12 yr old just diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

[sandih13]

My girl Layla was just diagnosed 2 days ago w/hypthyrdism. My question is how to stimulate her appetite? She's drinking tons of water. But will NOT eat at all! She was never a picky eater. She loved basically all kitty treats. I was given meds for her,which is whole other issue to say the least. For me, I don't want to force things on her if all it does is stress her & isolate herself even more. She's not cleaning herself either. And she was always making sure she was so clean. I put something on her paw to lick off,she didn't clean that off. And that to me would've been effortless for her. I'm concerned that this may be "her time" to go. And if it is I want her comfortable & if this isn't her time I don't want to put her through all kinds of medical stuff for my needs. It's not about the money really,it's what's BEST for my Layla girl. I'd really appreciate any kind of ideas or thoughts from anyone who knows this situation all to well. (Unfortunately)
Thank you so much in advance!
Sandih13

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It's hard to say what might all be going on, as kidney issues are usually another sign of lack of appetite and over-drinking. Weight loss also is an issue with both hyperthyroidism and kidney issues. Hyperthyroidism generally results in a cat being overly-hungry, but not all - as my Feeby (16+ yo) had a reduced appetite. We need more information - such as what meds and the dosage? What were all the test that were run, and have you looked at them yourself so you can learn more about how to read the results? With any medical issue, the more you arm yourself with information, the better prepared you are to find solutions to help Layla. As far as I am concerned, until more is known, Layla is too young to think about this being her time.

 

[LTS3]

Do you mean hyperthyroidism?

If your cat has hyperthyroidism, Is your cat taking methimazole? If the vet prescribed pills, you can try using a Pill Pocket or one of these suggestions to get the pill into the cat:

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – Cat Articles
The Best Pill-taking Secret I Know...
Pilling Cats and Dogs Safely
How We Give Our Pill Hating Cat A Pill
Getting Cat To Take Pills... Post Tips Here.

Some people opt to have the methimazole compounded into a transdermal gel that is applied to the inside of the cat's ear. Wear gloves or use a q-tip to apply the gel.

Radioiodine treatment cures hyperthyroid. It's expensive and requires a specific post-care routine. You can discuss this treatment with your vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

S sandih13 - as questioned/noted by LTS3 , my response was for hyperthyroidism, NOT hypothryroidism. Everything changes if it is truly hyPO and not hyPER.

Additionally, all of what was added above are options for you to research, and we can give you some links to help with that.

 

[sandih13]

Oh my gosh, my apologies! Yes it does change things. How embarrassing! Thank you so much for correcting me and the links.

 

[sandih13]

Do you mean hyperthyroidism?

If your cat has hyperthyroidism, Is your cat taking methimazole? If the vet prescribed pills, you can try using a Pill Pocket or one of these suggestions to get the pill into the cat:

Pilling Cats: Must-know Tips For Hiding Pills – Cat Articles
The Best Pill-taking Secret I Know...
Pilling Cats and Dogs Safely
How We Give Our Pill Hating Cat A Pill
Getting Cat To Take Pills... Post Tips Here.

Some people opt to have the methimazole compounded into a transdermal gel that is applied to the inside of the cat's ear. Wear gloves or use a q-tip to apply the gel.

Radioiodine treatment cures hyperthyroid. It's expensive and requires a specific post-care routine. You can discuss this treatment with your vet.

Yes, I am using the transdermal ointment methimazole along with few others. She had a slight UTI as well. Thank you again for those links!!

 

[sandih13]

Hi. It's hard to say what might all be going on, as kidney issues are usually another sign of lack of appetite and over-drinking. Weight loss also is an issue with both hyperthyroidism and kidney issues. Hyperthyroidism generally results in a cat being overly-hungry, but not all - as my Feeby (16+ yo) had a reduced appetite. We need more information - such as what meds and the dosage? What were all the test that were run, and have you looked at them yourself so you can learn more about how to read the results? With any medical issue, the more you arm yourself with information, the better prepared you are to find solutions to help Layla. As far as I am concerned, until more is known, Layla is too young to think about this being her time.

My thoughts exactly!! Yes, I do have all of her lab results along with a print out of her diagnosis. I have been researching information for her as what's best for. And not letting myself get an overload of information. I literally have tried everything to help her eat as well as making medicine time easier. What has me more perplexed is that if the water isn't coming out of the faucet,she doesn't want anything in or near her mouth. If anything does go in she'll spit it out. I don't know. I wondered if she's having tooth problems.

 

[neely]

Our cat was recently diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism also so I understand what you're going through. Did they run a T-4/Free T-4 test and, if so, can you tell us what it was? Regarding her appetite, this Article may have some helpful tips and advice for you:
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again – TheCatSite Articles

You've come to the right place for information and support. There are quite a few members here with H-T cats. Please keep us posted on Layla's progress.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I literally have tried everything to help her eat as well as making medicine time easier. What has me more perplexed is that if the water isn't coming out of the faucet,she doesn't want anything in or near her mouth. If anything does go in she'll spit it out. I don't know. I wondered if she's having tooth problems.

Not sure what you mean- in terms of food/eating? What other meds besides methimazole - perhaps anti-nausea, appetite stimulants, etc?

The very first thing I learned when Feeby was diagnosed (last October) is that most vets tend to start the methimazole dosage too high. Two places to go for more information about that, as well as just good information in general:
Animal Endocrine Clinic | Where science and compassion cure
[email protected] | Home- this is a forum you can join for free to ask questions and gather very useful information from the members who will discuss Layla's specifics with you.