Fish or kelp for cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism

[BashaC]

One of my cats has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. He (and the rest of his crew) used to get fish ever once in a while, mostly canned fish and/or the juice from the can. Since the diagnosis, we've stopped feeding any fish/fish juice. However, he really enjoyed it. We would just put it on top of their raw food as a treat.

I'm wondering if occasional fish / fish juice is okay to give him? We also used to put Solid Gold Sea Meal in the food. Since it has kelp/seaweed in it, I stopped, but I'm wondering if I was premature in doing so. Is this something that could be sprinkled on his food sometimes?

Is giving a cat with a hyperthyroid diagnosis canned fish and/or fish juice or Sea Meal okay intermittently? If so, is it appropriate to give him 1 x week, 2 x month, 1 x month, etc.?

Thank you for your guidance.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Homeopathy or great TCVM is key to resolving/managing hyperthyroidism. Dr. Sara did a great webinar on this.

Love to hear from @Dr. Jean Hofve, @Dr. Sue @Dr. Sara and others. In my opinion, fish and sea products are fine to feed.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

I'm wondering if occasional fish / fish juice is okay to give him?

Yes, but you may want to limit that as well as the Sea Meal to once/week.

Does he absolutely love fish food?

What was his thyroid hormone test result?

How's his BEAM and other symptoms?

 

[Dr. Sara]

Hyperthyroidism signs can be worsened by feeding foods high in iodine. Kelp and some fish can be high in iodine, which is why intake should be restricted. Many kelp supplements warn against the use of kelp in hyperthyroid cats. A healthy cat should be able to eat these things; a hyperthyroid cat is unbalanced, and it is wise to avoid kelp, and avoid high iodine fish in their diets.
Stay well,
Dr. Sara

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Agree with Dr. Sara! I'm even more of an absolute "No!" on kelp and therefore on Sea Meal because of the iodine. Excess iodine can contribute to developing hyperthyroidism, though I believe that is only true for cats fed commercial pet food. Iodine is expensive to test for, and there is no maximum, so companies just dump a bunch in, need it or not!

The original paper citing cat food as a possible factor in hyperthyroidism found the highest risk for foods containing fish and/or giblets (i.e., by-products). Of course, the fish in cat food is trash fish, and includes the fishes' thyroid glands, which adds insult to injury!

A bit of fish juice here and there is fine, and fish as a small--and rare--treat is okay, I've just seen too many problems with feeding fish to cats, even excellent quality fish, and even in my own cats! Lesson learned!

 

[BashaC]

Thank you, everyone! I appreciate you all chiming in and sharing your knowledge and experience.

What was his thyroid hormone test result?

His T4 levels went from 4.3 at the end of July to 9.2 at the beginning of January.

How's his BEAM and other symptoms?

They were great, but the past few weeks he hasn't been as robust. He hasn't been interacting with me as much, seems....older. I'm wondering if there is some residual effects from being under anesthesia, being giving pain medication and antibiotics, and the stress.

Homeopathy or great TCVM is key to resolving/managing hyperthyroidism. Dr. Sara did a great webinar on this.

With vet guidance, I put him on PetWellbeing Thyroid Support Gold and SP Feline Whole Body Support (in addition to a probiotic) as well as homeopathy. The vet just had us dose him with Nat 200C.

Does he absolutely love fish food?

He loves the fish juice and canned fish.

It sounds like a clear no to the Sea Meal and a possible intermittent treat of fish juice. He really loves the fish juice and feel better knowing that every once in a while is okay, though I feel very catutious about it. If he didn't love it so much, I would be find leaving it out of their 'bag of treats'.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Since he's so keen on it, you could put a few drops of juice on his food two or three times a week. A tiny amount would be safe every day. We don't want to turn him into a junkie who refuses food without it!

 

[BashaC]

Since he's so keen on it, you could put a few drops of juice on his food two or three times a week. A tiny amount would be safe every day. We don't want to turn him into a junkie who refuses food without it!

Thank you!