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  Hypothyroidism
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  Leventa
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Caring for Your Dog

It is important to give LEVENTA™ oral solution for a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks to allow enough time for it to positively affect the metabolism before evaluating its effect. Most dogs begin to show improvement in their activity level within 2 - 7 days of starting thyroid hormone replacement therapy. It takes a longer period of time to see improvements in the skin and hair coat. In fact, the hair coat may actually appear to worsen initially as the old hair coat is shed before it can be replaced with a healthier hair coat. It may take several months for complete regrowth of the hair coat to occur. Healthy weight loss will likely be observed over the couple of months following initiation of therapy as exercise naturally increases and improvements in fat metabolism occur. During this time frame it is advisable to gradually increase the level of exercise to avoid fatigue or injury in your dog.

Periodic rechecks will be necessary to assess whether the dose of LEVENTA™ oral solution needs to be adjusted. A blood sample for analysis of T4 and TSH will be requested by your veterinarian at 4 weeks after starting LEVENTA™ oral solution. If the dose must be adjusted, follow-up blood sampling should occur 2 to 4 weeks after the adjustment. Once the dog is stabilized and the T4 is within acceptable limits, the dog should be re-evaluated every six months.

It is important to let your veterinarian know if your dog develops any new clinical signs while on LEVENTA™ oral solution treatment. New diseases may develop as a dog ages, so any change in health is an indication of the need for re-evaluation.

Although uncommon, it is possible for clinical signs to develop if a dog is receiving too much thyroid hormone replacement therapy. If a dog begins to show signs such as hyperactivity, panting, restlessness, weight loss in spite a voracious appetite, it is important to have your dog re-evaluated by your veterinarian.

The prognosis for dogs that develop hypothyroidism as a result of destruction of the thyroid gland is good once they are stabilized on thyroid hormonal replacement therapy. The life expectancy is the same as for those dogs with healthy thyroid glands.