lestat1978

In an ongoing effort to seem like a hypochondriac when it comes to Ivan's health, I'm going to have both panels of NutriScan completed. Ivan has been on Thyrozine for four months now and I haven't seen the coat and skin improvements I had hoped for.

Although it does appear as if the fur on his neck has improved, I just realized it's actually thinner on his shoulders. His ears, sides, back, and back legs have stayed the same.

In terms of scratching, licking, and biting it had gotten worse. Right now if I were to give his bum a good scratching oodles of fur and big brown flakes (relatively new) would result. He's had dander before, but it was always the little white, dry skin stuff.

I do wonder if he might have Seborrhea as a result of having been low thyroid as well, which I've read can happen.

I have an appt. tonight to follow-up on his broken toe, so hopefully we can make some progress with the above as well.

I know one other poster had the NutriScan tests done and didn't get any useful results (turned out to be thyroid), but I was wondering if anyone else had any experience with the test? Or has anecdotal information?

FYI - He's back on TOTW Pacific Stream as his primary food and is on a krill oil supplement.

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Canine Aided Emergency Search and Rescue (CAESAR)
http://www.caesarinc.org

Shelly

Please keep us posted. I am thinking of running the Nutriscan for my girl too, but both my regular vet & the veterinary dermatologist say it's not worth running..... That said, I have heard alot of rave reviews from people who have tried it.

lestat1978

I will certainly follow-up.

I was wavering between doing NutriScan and going straight to a dermatologist. Doing this might be a gamble, but the cost of the dermatologist could increase exponentially depending on what tests needed run based on what I read on their particular website. Guess I'll find out.

I looked online for reviews too. I saw a lot of people asking about NutriScan, but not a lot of follow-up from anyone who actually completed the test. I did see some positive reviews and a couple that said it didn't give them the answer they were looking for. (Did the test not do what it was supposed to or did it legitimately show they were going down the wrong path?)

I will say I have a positive opinion of Dr. Dodds because she's always been very quick to answer any questions I have - even four months after Ivan was diagnosed as hypothyroid and even in regards to unrelated questions.

Apparently there is currently a collaborative study going on in regards to environmental allergens which Ivan will be included in as long as I send along a sample.

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http://www.caesarinc.org

Amelia_

Sorry, never heard of it but wanted to ask how he was? How's his behaviour?

I've seen a big difference in Rupert, for the better

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lestat1978

In terms of behavior towards people Ivan's over the top reactions are gone. He can still be fearful of some people - especially on walks. If they ignore him he's fine. At SAR training and lure coursing, for ex., where he knows he's going to have fun, he's very friendly/outgoing even with new people. So we're not back to where he was as a puppy that was fearful of everyone, but we're not towards the other extreme anymore either where he fixates on people and can't settle.

I'm glad Rupert is doing well.

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http://www.caesarinc.org

lestat1978

Just so all the facts are available should someone look at this thread, we are changing Ivan's Thyrozine dose after all. Apparently he was being over medicated according to Hemopet, so we'll be trying a new lower dose and retesting.

I got Ivan's NutriScan results back. He came back as allergic to corn, which I suspected.

I have an e-mail in to Dr. Dodds to confirm if mixed tocopherols, which I believe is Vitamin E potentially derived from corn (among other sources), is something I need to avoid or if it would actually be okay. It's in a heck of a lot of foods and treats.

The next result actually surprised me a lot. Ivan had a reaction to salmon as well for both IgA and IgM. Ivan has primarily been fed salmon as he doesn't have gas or runny stool on it.

As a puppy he had issues with gas and diarrhea and I assumed it was due to high protein values in some of the foods tried - anything over 30% - and assumed the gas could be from the protein source.

Turkey, for ex., he had a weak reaction to. However, its value is awfully close to falling in the medium reaction category, which would mean it should be avoided. I don't know whether I should avoid foods close to having a medium result or not. Also asking Dr. Dodds that.

Any food recommendations? Right now I'm looking for beef, under 30%, and no mixed tocopherols.

Thanks!

__________________

Canine Aided Emergency Search and Rescue (CAESAR)
http://www.caesarinc.org