Hi Jannie,
My older cat has had thyroid troubles for two years. She hasn't been vomiting, the only sympton was weight loss. She started out on one pill a day, now she is up to two (and she isn't happy about it, as you can imagine) She is 14. She goes in every 6 months or so to check her thyroid level in her blood. She is her usual self, purring, wants to be loved, etc., she is just very skinny. The vet doesn't seem to be too concerned as long as she keeps eating and otherwise acts normal. The vet said this was very common in older cats. Hope this helps!

Abbey

When I first took my cat in when he was losing weight, etc... his liver values were all elevated too. He was diagnosed with hyperthyroid..... After 1 month on the meds his liver tests all came back MUCH better. He takes 1/2 a pill in the a.m and a 1/4 at night. He is doing great.

Also, why did the vet prescribe an antibiotic?

Rita

Thanks for the replies, Rita and Abbey. I was looking for hope and reasons to feel optimistic. Oh, the vet also said my cat's white cell count was high, hence the scrip for Clavamox. My mother had a cat that lived to 21 and my DH had a friend with a 22 year old cat. So 15 is not ancient.

My "boys" are also 15. Jazz was dx with kidney failure in 2001. Rex ws dx. with kidney failure and hyperthyroid in 2003............both are doing very well!!!Don't give up, like I said, it is amazing what even a month can do, and really, Rex showed signs of improvement quicker than that.
Another thing I just remembered, which I hope your vet realizes. You said that your cat doesn't have kidney issues, well, if the thyroid numbers are very elevated, they can mask thyroid disorders. We found that out with Rex. After we got his thyroid regulated, his kidney values elevated. That is because elevated thyroid actually helps the flow of blood to the kidneys. BUT it is not a good thing overall. It's a fine line...balancing the thyroid so that it's not too low to hurt the kidneys further, but not too high either.
Hope this info helps. Sorry it got so long!! Ha Ha
Rita

Our 17 year old boy, Rocky, was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, same symptoms, losing weight, yet ravenous. To make a long story short, we decided to treat him with radioactive iodine therapy, which had an initial expense of a little over a thousand dollars. The treatment cures the condition, so no additional monies are spent on pills, blood work, etc. The pills are not tolerated by all cats, and do not help all cats. So, all in all we saved money by having the treatment done. He had no problem with the treatment whatsoever, has gained weight, looks great and is his same old self. At 17 he does have a degree of kidney failure, but not enough to treat at this time. He takes blood pressure pills which keep his pressure normal, I give Vit B and arthritis med injections weekly. Otherwise, he plays, jumps on and off furniture, beds, tables, feels friskly and seems happy. Best treatment for hyperthyroidism, most vets agree.
Good luck with your baby.

My 8 year old was diagnosed with hyperthyroid, and just came back last week after the radioactive iodine therapy. He will be rechecked in a month for thyroid levels, but as far as the vet can tell me he will be completely cured. So I agree with mary1helen. I went with this expensive treatment ($1200) partly because he is quite young and 10 more years of daily pills would be far more expensive than the one-time treatment. One week after returning home, he already has gained weight, calmed down, and his coat is silky and shiny again. The boy is back!!

Thankfully, my boo cat takes his meds very well. And so far, he has been very well regulated.

My kitty was diagnosed almost two years ago. He had started to lose a little weight and suddenly started vomiting. He was diagnosed as hyperthyroid and has been on Tapazole (1/4 pill 2X day). My kitty is "hard to handle" and I was told he would be a poor candidate for the radioactive treatment because of that (I have to gas him to draw blood). Thankfully he does very well on the pills.

I had a cat that at one time weighed 17 pounds. He wasn't fat--just really big. He started getting some hyperthyroid problems and lost alot of weight fast. He didn't throw up, but had constant diahrrea. It was just like water. Every day when I came home I had to clean up a "pool" of feces that was sometimes about 12" in diameter. But like water. It wasn't too bad on the kitchen floor. But it ruined the carpet.......Anyway, they put him on thyroid pills--can't remember the name of them, but they were human pills. The pills made him vomit something horrible. He got down to 6 lbs and we had him put to sleep. I'm so glad your cat(s) have handled the pills better than mine. I hope his health just improves and improves so you have much more time to love him!

