T 3 Suppression Test

[alana0011]

I have posted about Amber's issues before, but I finally made the decision to go with the T3 suppression test, which I think has some drawbacks for us.
I always value the opinions of others who have a lot of experience, so I thank you in advance for any feedback.

Amber's thyroid gland is slightly enlarged, but her blood work did not show abnormal thyroid levels. She does have some kidney issues, which have gotten a little worse in a few months. Basically, she does fine. She does eat and drink, and she makes these vocalizations every now and then which the vet said might be because she has hyperthyroidism. She said there is no way to know if she does have this unless we did the suppression test.

Other possible symptoms are that she has lost weight, but I realize this could be because of something else. I asked the vet about a test to make sure she doesn't have a vitamin B 12 deficiency, but she said since she's not showing signs of intestinal problems, that probably was not a problem.

I didn't want to start her on the thyroid medicine not knowing if she really has hyperthyroidism, so I decided to do the test which I'm afraid will be a hassle because she doesn't take pills well at all and it's stressful. She also won't take them in pill pockets.

If this were your cat, what would you do? I hate to not treat her if she has this condition, and I also hate to treat her for it if she doesn't.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Did Amber have a T4 test done? If so, what was the result? I never did the T3 testing, because Feeby had a T4 reading high enough to determine hyperthyroidism.

I have had success - with a cat very reluctant to pills - in giving her Felimazole crushed up into a bite of her morning breakfast, before I give her the rest of the meal. At the second dose in the PM, she is willing to eat it, crushed up, into lickable treats.

Feeby did lose weight before starting Felimazole, but has been able maintain her weight since starting the meds. She has other issues as well, and those are being treated too, but that all happened after she stopped losing weight once the hyperthryoidism was treated. She does have CKD as well, which is not uncommon once hyperthryroidism is being treated. The hyperthyroidism can mask kidney issues.

 

[Furballsmom]

Did Amber have a T4 test done? If so, what was the result?

her blood work did not show abnormal thyroid levels.

Hi
I have the same question. If there was a T4 test that came back high normal, I would think you could do a Free T4 test, which is done from a blood draw without any additional requirements.

Anyway, to answer your question, the thing that scared me the most about Hyper-T is if it isn't addressed, the side effects such as high blood pressure are pretty awful.

Oh, by the way, speaking of, you might want to ask your vet to start taking her blood pressure so that you know what's going on there.

 

[alana0011]

Did Amber have a T4 test done? If so, what was the result? I never did the T3 testing, because Feeby had a T4 reading high enough to determine hyperthyroidism.

I have had success - with a cat very reluctant to pills - in giving her Felimazole crushed up into a bite of her morning breakfast, before I give her the rest of the meal. At the second dose in the PM, she is willing to eat it, crushed up, into lickable treats.

Feeby did lose weight before starting Felimazole, but has been able maintain her weight since starting the meds. She has other issues as well, and those are being treated too, but that all happened after she stopped losing weight once the hyperthryoidism was treated. She does have CKD as well, which is not uncommon once hyperthryroidism is being treated. The hyperthyroidism can mask kidney issues.

Thanks for the feedback!
Amber's thyroid levels were normal, so this is what makes it so hard. She was just now vocalizing, and then she will calm down. The vet checked her out and found nothing that would cause pain. I don't know.
The vet said the suppression test will determine if she has hyperthyroidism. She already has kidney issues and has some of the symptoms for hyperthyroidism. I've never been through this before, and I've treated cats with this disease with no problem, but their bloodwork diagnosed the hyperthyroidism.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Vocalization can be for many other reasons - so can weight loss. Both could actually be tied to kidney issues. Also, connnected to arthritis.

 

[alana0011]

Vocalization can be for many other reasons - so can weight loss. Both could actually be tied to kidney issues. Also, connnected to arthritis.

She does have arthritis and gets Adequan shots. The only reason that makes me think she has hyperthyroidism is because the vet said her thyroid gland is enlarged, but the bloodwork is normal, so I don't know what to do other than to have the suppression test.

 

[fionasmom]

Fiona herself had hyperthyroidism. We did the T4 test; never T3 and I gave her the medication in BFF cat food.

 

[neely]

If this were your cat, what would you do? I hate to not treat her if she has this condition, and I also hate to treat her for it if she doesn't.

This is just me being a worry wart pet parent but if it were me and I had any doubts I would get a second opinion from a veterinary feline specialist. That might give you peace of mind.

 

[alana0011]

This is just me being a worry wart pet parent but if it were me and I had any doubts I would get a second opinion from a veterinary feline specialist. That might give you peace of mind.

Yes! We are going next Wednesday.

 

[Furballsmom]