Can you spare a prayer for my blackie Boo Bear?; 7/9; He's hyperthyroid; post #38

Aw, sorry to here Boo Bear is not feeling himself. Keeping him in my prayers.

FYI - my Vita lost weight for 2 years, I kept taking her in to the vet, having blood work, "all looks fine." Then this year in Feb, when we went in yet again (from 12 pound she was down to 6!), in addition to what the vet did I asked for the Free T4 lab work. It is a part of the thyroid testing. Sure enough, her TSH (total thyroid) is normal, but her Free T 4 (the active hormone) was through the roof! Hyperactive thyroid, which is common in cats as they age.

She is now on meds, but she has really suffered and it will take time to get her feeling better. I don't know why they don't use the Free T4 in veterinary medicine; my doc uses it for me!

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Originally Posted by Freedom

Aw, sorry to here Boo Bear is not feeling himself. Keeping him in my prayers.

FYI - my Vita lost weight for 2 years, I kept taking her in to the vet, having blood work, "all looks fine." Then this year in Feb, when we went in yet again (from 12 pound she was down to 6!), in addition to what the vet did I asked for the Free T4 lab work. It is a part of the thyroid testing. Sure enough, her TSH (total thyroid) is normal, but her Free T 4 (the active hormone) was through the roof! Hyperactive thyroid, which is common in cats as they age.

She is now on meds, but she has really suffered and it will take time to get her feeling better. I don't know why they don't use the Free T4 in veterinary medicine; my doc uses it for me!

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I'm going to write this down so that I don't forget it and I'll tell Dr. Lee about it when I go in on Monday. Knowing him, though, he may suggest it anyhow but it's good info to have. Thanx, Sandie. :)

I'm sorry to hear that Boo is showing his age.
I hope everything goes well with him and that he is with you for a long time still.

Mary, there will be a candle for Boo and you!!! Not to mention prayers, too!!!

Just got home from our visit w/Dr. Lee. I had Boo's senior blood work done plus the advanced testing for hyperthyroidism but it has to be sent to MI Univ. and I won't know the results until Fri. at the earliest but probably Mon. Dr. Lee said that I could very well be right, that it may be his thyroid but he fears that it could also be CRF. Now isn't that a thought? He said that I'll probably have to start Boo on subq's and he said "So you'll have two cats on them". I said "So? No biggie." He just grinned. Boo Bear was such a trooper. He didn't even cry when they put the needle in his neck to draw his blood. He only lost another half lb. which surprised me because he's a bag of bones and everyone has commented on it. He weighs nearly 8 1/2 lbs. so I guess that he looks so skinny because he's a fairly big boy. So fingers and paws crossed that whatever it turns out to be that it's manageable w/medication and/or subq's. :(

So sorry Mary, but I hadn't seen this thread before. I knew you had said that Boo hadn't been acting like his old self tho.

Prayers for Boo, that the test results are good, and/or that he can be managed with meds. And of course a prayer for you, and Miss Pidge too. :love:

Mary, you are such an inspiration to me. You are able to handle two cats on sub-q's by yourself! I can hardly handle one and with help.

I will keep Boo in my thoughts.

Boo is in our prayers

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Originally Posted by Taz_Zoee

Mary, you are such an inspiration to me. You are able to handle two cats on sub-q's by yourself! I can hardly handle one and with help.

I will keep Boo in my thoughts.

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Cindy, as I mentioned, when I first started the subq's, I really thought that I wouldn't be able to handle it. Now, I figure I'll just line 'em up, stick 'em and get on w/it. LOL

Prayers for Boo Bear!

Prayers on the way from me for you both too. :love:

Leonardo lost a lot of weight like that. It was his thyroid. His was over active. I had him on med for over a year and he gained back almost to his normal weight. He was doing really well until his arthritis did him in. :(

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Originally Posted by momoffuzzyfaces

Prayers on the way from me for you both too. :love:

Leonardo lost a lot of weight like that. It was his thyroid. His was over active. I had him on med for over a year and he gained back almost to his normal weight. He was doing really well until his arthritis did him in. :(

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Given Boo's age, 18 1/2, I'm just going to take it day by day. :)

Prayers that this comes back treatable and Boo can mellow out to his lovey-dovey self. :):love:

Positive vibes for you and Boo. You know my heart is always with the blackies! I hope he's back to his normal self in no time. xxxooo
Claudia, Calvin & Hobbes

So far, so good. Dr. Lee just called and said "Boy, for Boo's age, he's doing pretty darned good!" He said that Boo isn't even in CRF, that his BUN was only slightly elevated and his creatinine is normal. The standard thyroid tests came back normal, too, but he's going to wait, of course, until the Free T4 test results come back from MI Univ. He said that Boo's behavior towards Pidge sure sounds like it could be hyperthyroidism but so far there's no indication of it. He did say that if Boo continues to pick on Pidge that he could give him something to mellow him out a little. I'm not sure that I want to do that. As much as I'd hate to, I'll put Boo back in the basement at night w/the rest of the Fur Posse. I've only had him sleep w/me to keep Pidge company but that clearly isn't working in her favor (or mine). LOL He kept me up most of last night because he just wouldn't leave her alone. So until Friday or possibly Monday, we won't know his test results and what course of action to take. I'll keep you posted, naturally, but prayers and positive vibes are still much appreciated. :)