Technically, hyperthyroidism is caused by a benign tumor- some like to say goiter.
Is is very common for cats with hyperthyroidism to have elevated liver enzymes. Once treated, cats generally do very well and all the symptoms- ravenous appetite with weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, personality changes, heart murmurs- all resolve. Some cats can't tolerate Tapazole (methimazole) and will scratch their faces furiously or vomit continuously, but most do just fine. As long as you are committed to the follow up and pilling her 1-2 times a day, and she tolerates the medication well, she should be back to her normal self in no time.
Keep an eye on the liver enzymes. If they creep up, then perhaps an ultrasound is in order to make sure there are no primary liver problems. But most of the time, the elevations are simply due to hyperthyroidism. They generally don't resolve while on tapazole, but do if treated with radioactive iodine.
Good luck, and I hope your kitty feels better soon.

Hi:

Research has shown that wet food in pop-top cans may be contributing to the increasing rate of hyperthyroidism in cats.

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2004.224.879

This information is news to me. My 2 cats each get 1/4 can of wet food daily. One cat's recent bloodwork revealed that her thyroid is in the "high" range of normal; not a problem yet, but something to watch.

I think I'm going to look for the old-fashioned cans or stop serving wet food altogether. Wet food contributes to dental problems; little Lily will be having a second dental cleaning in her 8 years soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: relationships between consumption of commercial canned food and risk of hyperthyroidism in cats

A couple comments about hyperthyroid in cats:

1)About the pop top cans...interesting. But I would not be surprised if another food related factor was not in part responsible for the high rate of thyroid disease, and that is soy protein isolate, which, unfortunately is a ubiquitous ingredient in many pet foods...as well as people foods. I myself had an autoimmune hyperthyroid disease and have been studying the issue for 20 years. The bottom line is, soy can cause problems for thyroid...and can interfere with meds once the problem is diagnosed. Look for high quality cat foods that contain only real animal or egg protein.

2)One of my (late) cats did well on Tapizole for her hyperthyroid for a few years, until she was overtaken by kidney failure. She took her pills very well. If your cat is difficult to pill, may I suggest a combination of Pill Pockets treats and empty #3 or 4 gelcaps. Cut the pill (if necessary) to the proper dose and put it into the gel cap. Then wrap it in 1/2 a pill pocket (they are expensive...esp if you have to pill your pet twice a day). This will insure that Puss doesn't bite into the pill.

LF

Since this posting is active, I thought I'd add an update. I posted just about a year ago (above) that my cat was back a month after radioactive therapy. I just had bloodwork done on him one year after the therapy, and is perfect -- so sign of thyroid issues. I'm glad I had it done!

My little fuzzy girl is 12 and just yesterday her bloodwork came back that she has thyroid problems. I have learned normal thyroid levels are between 2.4-4.8. Hers is 7 and her liver numbers are 110. I am so sad. I feel like I am losing her. This site has picked my spirits up a little. My Vet recomended trying the pills first. I am interested in the radioactive therapy... but nervous that she would be gone for 2 weeks. I am afraid the stress from that could be more harmful to her health? I would love to hear anyones experiences with the radioactive therapy. I love to hear how the outcome is so positive.
My little girl is everything to me.
TF

My Muddy was diagnosed with hyperthyroid and kidney disease a little over 2.5 years ago.

When she was first diagnosed, her liver values were elevated as well. She was a very sick cat, throwing up daily, and losing a lot of weight. The vet also put her on antibiotics for the liver values, just in case it was an infection of some kind.

Since she has multiple problems, she goes in for blood work every 3 months. We have the same experience as ritamay with trying to keep the thyroid just slightly high to protect her kidneys. Her thyroid is a bit hard to regulate for some reason, the vet calls her "yoyo cat" because her thyroid meds need adjustment every 3 months; she has taken everywhere from 2.5 mg a day to 10 mg a day. Right now she is on 7.5 mg a day (1 1/2 tablets).

After about a year on thyroid meds, her liver values suddenly settled down into the normal range. In her case, it did take a fairly long time for the liver values to come down to normal levels.

Don't give up hope. A lot of us have apparently been there with thyroid issues and liver values. Give it some time and monitoring, and pray for the best.

My oldest cat, Billy, is both CRF (chronic renal failure) and hyperT (hyperthyroid). Hyperthyroidism stimulates the body's metabolism (which is why they lose weight in spite of hearty appetites) and all of the body systems. Having the body's organs be on constant "hyperdrive" like that can be very hard on them. As cats age, their kidneys often lose function. In hyperT, though, the hyperactivity forced on the kidneys makes them appear to be functioning normally on blood tests even though they may, in fact, be failing. In other words, hyperT can mask underlying kidney problems.

That's why it's very important to stabilize your cat's hyperT on medication (methimazole, trade name Tapazole) for a while BEFORE pursuing radioactive iodine treatment. Only after you get her thyroid level back down into normal range with Tapazole will your vet be able to accurately assess her kidney function. If her kidneys function normally when her thyroid level is also normal, then she'll likely be a good candidate for radioactive iodine treatment. BUT, if her kidneys show functional deficit once her thyroid level returns to normal, then radioactive iodine is not your best treatment option.

If it turns out that your girl has any degree of renal insufficiency,
then what you're dealing with is a balancing act in terms of managing
both hyperT and CRF. Think of a teeter totter. CRF and its management
options are on one side, and hyperT and its management options are on
the other. The goal is to keep the teeter totter balanced with both
diseases gently floating at the same level - neither one of them
hitting the ground or being flung up into space.

Let's say that your girl currently has what appears in blood tests to be normal kidney function. The CRF side of the teeter totter (for this analogy we'll assume that she has masked CRF) "appears" to be sitting on the ground, while her hyperT side is sky high. If you add I131 (radioactive iodine) to the hyperT side of the teeter, you will immediately send that side plummeting to the earth, which could send the CRF side sky high. OTOH, if you add Tapazole to the hyperT side instead, you can adjust the dose until you have that nice balance with both diseases gently floating at the same level. That's the difference between I131 and medication. Radioactive iodine is unadjustable, total, and permanent; and Tapazole is adjustable.

This is why it is critically important to do the Tapazole trial first
to know whether or not there are kidney issues that you will need to
balance with your hyperT treatment.

BTW, Billy was diagnosed in the early stages of both diseases a little more than a year ago. He's around 19 yrs now and doing quite well on thyroid med and various CRF meds, supplements, and treatments.

I know that the diagnosis of any potentially fatal disease can be frightening and overwhelming, but hyperT is highly manageable and even curable for many cats. So don't panic. Your girl has several fine treatment options.

I strongly recommend you join the feline-hyperT mailing list at Yahoo Groups. Those folks know this disease like the backs of their hands and can answer all of your questions and give you information you haven't even thought of asking about. It's a great resource.

Hang in there!

Laurie

Thank you so much for all the information! My head is slowly stoping spining. I will read up on the information you told me about. I can't thank you enough for sharing your thoughts and stories. It means more than you know.

Tina

Thanks to everyone who posted their stories about this issue. My vet suspects my 12yo cat has hyperT and is running the tests. I'm inclined to agree with him, especially after doing some quick research. I just wanted to say that what I've read RIGHT HERE is more helpful than anything I've read elsewhere. A doctor's advice website can tell you pros and cons, but reading YOUR personal experiences with both helps me to understand those options so much better!!

Just a note to say that after my last post in April 08, my cat Basil was one of the very, very few cats that had a return of hyperthyroidism after the radioactive therapy. He had it again in January, and he goes back for the follow up blood test at the end of this month. I am praying it "takes" this time. It is just important to realize that while a virtual cure for most cats, it will not cure all. There's always a chance some cells were missed.

My cat is 12 she has lost alot of weight she sniffs the food but I never see her eating I bought her kitten milk sometimes she will have this I am scared she will get beyond a point of no return. Her personality has changed alsoand she wants to be alone alot .she does have thyroid trouble. she coughs she is on something for the cough.I also asked for an antibiotic incase she has an infection . HELP I NEED ADVICE

Barb,

I'm sorry to read that your cat is doing poorly. It's difficult to offer any suggestions without knowing more specifics about her condition, so please indulge and answer the following questions:

When was the last time she had full blood chemistry, CBC, and Total T4 blood tests run? If you have copies of these test results, could you please post them to this thread?

What med(s) is she on, at what dose(s), and for how long?

When was the last time she saw a vet, and what was the vet's diagnosis and recommended treatment at that time?

How long has she been refusing food, and what was she eating before she started refusing it?

My cat was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. My vet said that she most likely had the benign tumor others have mentioned. I assumed he got all this from the blood work - I didn't ask a lot of questions, he didn't act concerned, it was more of a "you might consider treating her for hyperthyroid, blah blah blah". It is a busy part of the year and now I think I need more details before I go any further with her treatment. She is a mentally challenged kitty, rescued from a car engine. All through her life she has had a strange attraction for car engines and more than once has ridden around all day in one before someone found her. I believe the high heat or the fumes damaged her brain, she's not normal and kind of difficult and a major pain to capture and medicate. Now I'm looking at this medicine I am supposed to dab on the inside of her ear three times a day to help shrink her thyroid. I thought it was a short timeframe sort of treatment but the pharmacy said it would last until her blood work six months away! She will master avoiding me before that date. The only way I can get control of her would be to cage her which we both would hate. She lives in the basement (her choice) which is the best place since she doesn't like to use a litter box (prefers clothing left on the floor or cloth furniture) but she has plenty of places to hide down there. She isn't the friendliest cat and never has been and she can avoid humans for days if she decided to. Anyway, she's 21 years old and in otherwise perfect health (she's one of those tiny 6 pound cats that looks like a kitten their whole life). Her only health issue is bad teeth but she only has about half of those and seems to eat just fine. So far he kidney and liver functions are normal (and a surprise to my vet considering her age). The prospect of chasing her around the basement three times a day for six months just doesn't sound feasible to me - she'll survive it but I don't think I will!

