Posted By: Xfilefan
Commander Riker Update-Thyroid - 08/31/07 04:38 PM
K...here's Riker's prior thread:
http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/331914#Post331914
He has been on his thyroid hormones for a little over a month now...he started on 7/24/07.
Other than the dry ears, which are still an issue, the results have been amazing with him! First:
For those that don't know my Commander Riker:
He is 5 years old.
I got him at approximately 6 weeks OOP, from a gunshow, my first glider, and mill bred. He had a very hard start in life. He came to me with severe HLP, then Self Mutilated (cloacal SM). He was on me nearly 24/7 his first 6 months just to pull him through, then spent about a year and a half battling head/sinus infections. As a result, he will not accept a cagemate (and there have been numerous attempts). To him, I am his cagemate.
He has chronically overgroomed his head for over 3 years with no apparent cause. Although it started during the head infections, once that was cleared he still overgroomed, no matter how much attention was spent with him. He also has almost no appetite or energy level, yet was chunky. Plus he has chronically dry ears, all signs of a possible thyroid dysfunction.
He had a T4 thyroid panel run (blood test) - I know of no other glider that's had that done. The results were that his thyroid hormone was 'below detectable levels'...we don't know if a glider's thyroid hormone will even show up on the panel (as it hadn't been done on them).
We started thyroid hormone treatment with Thyroxine on 7/24. He has not weighed under 156 grams in over 3 years, and usually right around 160 (he's not that big).
Here's some before pics first. Next post will have a mid-month concern, and then will be the ones I took this morning and his current weight.
NOTE: this is not a thing to start lightly. Riker will be on these meds every day for the rest of his life. Riker is on a clinical trial of sorts-the first glider we know of to have undergone thyroid hormone treatment.
Before Pics:
http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/331914#Post331914
He has been on his thyroid hormones for a little over a month now...he started on 7/24/07.
Other than the dry ears, which are still an issue, the results have been amazing with him! First:
For those that don't know my Commander Riker:
He is 5 years old.
I got him at approximately 6 weeks OOP, from a gunshow, my first glider, and mill bred. He had a very hard start in life. He came to me with severe HLP, then Self Mutilated (cloacal SM). He was on me nearly 24/7 his first 6 months just to pull him through, then spent about a year and a half battling head/sinus infections. As a result, he will not accept a cagemate (and there have been numerous attempts). To him, I am his cagemate.
He has chronically overgroomed his head for over 3 years with no apparent cause. Although it started during the head infections, once that was cleared he still overgroomed, no matter how much attention was spent with him. He also has almost no appetite or energy level, yet was chunky. Plus he has chronically dry ears, all signs of a possible thyroid dysfunction.
He had a T4 thyroid panel run (blood test) - I know of no other glider that's had that done. The results were that his thyroid hormone was 'below detectable levels'...we don't know if a glider's thyroid hormone will even show up on the panel (as it hadn't been done on them).
We started thyroid hormone treatment with Thyroxine on 7/24. He has not weighed under 156 grams in over 3 years, and usually right around 160 (he's not that big).
Here's some before pics first. Next post will have a mid-month concern, and then will be the ones I took this morning and his current weight.
NOTE: this is not a thing to start lightly. Riker will be on these meds every day for the rest of his life. Riker is on a clinical trial of sorts-the first glider we know of to have undergone thyroid hormone treatment.
Before Pics: