Looking for general advice/thoughts/resources on hyperthyroidism

[meowmeow666meow]

Hello! I have two older kitties (13 and 14) who were coincidentally diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the same time. I brought them in for a checkup last week and had blood drawn, etc. So I just started treatment methimazole (2x a day) and I have a followup appt with the vet in a couple weeks.

Mostly I'm just wondering what this experience has been like for other people. Obviously I love my kitties very much and I want them to be happy and healthy as long as possible.

Right now my biggest challenge is getting the medicine down them. What works for people? I first tried pills, and that was very difficult to get down one cat, and impossible for the other (she is sweet but dang, I saw a mean side of her I never knew she had). Then I got the liquid kind, and I got that down but it was traumatizing for them and they held a grudge / became afraid of me. So I started mixing the liquid meds with some wet food, and thank god they eat it. But they're normal, finicky cats and it can take them ~an hour with lots of coaxing to eat it all. Right now it is doable because I'm at home all the time b/c pandemic, but when I start having to go to work it'll be more difficult to fit that into my routine. I just ordered some pill pockets online and I'm crossing my fingers that'll work. Also considering mixing the liquid it into a yummy gravy but haven't bought any products.

I'm also wondering if people have experience with other treatments. I'll ask the vet about these during their followup appt, but I'm wondering if people have had success with the hyperthyroid food, removing the thyroid, or any other treatments.

And wondering if people have insight into how important it is to get the medicine in exactly 12 hrs apart. The vet & pharmacist both said there is wiggle room of about 2 hours. Also wondering how bad it would be if I missed a dose. Trust me though when I say I really value my pets health and obviously don't intend to miss a dose. I'm just trying to have my bases covered and understand everything I can moving forward.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[sivyaleah]

We had a cat that developed hyper-T late in life and due to other health concerns wasn't a candidate for other treatments other than giving meds daily. We used to hide the pill (which if I remember is really small) in a wad of cream cheese or rolled up deli ham. He loved both of these and we never had trouble getting him to eat it. We had tried it compounded if I remember right (maybe it was something else) but I do remember he hated having his ears messed with so pills it was.

The medication was very effective. He had started yowling late at night and that stopped completely.

Keeping the cat on a regimented 2x daily routine is important but not the end of the world if it's a bit late. If a dose is missed, just start fresh at the next time it's due. I'd try hard of course to be sure the medication is given as needed. Part of being a cat parent!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I just started treating Feeby (16+ yo) with Methimazole about 8 weeks ago. I use lickable treats (Tiki Cat Mousse or Stix, Wholehearted, Applaws, & Vitakraft), and then smash the pill up in it - just enough to know that she is eating all of her meds at once. I have also used her Fancy Feast canned foods with just enough to know she as taken the meds before I give her the rest of the food.

My vet wanted me to try the H-T food, but since that is the only thing a cat can eat (no other foods & no treats) I opted NOT to try it.

I usually get the meds within 11-13 hours apart, and I believe that to be fine. If you miss a dose, depending on when you remember it (within a few hours) you can give it to them then, or just wait until the next dose is due. I really think a lot more attention is paid to this than is necessary when a dose has been forgotten. You just don't want it to be a common occurrence.

There are a lot of members on this site who have dealt with this issue. They guided me to 2 different web sites I think you should check out. One is a forum and they are very responsive and helpful. The other site is more of an information source. I will post those links at the end of this post.

The other thing I strongly recommend is being careful about the actual dosage. My vet wanted me to start with 5mg twice a day. After reading more about it on those other sites, I finally convinced my vet to go down to 1.25mg twice a day - this seems to be most recommended starting dose on the Feline H-T website noted below. After 3 weeks (also recommended), I had Feeby re-tested and she fell within in the normal range - on that much lesser amount!!! I just had her re-tested again yesterday, so results won't be available until Monday. A too high of a dose can lead to hypothyroidism, mostly temporarily, but in some cases permanently.

Also, H-T can mask kidney issues, as you will find out when you read data on the sites below. So, a CBC/Chemistry Profile is recommended when the re-tests occur for the H-T levels.

And, finally, the preferred method for treating this disease is the radio iodine treatment - the only one that can be considered a 'cure'. Read up on that as well, so you understand what is involved.

Sorry for the long post.
[email protected] | Home (a fourm to join for free)
Animal Endocrine Clinic | Where science and compassion cure (excellent data/information source)

 

[meowmeow666meow]

Hi. I just started treating Feeby (16+ yo) with Methimazole about 8 weeks ago. I use lickable treats (Tiki Cat Mousse or Stix, Wholehearted, Applaws, & Vitakraft), and then smash the pill up in it - just enough to know that she is eating all of her meds at once. I have also used her Fancy Feast canned foods with just enough to know she as taken the meds before I give her the rest of the food.

My vet wanted me to try the H-T food, but since that is the only thing a cat can eat (no other foods & no treats) I opted NOT to try it.

I usually get the meds within 11-13 hours apart, and I believe that to be fine. If you miss a dose, depending on when you remember it (within a few hours) you can give it to them then, or just wait until the next dose is due. I really think a lot more attention is paid to this than is necessary when a dose has been forgotten. You just don't want it to be a common occurrence.

There are a lot of members on this site who have dealt with this issue. They guided me to 2 different web sites I think you should check out. One is a forum and they are very responsive and helpful. The other site is more of an information source. I will post those links at the end of this post.

The other thing I strongly recommend is being careful about the actual dosage. My vet wanted me to start with 5mg twice a day. After reading more about it on those other sites, I finally convinced my vet to go down to 1.25mg twice a day - this seems to be most recommended starting dose on the Feline H-T website noted below. After 3 weeks (also recommended), I had Feeby re-tested and she fell within in the normal range - on that much lesser amount!!! I just had her re-tested again yesterday, so results won't be available until Monday. A too high of a dose can lead to hypothyroidism, mostly temporarily, but in some cases permanently.

Also, H-T can mask kidney issues, as you will find out when you read data on the sites below. So, a CBC/Chemistry Profile is recommended when the re-tests occur for the H-T levels.

And, finally, the preferred method for treating this disease is the radio iodine treatment - the only one that can be considered a 'cure'. Read up on that as well, so you understand what is involved.

Sorry for the long post.
[email protected] | Home (a fourm to join for free)
Animal Endocrine Clinic | Where science and compassion cure (excellent data/information source)

Thank you so much for your reply, and don't apologize for the length. IMO the more info the better. I'll definitely check out the resources you suggested.

I was aware that hyperthyroidism can mask kidney problems, so I'm hoping there isn't anything wrong there. As far as I can tell they don't show any common symptoms, but I'm not a vet and cat's can't talk!

I hadn't read anything about dose, didn't even think about that. They are on 5mg a dose. I'll ask the vet about that during the checkup.

Thanks again!

 

[meowmeow666meow]

We had a cat that developed hyper-T late in life and due to other health concerns wasn't a candidate for other treatments other than giving meds daily. We used to hide the pill (which if I remember is really small) in a wad of cream cheese or rolled up deli ham. He loved both of these and we never had trouble getting him to eat it. We had tried it compounded if I remember right (maybe it was something else) but I do remember he hated having his ears messed with so pills it was.

The medication was very effective. He had started yowling late at night and that stopped completely.

Keeping the cat on a regimented 2x daily routine is important but not the end of the world if it's a bit late. If a dose is missed, just start fresh at the next time it's due. I'd try hard of course to be sure the medication is given as needed. Part of being a cat parent!

Thank you for your reply and ideas! Really appreciate it. I haven't tried human food yet. I don't even know if my kitties like cream cheese, for example, but it is worth a shot.

 

[fionasmom]

Fiona herself was hyperthyridic and not a candidate for the radioactive therapy. She would not allow herself to be pilled but loved BFF and Weruva food and ate the pill if I placed it in the food. Yes, I had to make sure she got that morsel of food and did not miss it, but it worked out for both of us.

 

[molly92]

I didn't do methimazole with Wendy for very long, so I don't have a lot of advice there. I can highly recommend the I-131 radioiodine treatment. The really cool thing (in my opinion) about the thyroid is that it's the only organ that uses iodine. If it's growing out of control, "poisoning" the iodine with radioactivity and injecting it kills off the extra thyroid and leaves the rest of the body completely untouched. Super effective, super safe. The success rate for completely curing hyperthyroidism is very good.

I think one of the best resources for learning about radioiodine and feline hyperthyroidism in general is the Hypurrcat clinic website. This clinic is Dr. Mark Peterson's, the vet who pioneered radioiodine in cats and is still the leading expert.

If you have the ability to get the funds together, I think radioiodine treatment is by far the best option. In the long run it's usually cheaper than a lifetime of medication anyway, because it's a complete cure. Methimazole works by trying to interrupt the excess hormones before they can cause havoc, but radioiodine kills off the overactive thyroid tumor so those hormones are never made in the first place. Much more effective to treat the source of the problem. Also, hyperthyroidism does get progressively worse as the tumor grows larger, so dosing needs to be monitored careful with methimazole.

To explain hyperthyroidism a bit, thyroid hormones are an important part of the body. They communicate with all the organs, essentially telling them to "go!" They tell the digestive system to break down food, they tell the heart to beat, they tell the kidneys to filter out waste and pump out urine, etc. Basically every organ is told to use energy and do it's job.

For some reason, sometimes the cells of the thyroid start to grow uncontrollably. This is called a tumor. The tumor is made of thyroid cells, so all of these cells are still making thyroid hormones. As the tumor grows, the body gets flooded with way too many thyroid hormones telling all of the body to go faster and faster. Food gets metabolized quickly, the heart beats faster, and calories get burned instantly. (This is why kidney disease is sometimes masked: the kidneys might not being doing their job well normally, but the hormones turn them on to full speed so they still seem effective.) If this goes on for a while, especially if the tumor keeps growing and more and more hormones are released, then the whole body gets run ragged and organs get exhausted.

Thyroid cells are designed to suck up iodine (they use it to make the hormones), and these overactive tumor cells are especially good at it. That's why injecting the body with "bad" iodine is so effective. The tumor cells greedily suck it up, but when they try to use it, it kills them instead. It can take a few months for hormone levels to really balance out completely, but mostly the effect is pretty instantaneous.

When I took Wendy home after she was immediately a different cat. I didn't feel her heart racing when she slept on my lap anymore. It was like everything had calmed down and she was finally able to just relax. Even though the facility I went to didn't do scintigraphy and tailored dosing (which I really recommend checking for before you book an appointment), it still went very well for her and she was completely cured. Her tests were always inconclusive for kidney disease even after, but it seems likely she did have it, and I'm still glad we did the iodine treatment anyway. I was at least able to relieve her of one disease.

She had a very rough life before me and she did die 2 years later from old age/organ failure, but I'm very glad I did the radioiodine therapy anyway! I know it made her more comfortable in her golden years.

We don't really know what causes hyperthyroidism in cats in the first place, but it is incredibly common. There are some reasonable theories that the toxins and heavy metals in fish are linked to its occurence, so cutting back on fish in the diet is a good idea, although that's more for prevention than treatment. The low-iodine prescription diet is an interesting idea, but I have heard that it is very difficult to get right and it's not most vets' first choice.

Hopefully that all made sense. Best of luck to you and your kitties!