Hi John, my cat was diagnosed recently with hyperthyroid and started medication (1/2 tablet twice daily) around mid December. The medication won't cure the tumour but it will control the hyperthyroidism and she will need to take it for the rest of her life.

My cat has always been a bit difficult and giving her the medication takes me and DH to do, he holds her so I have one hand to hold her head and open her mouth and the other to give her the pill. I would need an extra arm to do it myself. I will say though that since being on the meds she has calmed down a lot (is less angry) and deals with it better now.

Laurief knows a lot about this subject and I'm sure he/she will be along to give you some great advice.

John and Barb,

I have some chores to do this afternoon, but I'll come back and provide a longer answer later. For now, though, please read through the following three threads in order. They provide a lot of VERY IMPORTANT information about hyperthyroidism treatment that you really MUST READ:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pets/msg1121552114426.html?9
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pets/msg1119135413520.html?10
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pets/msg1218534311282.html?13

John,

Here are some hyperthyroid basics you need to know. The medication you are giving your cat (methimazole or carbimazole) does NOT shrink thyroid tumors. What it DOES do is inhibit the synthesis of thyroid hormones by the thyroid glands. The tumor that is causing the excess thyroid hormones in your cat's system will grow larger over time, making the hyperT progressively worse. If you choose to continue to manage her illness with medication, this means that the dose will likely need to increase over time, and the use of the medication will be permanent.

If you read the three threads I linked in my last response on this thread, you are now aware that there are other treatment options for hyperT, so I won't go into them here. I also provided dosing information in those threads that I won't repeat here. There is, however, some additional information about the meds that you may find helpful.

In case your vet didn't fully inform you on the proper use of the transdermal form of these drugs, or in case you didn't carefully read the instructions provided with the med, it's important that you clean the residual goo off of your cat's ear between doses so that it doesn't irritate the skin and cause problems. If you're unclear about how and when to do this ear cleaning, contact your vet and/or pharmacist for more information.

If the transdermal applications are problematic with your cat, there is another dosing option you may want to try. There is a compounding pharmacy (BCP) in Houston, TX (link below) that will compound these meds into flavored chews. I have given my hyperT cats their meds in BCP's liver flavored chews for years, and the cats eagerly snarf them down like treats. In fact, one of my hyperT cats chases me around the house when it's time for her doses so that she can have her medicated liver treats. She LOVES them.

When I first contacted BCP about their medicated chews, I asked them which flavor was most popular with their customers, and they told me the liver flavor seemed most universally well accepted by cats and dogs. If your vet requests them, BCP will send your vet clinic both medicated and unmedicated samples of their various flavors for you to try with your cat. That would be a good way of seeing if your cat will eat them and which flavor she might enjoy the most.

Please post again with any more questions you may have.

Laurie

Here is a link that might be useful: BCP Vet Pharmacy

Thanks a lot! I wonder if the local compounding pharmacy can make the chews here (Raleigh NC)? I will look into it.

I can only guess that my vet got caught up in the wild conversation between me and some of the staff that are friends of mine so much that important info didn't get handed to me. I had my dog there for her checkup at the same time and she's the class clown. I blame the holidays also for why the pharmacy didn't include anything other than a flier stating their new (reduced) office hours. I am only guessing what the medication is. I have no piece of paper from either my vet or the pharmacy that states what I bought. The vet phoned in the prescription, the pharmacy called me and I went by and picked it up. The tech told me that I was to pump out 1mg and apply it three times a day, alternating ears. I will be calling the vet tomorrow for more info.

My ancient cat has always been a handful. I have had cats my whole life and I've never seen one like her - which is why I said she is mentally ill. She just doesn't do the things a normal cat does. Her bad bathroom behavior has existed her entire life, even when she was a tiny kitten. I'm an ex-zookeeper and can tolerate a lot of poop. She doesn't seem to be seeking out fabric to urinate or poop on because of a behavior issue, its more like she will only take 10 steps away from wherever she is sitting to use the bathroom. She has chosen to claim the basement as her kingdom and there are two large litter boxes that she will use to pee in, poop is a different story. I don't mind, when I get to be her age I imagine I will be painting the walls.

