Download Soloxine FAQ`s When is the ideal time to blood sample a dog on

Soloxine FAQ’s
1) When is the ideal time to blood sample a dog on Soloxine when monitoring therapy?
We advise to monitor peak T4 values. These are reached 4-6hrs post pill. This is the ideal
time to blood sample the dog for monitoring.
Monitoring TSH can be of benefit as well and help to identify cases where compliance may be
an issue. TSH takes longer to alter following changes in serum T4. Elevated TSH levels 4-6hrs
post pill are a reliable indicator of an increased requirement for L-Thyroxine.
2) How quickly do clinical signs resolve once treatment has been initiated?
With adequate supplementation metabolic signs will usually improve within the 4 weeks. It
is expected that cutaneous signs may take around 3 months to resolve once adequate
plasma levels have been achieved.
When starting therapy, monitor serum levels approximately every 3 weeks until therapeutic
levels are reached. Monitoring is then advised every 6-12 months or as determined by the
dogs clinical condition.
3) The dog has started vomiting within 72 hours of initiating therapy – is this related to the
Soloxine?
This would be very unlikely. Levo-thyroxine is chemically identical to the naturally occurring
thyroid hormone. If the owner is administering the Soloxine without food then it may be
advisable to administer it with food. Be aware however that the absorption of Soloxine
(Levo-thyroxine) is reduced when administered with food.
If the dog continues to vomit then it may be a reaction to the excipients. A short course of
anti-emetics should be prescribed and treatment stopped if this does not result in cessation
of the clinical signs.
4) What is the ideal reference range for a dog on treatment?
Theraputic levels should be between 50-70nmol/l. It is imperative to always assess the dog’s
clinical condition when interpreting results.
5) I have heard that some vets use twice daily dosing with Soloxine – is this preferable to once
daily?
Once daily dosing has been demonstrated to give a higher, more stable blood level than
dividing the daily dose over the day. We would advise that the starting dose is therefore
always 0.022mg/kg once daily. If you have a reason to believe that the dog may be more
suited to twice daily dosing then please contact technical services to discuss the specific case
in more detail.
6) Should Soloxine be administered with or without food?
Soloxine is best given without food. Ideally food should be withheld for 2 hours before and
after administration. When administered with food the bioavailability can be affected by up
to 50%.