Hi Dori,
I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that your vet “doesn’t even know the correct way to administer this medication”. If Dr. Dodds recommends to give the meds one hour before or three hours after a meal to avoid interference with food an assumption is being made that the stomach is indeed empty/near empty at those times. Is that assumption valid? I don’t see that it is as stomach emptying in the dog and cat can be very prolonged, well over 12 hours.
The drug label reads “Soloxine tablets may be administered orally or placed in the food.” I think this idea of giving replacement on an empty stomach is more of a human thing and may not be all that clinically relevant to the dog.
Certainly if the dog doesn’t seem to be absorbing the meds well, based T4 levels measured after taking the pill, it is reasonable to try giving the meds after a 12 hour fast and seeing if that makes a difference.
TSH measurement isn’t used much in dogs for monitoring treatment. I don’t think the test is as accurate/valid as it is in people. I don’t think there is any real value in running it.
