I have a background in medicine so I'll throw in my own advice.
This is not a product that should be given to cats. Please take the example of the author who tried this approach and the results are documented in her blog. There is no reason to think that a low Iodine diet will treat hyperthyroidism. The mere idea is ridiculous and vets promoting this sort of treatment are lacking theoretical understanding of medicine.
Just because it sounds like it should work, does not mean it works. Thats what studies are for. The only studies claimed by this company are by the manufacture themselves and I couldn't even find the studies in the journal they were purportedly published in. This is a red flag.
Hyperthyroid cats have thyroids that naturally are put in 5th-gear, so to speak, on thyroid hormone production. If you deplete iodine enough, they will simply deplete stores and become hypOthyroid. This has its own issues. There is no in-between euthyroid state in such a situation.
Unfortunately, hyperthyroidism is an illness with few options. That does not mean we should reach for simple answers. The reason drugs have side effects is because they are actually doing something. Having a sudden perfect cure, by a simple diet, that resolves the need for medications and their side effects is another red flag. Its too simple. Snake oil peddling. Real drugs have real side effects because they do real things.
The best option in dealing with hyperthyroidism is not the cheapest but is radioactive iodine ablation of the thyroid, destroying the gland itself, and giving thyroid hormone in pill form to the cat for the rest of its life with frequent visits to the vet to ensure the levels are good. The result you want to follow is not the T4 level, its the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level because it is common for the free T4 and total T4 to be normal, while the TSH is extremely low because the brain is trying to stop 'stimulating the thyroid' to produce hormone. It doesn't need normal T4 levels in such a situation, it needs low T4 levels because its been drowining in thyroid hormone and needs a break from it.... In any case, it is easier to treat hypOthyroidism than hyperthyroidism so radioiodine ablation is the best long term option.
The other option is methimazole which has its side effects.
But in any case, this diet is an absurd idea and I would stay away from vets that recommend this... no matter how warm and nice they are
This is not a product that should be given to cats. Please take the example of the author who tried this approach and the results are documented in her blog. There is no reason to think that a low Iodine diet will treat hyperthyroidism. The mere idea is ridiculous and vets promoting this sort of treatment are lacking theoretical understanding of medicine.
Just because it sounds like it should work, does not mean it works. Thats what studies are for. The only studies claimed by this company are by the manufacture themselves and I couldn't even find the studies in the journal they were purportedly published in. This is a red flag.
Hyperthyroid cats have thyroids that naturally are put in 5th-gear, so to speak, on thyroid hormone production. If you deplete iodine enough, they will simply deplete stores and become hypOthyroid. This has its own issues. There is no in-between euthyroid state in such a situation.
Unfortunately, hyperthyroidism is an illness with few options. That does not mean we should reach for simple answers. The reason drugs have side effects is because they are actually doing something. Having a sudden perfect cure, by a simple diet, that resolves the need for medications and their side effects is another red flag. Its too simple. Snake oil peddling. Real drugs have real side effects because they do real things.
The best option in dealing with hyperthyroidism is not the cheapest but is radioactive iodine ablation of the thyroid, destroying the gland itself, and giving thyroid hormone in pill form to the cat for the rest of its life with frequent visits to the vet to ensure the levels are good. The result you want to follow is not the T4 level, its the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level because it is common for the free T4 and total T4 to be normal, while the TSH is extremely low because the brain is trying to stop 'stimulating the thyroid' to produce hormone. It doesn't need normal T4 levels in such a situation, it needs low T4 levels because its been drowining in thyroid hormone and needs a break from it.... In any case, it is easier to treat hypOthyroidism than hyperthyroidism so radioiodine ablation is the best long term option.
The other option is methimazole which has its side effects.
But in any case, this diet is an absurd idea and I would stay away from vets that recommend this... no matter how warm and nice they are
