Over active thyroid?

[itaintmyfault]

My cat is 14 years old. She was overweight and diagnosed with diabetes and once on insulin and weight control she went into remission. Been in remission for 5+ years.
Vet then suggested we get her to a 6 kilo weight (she was 8). She maintained the weight for a few years and now she is losing very quickly. Weighed just after Christmas as 4.7 kilos and today as 3.8. We are feeding her just over the suggested dosage of the special food she was suggested to lose the weight and the vet wants to keep her on it.

They now think she has an overactive thyroid which is what's causing the weight loss. Has anyone experienced this and has any advice. They're waiting on the tests to confirm and if not this they are looking at something more sinister which I'm trying not to think about right now.

Apologies for long post. But any advise/info would be great.

[ifonly4]

My two lost weight in old age.

Lottie started to loose weight despite eating a large amount (she was used to being fed on demand) and hyperthyroidism was diagnosed. Over the last two years of her life she had it, there were times it wasn't controlled, she always wanted more food, would be hyperactive and had an awful howl.

My boy also lost weight. He had CKD. His first blood test revealed nothing, so I sat on it for a hit, then he started drinking more - at this stage CKD showed up. He also has an awful howl which is something they can also develop with this disease. Many cats can live with this if they get support for a good year, two or more.

Is your baby having a full blood check? This can rule out, confirm quite a few things.

Is she hungry, or the opposite, not particularly interested?

[thecatneuterer]

I've had a lot of cats develop overactive thyroid. Once diagnosed it's fairly easily controlled with either medication or removal. Once it's under control they seem to bounce right back as if nothing was ever wrong.

[Sparklingbrook]

Sparklingcat was diagnosed with this at the beginning if the year. She had lost weight and was permanently hungry. They thought she also had CKD but this turned out not to be the case.

She now has two tablets a day and is putting weight back on. Her thyroid level was 3x what it should be, a month ago it was double. She's due back at the vets next week for a blood test where they think she could be very near normal again.

[itaintmyfault]

Thanks very much for your responses. May I ask what CKD is? She does have an awful howl in the mornings. And I think she could eat for Britain.

They've done the full blood test. Thought it was sensible rather than just the thyroid test. Unfair to keep putting her through it.

[itaintmyfault]

Oh. I've just googled. Vet didn't mention that. She thought hyper thyroid or the diabetes was back however she's leaning towards a no on that as I would know the symptoms.

I feel awful for her. She's so skinny now but been advised to carry on the food she's on x

[WeirdAndPissedOff]

Bless her, it's scary when they drop weight so quickly.
I think most cats manage quite well once the thyroid levels are under control - usually with daily tabets, but the thyroid can be removed if deemed the best option as well. Our Vet also does radioiodine treatment, though I don't know too much about the specifics.

If you've had a fully blood test, that should tell you if there are any thyroid or kidney issues, and your vet will let you know the best plan of action.

Re the food - that could be right as the problem is with her metabolism rather than diet so dietary changes won't make much difference, although being on a weight loss food does seem odd. But it may be the vet doesn't want to make any changes without getting the results first?

Our 14 year old cat had this last year - she dropped from 4.5kg to 3 in just a few months. We found the tablets pretty easy to manage, and she did seem to start improving quite well. We did have a little trouble getting her weight back up as the vet put her on a really high dose of Vidalta to start with, which worked wonders for the thyroid problems but seemed to kill her appetite as well.
Unfortunately she developed several other issues a month or two later, and I think the combination of it all got too much for her.
But the hyper-thyroidism alone was manageable, and it's quite common in senior cats.

Best of luck, whatever diagnosis you get.

[itaintmyfault]

Thank you. That's good to hear. I've non pet friends who think I'm a little sad but she's family. I'll see what the results say and take it from there. Fingers crossed!

Thanks all for your help! Much appreciated.

[ifonly4]

Let us know the results when you have them, there'll be lots around who can offer advice is needs be. I understand exactly where your coming from, they're such a large part of our lives.

[itaintmyfault]

So it is hyper thyroid. Vet wants me to try the bloods and meds or the food (Hills YD). Also no additional food at all as she can't have any iodine at all.

I'm ok with the meds. Just don't like the idea of the bloods. She gets awful sad and her coat comes off in handfuls when she is stressed. And apparently the meds and bloods go hand in hand.

Fingers crossed that the food helps her.

[ifonly4]

Personally, I think the meds are the way to go. Hopefully you'll start to see an improvement in 2/3 weeks time and I guess the vet will be testing roughly after this timescale anyway to be sure the dose is correct. Bloods aren't cheap but I guess it'll be a full test every now and again to check levels, but that's not a bad idea with an older cat as it'll pick up any other potential issues sooner, giving you the best change to deal with them before they become more of a problem.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Even with the food bloods should be monitored to ensure the food is effective along with blood pressure as many of these cats are hypertensive and can have secondary heart conditions and so need medication for this.

[ifonly4]

I guess your vet performs a quick examination each time he/she sees your cat, so likely to pick up any concerns over blood pressure/heart conditions. My girl had a heart murmur (we don't know if she had it before hyperthyroidism as I lost faith in my old vets so whether they picked it up or not I don't know), but it never caused her any problems, she had a dental at 17.5 and was okay under anaesthetic. She never had problems with blood pressure, in fact, vet checked her for this three weeks before she was pts (due to struggling with being deaf, blind and senile not hyperthyoidism).

[itaintmyfault]

Hey. Sorry for late reply. She's been on the new food for a couple of weeks ago and seems great (apart from the heat). She is playing and chasing other cats as well. Vet wants to see her within 3 months for bloods. Hopefully all good news.
Appreciate all the info. You're all v kind.

[ifonly4]

Thanks for the feedback. If her treatment is at the right level, you should notice she's put on a bit of weight before her bloods are tested again.

[sociopathsunited]

I've just read this, and want to give you a wee bit of comfort if I can. My wee girl died in February this year (from mouth cancer), but she had been treated for hyperthyroid for three years successfully before that developed. She lived to 17.

We did tablets for two and a half years, until a new product came out, in liquid form. Same drug, but you just had to skoosh a syringe with a measured amount into her cheek twice a day. It was so much easier than the tablets, which she hated.

[itaintmyfault]

Thank you. She's at the vets in a couple of weeks. So I'll know more then. But she is so much brighter. Am hoping she's put on weight (looks like it). I'll update then xx