Update on Hyperthyroid diagnosis

[Chit Chat]

This is an update on my cat's (Cookie) progress with her meds for hyperthyroidism. She was diagnosed 4 months ago with the disease. The Vet who diagnosed her wasn't very helpful, and I didn't know the questions to ask in that moment, so I changed Vets and am happy with that decision. Her original Vet casually told me to control it with the special diet, and said that the meds for it can make a cat feel worse. That was it. End of discussion.

I wanted to know the options. Our new Vet has been really helpful and has the attitude of taking things on a case-by-case basis. No 'one size fits all' when it comes to treating this disease. The radioactive iodine therapy isn't done locally, and with the cost and stress it would put on my cat to travel (she's a terrible car rider and sedatives don't help), we needed to either try the meds or do the diet. I have nothing against the special cat food, other than there's not a lot of choices out there. The Vet encouraged the meds and said that he sees good results. I rub the gel on the inside of her ear twice a day. We started at a higher dose, but it was upsetting her stomach, so he advised we halve the dose. One month from starting the meds we had her labs run again. The TH number was coming down, but still in the 'high normal' range (not unexpected). Today, 3 months from that date, and the labs were run again. She is now in the normal range. Kidneys look good too. She's put on a few ounces that she lost.

My Vet's advice is to continue on with this dosage and we'll check again in 3 months. He said there's no guarantee that her thyroid won't act up at some point, but I will continue to monitor her and take her back to him if I see any changes in her. We all know our pets pretty well, and it was the subtle changes I saw that led me to insist on bloodwork in the first place with her previous Vet!

I tried the special thyroid food at first, and she tolerated it pretty well. I also cooked some chicken and mixed in a little sodium-free chicken broth with it. Since I ended up going to the meds, she is back on her normal diet (per the Vet). You don't use the meds and the thyroid food at the same time. It's one or the other. I find that the meds are actually cheaper ($30/approx every 3 weeks) than the special moist food.

I respect those who chose to do the diet. I'm not here to discourage that. I'm just simply updating our journey. I have another cat and it was challenging trying to keep her away from Cookie's special food, and vice versa!!

 

[Chit Chat]

I forgot to say that my cat seems to feel better too. She's back to her old self!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Gppd news! thanks for the update.

 

[vikinggirl34]

I tried the special thyroid food at first, and she tolerated it pretty well. I also cooked some chicken and mixed in a little sodium-free chicken broth with it. Since I ended up going to the meds, she is back on her normal diet (per the Vet). You don't use the meds and the thyroid food at the same time. It's one or the other.

So your new vet did say "one or the other" in other words....food or meds, not both correct?

 

[Chit Chat]

So your new vet did say "one or the other" in other words....food or meds, not both correct?

Yes. If she's on the meds then she shouldn't eat the Science Diet Thyroid food. She can have her normal cat food while being on the meds. The first time I took her to the new Vet she had been on the special diet for a few weeks. I had to wait a day and let that get out of her system before starting her on the medication. She's always been on REGULAR Science Diet dry food, so she gets the Senior dry food in that (but not a thyroid type). She wouldn't eat the thyroid dry food anyway.

I swear by Science Diet cat food. We had another cat live to almost 22 years old. Along with genetics, I think that Science Diet played a big role in that too.

 

[vikinggirl34]

My vet said I can use Hill's Prescription diet along with the Felimazole...I have seen a lot of postings, websites that state differently along with your post. I'm starting to wonder about my current vet?? I don't want to make my cat sick I am to take her in Dec for her first follow-up blood work. I'm going to follow through with what the vet said for this first month and see where her numbers are. And possibly switch vets if things aren't working out properly. She did spend about 10 min on the phone with me the other day going over what should be done in her professional opinion...but vets can and do make mistakes

 

[neely]

The Vet who diagnosed her wasn't very helpful, and I didn't know the questions to ask in that moment, so I changed Vets and am happy with that decision. The Vet encouraged the meds and said that he sees good results.

Thanks so much for the update, we really appreciate it since other members, including myself, have a cat with Hyperthyroidism. I have also been using Methimazole in the transdermal gel form. It has definitely helped but as you know not a cure. We see a feline specialty vet and she has strongly encouraged us to have the I-131 treatment since he is a good candidate for it, i.e. no heart, kidney, lung issues, etc. I waited awhile because I needed time to digest everything and like yourself was concerned about the stress to our cat as well as our finances. However, we are now planning to go with the I-131 radioactive iodine treatment pending approval from the radiology specialist where we will be bringing him. It was a difficult decision to make but I'm hoping the right one for him. We are fortunate that there is a university affiliated veterinary specialty hospital not too far from us where we had previously taken our dog and were extremely satisfied with his care and treatment. I won't lie, we are anxious and nervous but at the same time hopeful.

I'm glad you got a second opinion from another vet when your gut told you the first vet was not as helpful as you would have liked. I'm also glad the reduced dosage of the med. is working for Cookie. Thanks again for the update!

I'm starting to wonder about my current vet??

For your own peace of mind, you may want to consider getting a second opinion. If it's at all possible you may want to consult a feline veterinary specialist although not absolutely necessary. A knowledgeable and caring vet is fine but do your research beforehand.

 

[Chit Chat]

Hello neely! I wish you and your cat all the best with his treatment. Let us know the details once you have it done. I'm sure he'll do well! We'll keep all of our fingers, toes and paws crossed for you guys!!

Hello VikingGirl34! Is your cat on the oral meds? I'm new to all of this info too, so all I can say is to ask your Vet about the meds and the food, then if you're still concerned, second opinions can be helpful. Maybe there's a difference with the oral meds versus the ear gel. I really don't know though. I hope you get the answers you need. Cookie's one month checkup showed her numbers going in the right direction, but still in the high normal range. It took 3 months to get to normal. As my Vet explained to me, we'll try to keep her numbers in the normal range and try to keep it from dropping too low or going too high. It's a balancing act right now with making sure her dosage is right for her. She's was throwing up at first with the full dosage, but is doing much better with half the dose. Every cat is different though! Try not to stress and see what the labs are in December. Hopefully your cat is feeling better. Hugs to you both!!

 

[neely]

Hello neely! I wish you and your cat all the best with his treatment. Let us know the details once you have it done. I'm sure he'll do well! We'll keep all of our fingers, toes and paws crossed for you guys!!

Thank you so much for your vote of confidence. I keep thinking of questions to ask the diagnostic imaging team. I will definitely keep you updated with details once he is admitted for the scintigraphy and I-131 treatment.

Maybe there's a difference with the oral meds versus the ear gel. I really don't know though.

It's my understanding that there are more potential gastrointestinal side effects with the oral medication. The biggest disadvantage with the transdermal gel form is that you have to go to a compound pharmacy. However, we were lucky to have that type of pharmacy only a half-hour away from us. They also offered a discount if you got refills at the same time so I would definitely ask if the compound pharmacy you go to offers a discounted price for refills.