable test is in the near future. -Steve Steve and Amy White On Wed, 17 Jun 1998 16:08:15 -0500 Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: >This message is from: Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >With Valerie Galton's permission I am forwarding this message from her >to >Cynthia to the list. > >This message is originally from: Valerie A. Galton ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Hi > I am not a vet, but a scientist/teacher in a Medical School, and my >field >of investigation just happens to be thyroid. I am Ph.D., but two of >my >colleagues are MDs and see a lot of thyroid patients. I suspect that >your >statement is right on line, and it use to be the case also in humans; >probably still is outside the major Endocrine clinics. I do know >that >plasma T4 and or T3 levels are no longer considered useful >measurements for >determining thyroid status in humans. Plasma thyrotropin levels are >currently the diagnostic aid of choice, along with an astutely worded >history (do you feel cold all the time, do you wear more clothes than >you >colleagues etc etc). The latter is a bit hard with our beloved equine >friends. Have you any info regarding TSH levels in horses? ( I suppose >I >could look this up on medline). I had been wondering for some time >whether >this could be used as a diagnostic tool in a horse. Fortunately >overprescription of thyroid medication is perhaps one of the >situations >that is least likely to cause trouble, unless too much is given, since >exogenous T4 will simply suppress the animals own T4 secretion. >Nevertheless, as you imply it is likely to be unnecessary in many >instances. > My two fjords (one of whom can get lazy in summer) clearly are not >hypothyroid; they just hate the heat and seem totally unfazed by even >the >worst winter weather (-30 and windy!!) >regards >Val Galton >PS Any idea what the female/male ratio of thyroid disease is in >horses? >As you probably know thyroid diseases (all types) in humans are >primarily >diseases of women (A notable exception being George Bush) > > > _ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
Re: Fjords & Thyroid
This message is from: Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> With Valerie Galton's permission I am forwarding this message from her to Cynthia to the list. This message is originally from: Valerie A. Galton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Hi I am not a vet, but a scientist/teacher in a Medical School, and my field of investigation just happens to be thyroid. I am Ph.D., but two of my colleagues are MDs and see a lot of thyroid patients. I suspect that your statement is right on line, and it use to be the case also in humans; probably still is outside the major Endocrine clinics. I do know that plasma T4 and or T3 levels are no longer considered useful measurements for determining thyroid status in humans. Plasma thyrotropin levels are currently the diagnostic aid of choice, along with an astutely worded history (do you feel cold all the time, do you wear more clothes than you colleagues etc etc). The latter is a bit hard with our beloved equine friends. Have you any info regarding TSH levels in horses? ( I suppose I could look this up on medline). I had been wondering for some time whether this could be used as a diagnostic tool in a horse. Fortunately overprescription of thyroid medication is perhaps one of the situations that is least likely to cause trouble, unless too much is given, since exogenous T4 will simply suppress the animals own T4 secretion. Nevertheless, as you imply it is likely to be unnecessary in many instances. My two fjords (one of whom can get lazy in summer) clearly are not hypothyroid; they just hate the heat and seem totally unfazed by even the worst winter weather (-30 and windy!!) regards Val Galton PS Any idea what the female/male ratio of thyroid disease is in horses? As you probably know thyroid diseases (all types) in humans are primarily diseases of women (A notable exception being George Bush)
Re: Fjords & Thyroid
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Amy K White)
Hello,
I'll be happy to give my two cents worth here, and when I'm done
I think you will realize that I really mean two cents worth.
Equine hypothyroidism is probably one of the most over diagnosed
diseases of the horse. This is due to the lack of a definitive
diagnostic test for the condition.
The thyroid has its affect on many tissues and organs in the
body, therefore the symptoms can vary. Symptoms may include retarded
growth, increased sensitivity to cold, delayed coat shedding, a course
thickened appearance to the face, decreased feed consumption ( a fjord
with decreased feed consumption?! ), and weight gain. Some have proposed
that it may also be associated with infertility, hair loss, laminitis,
tying up, and anhidrosis (not sweating). Until a good diagnostic test is
developed these symptoms can't be confirmed.
The problem with the diagnosis is that we currently use the
circulating thyroid hormone levels in the blood as the measurement of
thyroid function. The problem with this is that these levels vary a lot.
They can vary from day to night and season to season within the same
horse. Other factors that affect levels include high protein or energy
diets, phenylbutazone ("bute"), steroid drugs, diets high in copper and
zinc, fasting, and stress. Also, the normal range for thyroid hormone is
based on a sampling of a variety of different horses. But levels may
vary breed to breed, so the normal range for fjords may naturally be
lower than for other horses.
The moral of this story is never make the diagnosis of
hypothyroidism based on one blood sample. Before testing, make note of
the medications your horse may have received recently. Take two samples
at different times of day or different times of the year. If you
consistently get low levels, combine that with any symptoms that the
horse may be showing, and a good health exam from your veterinarian to
make the diagnosis. Hopefully, we will soon have a better test as they
do in humans.
-Steve
Steve and Amy White
On Tue, 16 Jun 1998 09:16:48 -0500
Cynthia_Madden/OAA/UNO/[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>This message is from: Cynthia_Madden/OAA/UNO/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>I have a request of Steve White, our vet and on this list who has
>recently
>seen Tank. Could you comment on the thyroid question?
>
>Cynthia Madden, Coordinator
>Office of Sponsored Programs & Research
>University of Nebraska at Omaha
>EAB 202, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182-0210
>Phone: (402) 554-2286 FAX: (402) 554-3698
>E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>http://www.unomaha.edu/~wwwspr/osp.html
>
>
>
_
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