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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / January 2005Hyperthyroidism - Wld appreciate feedback
My cat's dx shows T4 = 5.8 (ranges 1.0-5.0) She has some other #'s that are not much out of the ranges, but she is someone symptomatic & since she's gone thru so much & I'm finally learning about her blood tests, I feel I don't want to wait until her # ranges increase. I'm looking for feedback & others experiences. I will be picking up her Methimazole (Tapazole) on Monday. I did also look up the side affects of this med (until it's properly regulated for her). Thanx Joan My oldest cat (who died this year of cancer at age 17) was on Tapazole for many years with no side effects. The meds was initially monitored more closely and after she stabilized on it, her blood was tested every 6 months. I used to have the prescription filled at a pharmacy and found it to be a little less expensive this way. Gail > My cat's dx shows T4 = 5.8 (ranges 1.0-5.0) > She has some other #'s that are not much out of the ranges, but she is [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanx > Joan > My cat's dx shows T4 = 5.8 (ranges 1.0-5.0) > She has some other #'s that are not much out of the ranges, but she is [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanx > Joan Speak to your vet about free T4 by equilibrium dialysis (fT4ED) assay. Its the most accurate way to measure fT4 and is more sensitive in assessing thyroid function in sick animals where the T4 might be depressed. fT4ED isn't affected by altered protein levels as much routine T4 assays because the blood sample is dialysed before its assayed. http://maxshouse.com/Hyperthyroidism_in_Cats.htm Phil All three of my older cats had hyperthyroidism. They all took methimazole and had no side effects. Nuisance - 12 years old...had feline aids, ate like a horse and lost weight dramatically. I thought it was the aids and had him checked out. The vet said that if it were the aids, that he wouldn't eat. After the blood panel, he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and put in meds. In just 2 months he had gained all of his weight back and lived for another 4 wonderful healthy years. Weasil - 14 years old, same thing...no aids, lived until 16 years, dying of bone cancer of the jaw. Yoda - 16 years old, same as Weasil....died of kidney failure. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this medicine kept my kitties alive for years! I wouldn't have traded that for anything! Most people think that when their old cats are losing weight, it's just from old age and don't do anything for them. Most are wrong, but they don't think to get them checked out. Cause? They're not sure. I've read studies that have been done that found out this: 1..Cats that use a cat box rather than going outside were more prone to it. 2..Cats that eat wet food rather then dry food were more prone. 3..Cats that have had flea topical medications were more prone. (These were only the findings on one study, so I can't say that it was totally accurate. But all three of my cats primarilly used cat boxes, ate wet food, and were given Advantage most of their lives, so I'm prone to beleive it.) Good Luck Debbie >I've read studies that have been done that found out this: Just to add some anecdotal evidence to the contrary, Cinder was around 14 when diagnosed. She made the RB trip last month a couple months shy of 19 years old. >1..Cats that use a cat box rather than going outside were more prone to it. Cinder was supposed to use the box, but was not very good at it until her last couple of years. She always seemed to get close, such as the rugs around the litter box. Then I finally left out the litter and stuck a rug in the box, and from then on she was very good at it. More laundry for me, but it was worth it. >2..Cats that eat wet food rather then dry food were more prone. Cinder was fed dry food only up until after she was diagnosed as hyper-T. Only then do I do enough reading to find out that wet was really much better for her, and then she had both wet and dry. >3..Cats that have had flea topical medications were more prone. We were fortunate to never have a flea problem, and Cinder had not had any topical flea medications. >(These were only the findings on one study, so I can't say that it was totally accurate. But all three of my cats primarilly used cat boxes, ate wet food, and were given Advantage most of their lives, so I'm prone to beleive it.) I think Cinder enjoyed being contrary. L. > All three of my older cats had hyperthyroidism. They all took methimazole and had no side effects. <snip> > 2..Cats that eat wet food rather then dry food were more prone. The risk wasn't associated with canned food in general, the "risk" was associated with cats that ate fish or liver and giblets flavors of canned food. "Evaluation of dietary and environmental risk factors for hyperthyroidism in cats" J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000 Sep 15;217(6):853-6. The credibility of a study is determined by its methodology, and IIRC, both studies relied on owner opinion rather than hard clinical data, so the results should be taken with a grain of salt. Phil "I love cats because they are so beautiful aesthetically. They are like sculpture walking around the house." --Wanda Toscanini Horowitz Feline healthcare http://maxshouse.com I was pleased to see this subject raised, as my 15 1/2 year old cat has just been diagnosed yesterday. Can anyone tell me/hazard a guess as to how long a cat would have to have hyperthyroidism to get an astronomically high T4 reading of 287? My vet told me that normal readings should be between 13 and 48. The reason I ask is that I suspect that my previous vet missed it on at least 2 occasions. Toby is a foreign black and I have read that hyperthyroidism is rare in the Siamese group. Because of this, I am also worried that the lump in his neck may not be benign, as is usually the case. Many thanks Kate >> All three of my older cats had hyperthyroidism. They all took >> methimazole > and had no side effects. > <snip> >> 2..Cats that eat wet food rather then dry food were more prone. > The risk wasn't associated with canned food in general, the "risk" > was > associated with cats that ate fish or liver and giblets flavors of > canned > food. > "Evaluation of dietary and environmental risk factors for > hyperthyroidism [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > results should be taken with a grain of salt. > Phil > "I love cats because they are so beautiful aesthetically. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Feline healthcare http://maxshouse.com > I was pleased to see this subject raised, as my 15 1/2 year old cat > has just been diagnosed yesterday. Can anyone tell me/hazard a guess [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Many thanks > Kate Hi Kate, Whenever I get back abnormal and especially very abnormal test results, I always have the cat retested - sometimes twice by two different labs. If I were you, I'd have Toby's T4 retested with the Free T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis (fT4ED) assay - its the most accurate test - other than nuclear imagining -for feline hyperthyroidism. Don't let the word "dialysis" scare you - the blood *sample* is dialyzed before its assayed. All that's needed from the cat is about 5 minutes of his time and 1.5 ml of blood. Its not an expensive test - Cornell charges about $20. Because of Toby's age, its very important that you monitor his kidney function (BUN/Creatinine) very closely while he's receiving treatment. I would absolutely not recommend radioiodine or surgery for a senior cat. Although radioiodine may be the only option in the *highly* unlikely event the tumor is not benign. Best of luck. Phil "It always gives me a shiver when I see a cat seeing what I can't" --Eleanor Farjeon Feline Healthcare: http://maxshouse.com >> I was pleased to see this subject raised, as my 15 1/2 year old >> cat has just been diagnosed yesterday. Can anyone tell me/hazard [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > seeing what I can't" --Eleanor Farjeon > Feline Healthcare: http://maxshouse.com Thanks for the advice Phil. We are to re-visit the vet in 2 weeks, when I will mention the fT4ED test you mention. However, as I live in the UK, I wonder if this test is available here. I must say the cost seems a lot less expensive than in England; the T4 test Toby just had cost ?28 - equivalent to about US$52 - although I consider it money well-spent. We ruled out radioiodine treatment from the start, not only because of Toby`s age, but also because the nearest facility is too far away, we would not be able to visit him even if we were allowed, and the vet told me that he would have to stay there for 6 weeks (is this a UK ruling, or is it the same in the USA?). He has had a renal function test already and his kidneys are working fine at the moment. The vet has already said that he will need regular tests because of the danger of renal failure, since the kidneys become used to the high throughput of the increased blood pressure that hyperthyroidism causes. Meanwhile, I am making sure that Toby is drinking plenty. It is perhaps unfortunate that the normal symptoms of hyperthyroidism include huge appetite, restlessness and vocalisation, as all these were normal behaviour for Toby from when he was a kitten. The weight loss has been fairly recent, but since he was somewhat chunky before, I didn`t worry initially. It was only when the weight loss continued that I realised something must be amiss. He is now down from 6kg to 3.5. He is a large and previously heavily-muscled cat, with big bones, and not the archetypal delicately-formed Siamese-type, so at 3.5kg he looks appalling. The reason I was worried that the tumour may be malignant is, firstly, because hyperthyroidism is so unusual in a Siamese, and, secondly, I can feel another lump in Toby`s belly, below the ribcage on his left side. It is longish and narrow. Now, it could be something that is supposed to be there and I can only feel it because he has lost so much weight, but I shall mention it to the vet next visit, or maybe sooner. Thank you again. Kate > All three of my older cats had hyperthyroidism. They all took methimazole and had no side effects. > [...] > I guess what I'm trying to say is that this medicine kept my kitties alive for years! I wouldn't have traded that for anything! This is good to know, as our ten-year-old is on it now. I plan to get her the radiation therapy if her levels stay good and her kidney function stays good too, but still, it is good to know she might be okay on the medicine if she has to be on it a while. > Most people think that when their old cats are losing weight, it's just from old age and don't do anything for them. Most are wrong, but they don't think to get them checked out. > Cause? They're not sure. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > (These were only the findings on one study, so I can't say that it was totally accurate. But all three of my cats primarilly used cat boxes, ate wet food, and were given Advantage most of their lives, so I'm prone to beleive it.) Just adding my "data," Buddha has been indoor all her life, has never had flea treatments, and ate dry only until she was nine years old. One more question: How old is your cat? If the cat is young enough and you have the money, there is a treatment called Radioactive iodine, which is supposed to have a 90% cure rate. There is lots of information on the web about this if you are interested. Debbie I sure wish I knew about this forum when I was going through my older cats problems.........this is great! It really eases some minds knowing that there are good outcomes to such a scary thing. Debbie Shana is 15 1/2 yrs old. I have her on the Methimazole (Tapazole) & she seems a bit calmer. I'm not sure about her appetite, I think today was a bit down, but she did eat her yummies. I know there's so much that can be done for cats suffering with this, but considering Shana's age, I think I would like to just make her comfortable with meds & let her live out her life. I will have her tested again a bit down the road to see what the changes are. The other thing is that I've got her on an anti-biotic as her blood-urine test did show signs of inflammation (urine test showed a little blood). So I'll have that test also. You have all been a bit help & I want to thank you. It gives me that I can maybe have her around a bit longer. Regards, Joan |
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