Quick Questions
 

I have a couple of questions actually.

First, when we brought Nya into rescue we were told she was 8, now she is either an extremely old 8 or she is more like 11 or 12, is there any way we can tell her true age? Not taht it matters but it would be nice to know. I think the guy who surrendered her lied about her age so that he could be sure rescue would take her. We have noticed that a lot of the things she does, there is just no way she is 8. Even my vet and all the girls at my vet office do not believe she is only 8.

Also, I had both girls thyroid tested as Nya is screaming thyroid issues, she has very sparse hair, not real active (which could also be age) and her tummy is turning black. Pixie has been on thyroid meds for a year and on the same dosage which she was doing great on. Nopw 3 weeks ago I had both girls testd and Nya's came back normal and Pixies showed she needed an adjustment so we upped her meds. Now I have been convinced that someone be it the vet office or the lab has mixed up the results. Since Nya is showing signs of thyroid issues and Pixie has been perfect on her previous dosage and then to all of a sudden need an increase after a year does not sit well with me. I have called the vets office to enquire and all they can tell me is yes it COULD have happened. I am having Pixie re tested on Saturday as I want her kidney and liver values as well as we are suspecting she is having some kidney issues. I told my vet taht if her test came back the same then I would pay for the test if it came back different then I do not think I should have to pay for the re test since it was obviously mixed up with Nya's, is what I am suggesting fair? I really need to find out because if Nya needs the meds then I need to start giving them to her and if Pixie was fine then I am overdosing her on thyroid meds!!

Does any of you know of any other reason Nya's belly is turning black? It is not itchya nd does not cause her dicomfort. But it has gotten worse since her spay.

Also is there any way to tell how old she might really be, even just an estimate. For some reason i want to say she is around 12ish. My Boy was 10 1/2 when I lost hima nd he did not act near as old as Miss Nya and Pixie is coming up on 10 and she sure does not act as old as Nya.

Like I said we do not care how old she is, we love her and will give her a great life until she leaves us, but we are curious.

Callie has a dark blackish spot that is sorta big on her tummy and I have had the vet look at it and she checked it out pretty good and said it was nothing to worry about. I hope everything works out with your two.

The black skin could also be a yeast infection or allergies.
My Lizzie has black skin on her belly due to allergies of the grass.

Also when you take them in for the blood work is it possible to take them on different day's? If you say it's possible there was a mix up. It is also possible after many years to have to have the medications re-adjusted.

All I know is that vets have usually depended on the dog's teeth to estimate the age of animals. If there is another way I do not know it.
If your Nya lived a life that perhaps was not giving her all she needed to be healthy and happy her body may have aged prematurely or she may be a more sedate type of personality.
I don't know about paying for the blood test. It seems that if the dog has remained on the original dose of medication and it comes back normal that there would have been a mistake. In that case you should not have to pay for the error. I guess it's up to the vet to admit the error though. Labs do make mistakes especially when labeling things.
Have you considered giving Nya a skin and coat supplement to help her with her issues? Some dogs are just deficient in what is needed to produce a good coat. I have used Mirra-Coat in the past with wonderful results.