Cat - hyperthyroidism

Tiddlywinks

My vet also mentioned that the diet makes a difference in some cats - thanks for mentioning that LavendarBees - I'd completely forgotten that... it wasn't even an option for my girl as she had complications from the outset but vets do seem to think it's viable in a lot of cases.

rubytuesday

My cat had the op last year aged thirteen and recovered very well and is doing fine.

As for tablets I do the towel trick and rubbing the throat too.

LavenderBees

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

My vet also mentioned that the diet makes a difference in some cats - thanks for mentioning that LavendarBees - I'd completely forgotten that... it wasn't even an option for my girl as she had complications from the outset but vets do seem to think it's viable in a lot of cases.

I hope so, Tiddlywinks. I didn't know about it until a couple of days ago. My vet only found out when she was talking to the drugs company about dosage options, and they agreed nothing was going to help Charlie. It was a throwaway comment from the drugs company rep at the end of the call

I've looked online (naturally) and it has some rave reviews from cat owners, though some mention constipation can be a problem (but that's easily got around). For those who can't take medication or won't take medication, it does seem to be a good option. Fingers crossed, anyway.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Yep. The much missed gruesome twosome both had it - Meep had one thyroid lobe removed at age 5 and sprung back instantly, then eventually succumbed to it and liver failure when it returned at age 14. She spent the best part of six months doing fine on Felimazole first, though, but then destabilised and she was put to sleep late last year.

Oggs only got it at age 14, and he went rapidly downhill as the thyroid disease had masked another condition.


Meep was tried on the Hills Y/D diet but refused it point blank, she had accepted the L/D for a brief time, but she was in all honestly probably too far gone by then.


She took the thyroid meds quite happily right up until the last month or so - bunged in pate, cream cheese, ham, mayonnaise or just poked in there with an 'open'.


If Moglet Fluffnutter is healthy enough in himself and he stabilises well on Felimazole, whilst there is risk to every operation, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it on the basis of how Meep was transformed overnight when having it done.

It gave her another nine troublefree years of joyously wreaking havoc, destruction and disaster.

And what cat doesn't deserve that?

geri1965_2

My cat has to take medication and I use the meaty stick treats you get from the supermarket - snip about an inch off, make a hole with a skewer, stick the tablets in and pinch it together again. She just wolfs it down without noticing the tablet.

My mum's cat had a thyroid problem, he had the operation and is fine now. A colleague's cat had the iodine treatment but he had to go away for a few weeks.

fluffnutter

In response to a few of your replies...

Crushing the tablets - this isn't recommended apparently, partly because of how they're absorbed in the gut but mainly, and more worryingly, because we can absorb dust from the tablets and it affects our own thyroids.

Diet - he's a scavenger and very sociable. I'm not convinced that some people in the street don't give him the odd tidbit. My vet said that controlling the condition through diet alone will only work if we're completely regimented about what he eats (which we can't be).

Radioactive treatment - this will involve a 2 week stay in a 'posh cattery' (vet's words) near Bristol (I'm in Portsmouth). It's a long way plus he can't even cope with being at the vets for a morning, let alone somewhere for 2 weeks. I really think it would be too distressing for him.

I think we will go the surgery route, although as paddypaws mentions this won't be completely successful if he has thyroid tissue elsewhere in his body. I want to do something long term though. In the scheme of things, he's still so young

Thanks for all your replies.

fluffnutter

Cheese really worked

Mayflower10cat

Yes, we had a HyperT cat called Sam and he was addicted to cheese/prawns/human food basically. I believe Felimazole are enteric coated tablets and not supposed to be crushed? Well, we didn't know that at the time and bought a pill crusher (brilliant device and way easier than using a spoon and a plate) and mixed the powder into a tiny amount of cheap smelly pate/dairylea (or even veggie pate, he liked that too) and wrapped the little morsel in some cheap ham (for some reason, Sam liked anything 'cheapo' way more than any supermarket 'Finest' product) and he would wolf it down. I've also used supermarket smoked mackeral pate or homemade salmon pate to conceal tablets, the final wrap of cheap ham/smoked salmon/luncheon meat/chicken roll seemed to make them irresistable. In fact at one stage, I used to make dummy treats for my other cats as they were so jealous of Sam's luxury, twice a day, smelly nibbles.....

geri1965_2

fluffnutter wrote: »

Radioactive treatment - this will involve a 2 week stay in a 'posh cattery' (vet's words) near Bristol (I'm in Portsmouth). It's a long way plus he can't even cope with being at the vets for a morning, let alone somewhere for 2 weeks. I really think it would be too distressing for him.

My work colleague had her cat treated there (Langford) and they are really, really good but the not seeing him was hard.

fluffnutter

Bit of an update...

Stupid Cat's now had his thyroidectomy. They were concerned that the tumour was cancerous because of his relatively young age, his very severe symptoms (his thyroxin levels were 'off the scale') and how invasive the growth was.

The biopsy results thankfully revealed a benign tumour, his appetite is finally starting to diminish, he's put a bit of weight on and he's looking well. As a further bonus, no more pills!

Thanks to all who posted. Looks like we've got a few more years to enjoy him