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  Discussion on Blood draws for Hypothyroidism
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Posted on Friday, Aug 18, 2000 - 11:00 am:

Is there an ideal time of day to draw blood to test for Hypothyroidism? I have 1 mare that has been of thryoid supplementation for about 10 yrs (have had to increase the amount-2x a day- at least yearly)and I have always drawn it before the morning feeding for consistency. What is the difference between T3 & T4-- different Vets order different tests? Thanks for your response

Posted on Friday, Aug 18, 2000 - 1:08 pm:

No not unless you are comparing past values to present values. It is known that neither accurately diagnose hypothyroidism: See the article for more information on the proper diagnosis. T3 and T4 are just different chemical forms of thyroid hormone. T3, which is derived from T4 (if I remember by biochem well enough) is considered the more active but T4 is what is usually supplemented.
DrO
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