She is one of those cats that will put up with any sort of medical treatment first thing in the morning when she's hungry. As long as food is involved I can catch her and do whatever. It is the second and third dose of the day that are my problems. If things aren't done just right she will freak out and hide. She's very good at hiding and I am very busy so I don't have a lot of time to move everything around to find her. Any medical or clean up tasks have to be done by me, no one will help me. I just worry that this whole experience is going to be way too much trouble and with her being 21 years old, it wouldn't surprise me if her kidneys or liver will show some problems after the thyroid is corrected... If she was visibly suffering I would do whatever it takes, but she seems the same as she's always been (aloof and cranky). Any weird stuff is the same weird stuff she's done for 21 years. I would consider the iodine treatment if she was younger, but she isn't.

Thanks for your help. I had read most of those posts before I ever learned my cat had the same problem. I read and re-read everyones experiences with their hyperthyroid cats and it just seems like my problem is a bit different, more of a mechanical problem - How am I going to get this cat to put up with this treatment for the rest of her life? This isn't a cat that runs up to me to be petted or fed - she's not that friendly and she'll actively avoid humans for long stretches of time; and I'm busy and work long hours. How long is she gonna live? I've never had a cat live past 15 before.

I understand what you're up against. One of my cats is an ex-feral who will avoid me like the plague anytime he thinks I might actually want to put my hands on him. He's very affectionate on his own terms and will smear himself all over me as long as it's his idea, but if I try to approach him, esp. if he's not feeling well, he'll make it darn near impossible to get anywhere near him.

The medicated chews might be your best option, First, they only require twice daily dosing (I don't understand why your vet has you applying the transdermal three times daily - I thought it was twice daily dosing, as well). I recommend that you order them from BCP. I know of at least one other compounding pharmacy that makes chews that aren't nearly as palatable or well accepted as the ones BCP makes, so I'd stick with the ones known to be tasty. BCP is easy to do business with as long as your vet is willing to call in the prescription. BCP fills and ships scripts the same day received by overnight express so that you have it the next day.

Since the overnight shipping is pricey, and the chews themselves are costlier than plain methimazole pills, I reduce the cost of BCP chews by ordering a six-month supply (the compounded chews have a shelf life of only six months). The individual chews are pretty large, so I can also save money by having the dose quadrupled per chew, then cutting them into quarters here at home before administration. The chews are soft, so they cut very easily into uniform halves, quarters, or even eighths with a pill cutter.

I have had two cats who lived into their early twenties, and each had serious chronic diseases for the last several years of their lives. One was a very cranky old lady who never liked being handled, and the other was a tough old man with a VERY short fuse. It always seems to be these "take no prisoners" types with the strongest survival instincts who stick around the longest. Realistically speaking, your old girl probably won't be around more than another year or two, if that, but you just never know. Maybe she'll be a world record breaker. She sure has the right caretaker to make that happen. Thank you for accepting her the way she is. It gives me hope to know that you're out there when there are so many others who would have ditched your little girl decades ago.

I think it would be a good idea to talk to your vet to see if you can cut down to two dosages a day with either the cream or tablets (the liver treats that laurie posted sound great). I couldnt medicate my cat 3 times a day, it just wouldnt be possible with work commitments for us

Do you feed her at night as well? the hypert will make her hungrier so if she gets used to you going down the basement with food in the evening as well it could create an ideal chance for the nightly dose of meds, especially if you could tempt her with something super yummy like a bit of cooked chicken? food is a great motivator :)

Hi Everyone!

The radioactive iodine therapy is the way to go. It's been one year and my 15 year old has been perfect. What a relief after 8 months of trying to keep her alive. I even had one Vet try to get me to give all of my cats thyroid food, which would have made them very sick.

Also, check out PetWellbeing.com. There should be natural products there for the kidneys. I have a local Holisitic Pet Store that has a couple of products such as kidni biotic and kidni care. When this cats Mother had kidney problems I was under a lot of stress with things that were being done to my Mother's health and completely forgot about going to get natural products. They are really good. They are also human grade. I just saved my almost 15 yr old male by giving him the antifungal detox product for Valley Fever. As well I have taken a number of natural products for my Valley Fever. My Holisitc Pet store has this great product called Detoxifier. It helps fever and detoxifies for just about any problem. Then you go on to further remedies such as the kidney products, just about anything you need for anything. The basic products for health include garlic, Vitamin C, a multi vitamin and the Detoxifier.

Oh yes and Vitamin C, Acidophilus (Probiotic), and Digestive Enzymes are very good for the kidneys. It is miraculous the way they respond to these products.