Hyperthyroidism, early CKD(?) & bereavement

[ifonly4]

By way of history Lottie lost her brother 3.5 weeks ago to fast progressing CKD. During his last week I noticed she was eating more. Since his death she's gone through the process of looking for him inside and out but seems to have stopped this. About a week after his death she started howling which I thought could be her calling out for him. Also, she seems a bit nervous about things on the floor (unusual for her) Eating more and howling have continued, but as these are also signs of hyperthyroidism (as is being nervous) I've taken her to the vets. She's had hyperthyroidism for a year, and the test showed her levels are slightly elevated and vet would normally increase the dose for this. However, bloods have come back also showing levels are at the top end of normal/just tipping above for creatinine, urea and SDMA (a new one on me as my other vet didn't check this element), which could be an indication that she could develop CKD.

The vet is concerned that in getting her hyperthyroidism under control, it will affect her kidneys, and asked us to think about things for a few days. Although, the howling could be calling out for her brother, she's eating so much more and if anything I'd expect her to be off her food with bereavement. I spoke to the vet yesterday and said we decided to treat the hyperthyroidism, but she seemed a bit reluctant due to progressing what could be early kidney disease.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Could she be eating more and howling due to bereavement rather than her hyperthyroidism medication needing adjustment? Would you treat the hyperthyoidism with the risks? Her brother's CKD symptons showed up as stage 2, within 7 weeks he was stage 4, his urea reading was off the scale and phosphorus levels very high. In all fairness the vet can't confirm one way or the other how quickly CKD could progress.

She's driving DH up the wall with howling, sometimes from 3am for a couple of hours and then in the day. It makes no different if I get up, give her good and sit downstairs, so I thought he'd be up for treating hyperthyroidism, but when I spelt it out about her kidneys he wasn't sure.

Bump, has anyone got any thoughts or experience please?

I've got a hyperthyroidism cat who'd lost a lot of weight before it was diagnosed. At the time she was constantly eating, restless and had a fast heart beat which can't have been good for her. Her condition is under control, but she's never put the weight back on. I think some cats do, but obviously not ideal if an old cat starts to loose weight.

I've also had a CKD cat, so I understand your concern. Once their kidneys are damaged, there's no going back, you just have to keep them comfortable.

It's not an easy one, but for me I believe in treating the condition I've got in front of me at the time, but obviously bearing in mind to keep my eyes open for other symptoms in the future. I'd be worried about my cat losing a lot more weight, which can damage the body if it happens too quickly, so I think I'd get the hyperthyroidism under control.

Does your vet have facilities to check her blood pressure? That can be a real issue in cats with CKD and HyperT. Similarly, howling can also be a sign of them losing their hearing. Although when reading you post I immediately thought of blood pressure.

Some vets like to keep HyperT cats in a mildly elevated state in order to encourage appetite and to avoid over medication.

Thanks for your reply. We're going along the lines of treating the HyperT.The vet has asked me to phone and speak to her after 5 days just to review if there are any early changeand the do a blood test in about three weeks. Hopefully at that time, we'll have some answers as her appetite and howling may or may not have reduced.

Her brother had his blood pressure checked just before he lost his life to CKD as the vet was worried about whether something else was going on like HyperT and we needed the full picture. I know this is something my girl may have to go in for, but I'll review things when she has her bloods taken in three weeks as the vet was concerned at her level of stress last time and I want to know they'd be happy at keeping her in.