Hyperthyroidism

[Words]

Hi

My DCat Bella, was diagnosed yesterday, and am posting to see if anyone has had experience advice or suggestions to share.

I suspected that was the issue as although she is well in herself - glossy coat, etc she was becoming hyperactive and significantly increased appetite, yet losing weight.

She is on 2.5 mg Thyronorm twice daily. I have noticed an immediate change in her behaviour - much calmer, and the constant demanding for food has stopped.

Is that normal ? Will obvs ring vet if I get worried, and we have a review in 3 weeks.

Also, I am considering the possibility of the iodine radiation treatment. It is expensive, but over the long term may well be more cost effective ( even with an online scrip for the medication)

It would also avoid three monthly vet trips to monitor and have bloods done. It’s a 20 minute journey and she gets so stressed to the point of that awful low howling and wide mouth panting. has anyone any experience of this iodine procedure with their cat?

Bella is 11 or 12 so relatively young for this condition.

Thanks in advance.

Yes the change in behaviour is normal - you've removed the drive to overeat and the agitation that high T4 causes. Ask the vet next visit if she's suitable for radioiodine - she needs to have no other concurrent conditions and be able to cope with solitary confinement and very low human interaction for several weeks. I think it's worth it in the long run but have very few clients that have agreed.

Thank you @Patchworksack that’s good to know. I wasn’t expecting the change to be so instant.

I have just noticed a bald patch and red sore on her neck. Am sure that wasn’t there yesterday. Is this the puritus mentioned in the leaflet? I think I need to call the vet tomorrow.

Yes I'd get that checked.

I will ring tomorrow. It's quite noticeable and very angry two inches long like she'd been wearing a too tight collar then irritated it with licking or scratching .

OP here- was experimenting and didn't change it back.
She is worse this morning. Listless, hunched, tummy gurgling and the sore on her neck is worse.
Waiting for vets to open so I can call for advice.

I'd get her seen today. Good luck!

One of my cats had the radio iodine treatment. Mostly because she was not pillable and trips to the vet usually involved blood (mine). She was at the vet for two weeks, if I recall correctly. She didn’t mind the isolation because she hated people anyway. They do have limited contact with vet nurses for the later part of the stay. The treatment itself is very easy for them, it’s just an injection. Once they come home, you keep them inside for a while and limit contact, they can’t sleep on your bed, for example. It’s a while since we did this but at the time different vet hospitals had different protocols, our cat was treated in Edinburgh and they, at the time, had the shortest stay. With a cat that was easier to handle we might have tried medication for longer or gone for surgery.

Also insurance paid for the treatment (£2000 at the time) without any problems.

My 11 year old cat has this. I gave him the liquid for a while, but it made him vomit and very depressed. I couldn't contemplate the radio iodine treatment, as he's very clingy (siamese) and wouldn't handle being apart from me for a few hours, let alone weeks. I'm now feeding him Hills y/d diet. It's not ideal because he hates the food, but it seems the least intrusive option at the moment. I'm taking him for a blood test in a few weeks to see what effect it's had, but it's cleared up the diarrhoea which was his main symptom and he's not pestering for food all the time. He didn't have other symptoms though.

I would consider the operation to remove the thyroid gland if absolutely necessary, as he'd only have to stay at the vets for the day, but have read it's not always successful.

Thanks all.

I've spoken to the practice nurse, and she thinks the bare patch on her neck is the shaved area from the blood draw only seen blood taken from legs before.

My vet will call later and will assess what to do. I want to limit number of vet trips as it's a longish journey and she gets very scared - sends her heart rate to stratospheric levels.

She's still asleep on the sofa where I placed her first thing this morning.

Interesting about the iodine treatment, pp, thank you. Does limited contact extend to other animals in the household? That might be tricky...

Here’s a link to the Edinburgh vet school pages about The treatment www.ed.ac.uk/vet/services/small-animals/services/thefelineclinic/services/radioactiveiodinetherapy

Thank you chemenger , that link is very informative!

I've now spoken to the senior vet, who has advised stopping the med for now, and for me to ring with an update on Monday.

Her T4 levels were very high, (200) so she may be reacting to the sudden drop, or she may be a bit sensitive to the Thyronorm.

They will re run some of the blood work, esp kidneys, and then maybe restart med on a lower dose. The vet also mentioned the op as a sensible alternative option, everything else being equal once she is stabilised.

This thyroid business is complex, so many variables to consider.

Poor puss is still zonked out on the sofa where I placed her this morning.

Ugh, I don’t envy the journey you have ahead of you there, @GuytheBeagle! 😩

My Dcat was diagnosed last summer and it’s been nothing but a very stressful (not to mention expensive!) and worrying time.

In my opinion, based on your Dcat’s age and T4 levels, I would try and get her assessed for Radioactive Iodine treatment ASAP. Thyroidectomy’s are OK but if she has any tumours in her chest cavity, they won’t be able remove those with surgery so she could go through all that and still not be cured.

Getting the right dosage of whatever medication she is prescribed is a costly and lengthly treatment so be prepared for lots of trips to the Vet in the meantime 😫 My DCat has had them all and is now on the gel you rub into the ear. Her treatment in just bloods and meds has come to £2,000 in just 6 months ☹️ She is an old girl (somewhere between 16 and 19) so I don’t really want to put her through all the tests, scans and pulling around so we’re persevering with the meds at the moment (her T4 level untreated is only 83). Although your Dcat’s T4 level is very high, I would advise caution on the dosage and discuss with your Vet because some Vets will whack them on a dose that is too high to start - it should really be started low and gradually increased. I changed Vets a few months after diagnosis because they were useless - they put her on a ‘standard’ starting dose of the Thyronorm and it sent her T4 down to -4!!!! I question why some Vets don’t have the common sense to understand that a dose should be tailored to their T4 level, thankfully my current Vets understand this and we’ve started low and increased from there.

It’s a real rollercoaster, living with a hyperthyroid cat - some days she is perky and eats well and other days she is quieter and hardly eats anything. She’s lost a kilo in weight and I’ve been trying to get her to gain some back but I don’t think it will happen now ☹️ I will never get another cat because I’ve found this whole experience so upsetting and frustrating and at times have felt like the Veterinary industry just doesn’t seem to know enough about this condition in order to feel confident in treating her.