Hyperthyroidism in cats

[fragrancehound]

I took both Magic and Shadow to the vet today for their annual exams and some blood work. The vet is concerned about Magic because she lost 1/2 lb from last year and she may have a possible heart murmur. She thinks Magic might have hyperthyroidism but we won't know until the blood test and urinalysis results come in next week. I'm on pins and needles. Sigh....I really hope she doesn't have hyperthyroidism. I feel like such a bad mom for not possibly seeing any symptoms. She is very active and doesn't look or act sick.

My vet mentioned that radiation was a possible treatment. Has anyone every had this done before?

[Glacier]

Radioactive Iodine is the treatment. It is the only way to cure hyperthyroidism. I've never had it done, but I do have a hyperthyroid cat. Beau isn't a candidate for that treatment as he has other health issues. The cat has to be otherwise perfectly healthy to undergo the RI treatment.

Beau takes tapazole in pill form instead. He's supposed to take 5mg every day, but lately he only gets it every second day. He hates being pilled and this schedule seems to be working just as well.

Hyperthyroidism often masks kidney problems. The overactive thyroid makes the kidneys works more. When the thyroid slows down, the kidney difficulties start to show. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened to Beau. He's in renal failure now. That's why I only give the tapazole every second day. We have to balance his thyroid and his kidneys. The more aggressively one is treated, the worse the other gets.

How old is your kitty? Hyperthyroidism is very common in elderly cats(Beau is at least 15, probably older). It's not a death sentance. It can be managed, even cured in some cats! I hope your kitty doesn't have it, but if she does, you can deal with it!

[Lizzie]

Nougat, my 14 year-old Siamese, had the radio-iodine treatment done last year and it worked perfectly for her. She had no other health issues so was a perfect candidate. The specialist I took her to assesses how large a dose each cat needs and only gives them that much. Some places give the same dose, quite high, to each cat. I could have taken Nougat back for another treament, free of charge, if the first had not done the trick. It is difficult for some weeks afterwards, only being able to be in the same room as the treated cat for one hour per day, having to either flush their litter each day or keep it sealed up for two months before you can put it in the trash, etc. But it was all worth it, including the rather high price.

I wasn't able to use this treatment on my Artful Dodger because he also had renal failure and cardiomyopathy.

Edited to add that Ginger is on Tapazole for her mild case of hyperthyroidism and it's working fine. She's very old so can't go through the radio-iodine treatment, and I'm not going to worry about the long-term side effects of the drug because I doubt if she will live long enough to show any.

[Freedom]

Mr. Amber Cat had that and was treated with tapazole. I had asked my vet about the iodine treatment, but he didn't feel there was a need. Amber died of renal failure. He was 8 when he died.

Now Ruffles has it. She is 15. A heart murmur showed up at the time of diagnosis; very mild and my vet said not to worry about the heart murmur. She gets a very small dose of tapazole daily and she is fine.

You expected to notice a half pound weight loss? Over a 12 month time? Ease up on yourself! That is so minor and under their coat it is hard to see or feel such a small amount. I noticed Ruffles' problem when she lost 2 pounds in 6 weeks.

Best wishes to you.
Sandie

[fragrancehound]

Magic is 10 yrs. old and Shadow is 3.5 yrs. old.

I just got off the phone with the vet. Shadow's results came back fine. He is healthy. Magic's results were ok for the most part except her urinalysis came back with elevated crystals. The vet suggested only wet food and that she should come back in a month for another urinalysis. Her thyroid is fine though.

I am relieved but I still am concerned about Magic. She doesn't really like wet food so this will be a challenge. I'm off to the pet store tomorrow to see what I can find. Can anyone suggest some kind of urinary health additive that doesn't contain any glutens? I've noticed that there are many cranberry type urinary health pet treats but many seem to contain rice protein or gluten and with this recall I am very hesitant to buy anything containing those ingredients.