I had bloodwork done on my dog because she had a sudden aggressive episode towards another dog about a month ago and we weren't sure exactly what caused it. She's seeing a behaviorist twice a month now which is starting to help her issues with anxiety and poor socialization. Her T4 test came back as 0.9. The vet said that normal levels are 1-4, but that she didn't seem like she was hypothyroid and it probably wasn't worth it to get the more expensive thyroid test (I think it was the full panel that was more expensive and he only did a SNAP T4?)
I trust my vet to let me know when something is really wrong, but I have also read information online suggesting that 0.9 might actually be too low for a four year-old large breed dog. She is still a bit overweight despite cutting her food back to 2-3 cups of kibble a day and 3/4 cups of treats (Zuke's, Natural Balance, cheese). It's pretty common for her not to finish her food. I have sometimes given her special treats in her Kong and on hiking trips though, so it's possible I am still overfeeding her. She was at a healthy weight at one point and gained a lot back within several weeks. She gets a 30 minute walk/jog in the morning, a short walk at lunch, and an hour long walk in the evening, plus weekend hiking trips.
Besides the weight, which could still be my fault for not counting calories, she seems low energy to me. When my other dogs were four, they still wanted to run around and play all the time. I remember them being ready to go for hours. I have to cajole Gypsy into playing and she only runs for short bursts before becoming tired. In the house, she sleeps pretty much all day. When I come home, we usually play catch or do tricks for 5-10 minutes and then she lies on her bed or follows me around until it's time to go out. She has good stamina for non-strenuous exercise. I would like to run with her more often, but my knees are hurting lately and I'm worried about injuring myself. She starts lagging behind after about 3/4 mile.
Any ideas if this is normal or not? Do GSDs typically have thyroid problems, or tend to have different "normal" levels than other dogs? How do you identify when energy level is just a dog's temperament and not indicative of some kind of health problem?
I trust my vet to let me know when something is really wrong, but I have also read information online suggesting that 0.9 might actually be too low for a four year-old large breed dog. She is still a bit overweight despite cutting her food back to 2-3 cups of kibble a day and 3/4 cups of treats (Zuke's, Natural Balance, cheese). It's pretty common for her not to finish her food. I have sometimes given her special treats in her Kong and on hiking trips though, so it's possible I am still overfeeding her. She was at a healthy weight at one point and gained a lot back within several weeks. She gets a 30 minute walk/jog in the morning, a short walk at lunch, and an hour long walk in the evening, plus weekend hiking trips.
Besides the weight, which could still be my fault for not counting calories, she seems low energy to me. When my other dogs were four, they still wanted to run around and play all the time. I remember them being ready to go for hours. I have to cajole Gypsy into playing and she only runs for short bursts before becoming tired. In the house, she sleeps pretty much all day. When I come home, we usually play catch or do tricks for 5-10 minutes and then she lies on her bed or follows me around until it's time to go out. She has good stamina for non-strenuous exercise. I would like to run with her more often, but my knees are hurting lately and I'm worried about injuring myself. She starts lagging behind after about 3/4 mile.
Any ideas if this is normal or not? Do GSDs typically have thyroid problems, or tend to have different "normal" levels than other dogs? How do you identify when energy level is just a dog's temperament and not indicative of some kind of health problem?
