Picture of my doggie!

Thought I'd post a picture of one of my dogs, Houson. Houston is a boxer/lab mix, is almost 4 years old and is 115 - 120 pounds (he has health issues so his weight goes up and down between that). My other dog is 2 years old and is a beagle/daschund mix named Frank. They are best friends, are upset if they are separated.
Anyway, here he is. Lazy boy was too lazy to lay down completely :P

Gotta love the colors!

The colors on his face make him look part mountain cur... Very handsome altho I'm missing the picture of the beagle doxie... or didnt you post one of Frank? If I may ask what's his health issues?

Thanks Kodie!

Kermit - Thanks! He does look like a mountain cur! His mom was a choc. lab and his dad was a boxer mixed with something else but we don't know what. Maybe its a mountain cur. I don't have any good pictures of Frank (he likes to show his manly parts everytime I try to take a picture -_-") but I will keep trying and post one for you guys!
We aren't entirely sure what Houston's medical problems are yet. We think it may be his thyroid, but we are still waiting to find out. He goes through these phases where he can't eat anything for days without throwing up. Then, he'll be fine for a good two months or more, and then it will repeat. Its very strange. We took him to the vet, and his thyroid levels were either very high or very low (I can't remember). When they checked it a second time, it was normal. For know the vets want us to keep an eye on his eating habits, energy levels and any changes in his behaviour. He also has a high anxiety level, freaking out very small things (he's afraid of the clicking a binder makes when you close it, for example) but he's on medications (as needed) to help with that, and he's a much calmer dog now.

Thyroid would be consistant and you would be able to detect hypothyroid in a dogh with a simple T3 T4 test. If it has come back inconsistant Id have teh vet check for cushings disease... it presents very similar and is very likely the cause. Creatinin is produced thru exercise and that is the main problem with cushings if it is waxing and waining thyroid levels it could be because of testing on a more active or less avtive day. Btw dogs can only go hypothyroid (low) and cats can only go hyperthyroid (high). I just lost a dog last month that had thyroid disorder and see it quite often in my profession. It has also been known to contribute to unprovoked aggression... the anxiety your dog is showing... what meds did the vet put him on? I hope not clomical... there are some serious neuroligcal disorders that can come from that drug... I always suggest lexapro as it is specifically geared for panic and anxiety and can be used on an as needed basis unlike other psychotropic drugs which need daily use to build up in the system to maintain theraputic levels. I'd also be looking at his food... what do you feed him (his kibble) that could be contributing to the issue, or like my 5 pound toy fox terrier he could be a victim of acute gastric distress... please google it... it's like bloat for small dogs.

Sounds like "Huston, we have a problem"... sorry had to get a bad apollo 13 joke in there

Thank you Kermit for the advice. I googled Cushings, and it does sound similar to what Houston has. I will tell my mom about it, and will get him tested for it when he goes back for his thyroid testing which should be in a few weeks.
The vets put him on alprazoram, which is as-needed medication. It really helps him calm down.
We feed him Purina Pro Plan. I don't think its acute gastric distress, because he had a lot of x-rays done recently, and that would show in x-rays wouldn't it?

LOL! We ALWAYS say that! Whenever he's been naughty, or even if we just have a problem and we are talking to him, we say it! :P Its one of the perks of him being named Houston

Awww so cute I love dogs!
I hope you get everything sorted with his health soon Please keep us posted on what the vets say

No acute gastric distress wouldn't show up on an xray unless he was habving an episode of it when they xrayed. It's like bloat where the GI fills up with gasses abd literally bloates,... also referred to as gastric torsion when the stomach flips on its axis.

Alprasolam is a good drug... I have no issues with that one. I have seen positive effects from it but I think lorizapam is cheaper. It was like $( a month for 3o tabs and a 60 piund dog only needs 2 - .05 gram tabs to be theraputic. My lab uses it for thunderstorm issues.

If Hustons issues sound like it could be cushings limit his physical exercise to as little as you can with out making him stir crazy until you can get him tested... the creatinin will affect his cushings and how he acts.

I kinda figured y'all might have thrown the Huston we have a problem thing around a bit... how can you NOT with a name like that