How to Treat an Older Cat with Hyperthyroid Dis-ease

[DannetteB]

My cat, Dougan is 16 and has always been very healthy... until earlier this Spring when she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. It's been a bit of a journey since then for sure.

Dougan was prescribed methimazole liquid (after the Hill's thyroid food failed--she hated it). There was a bit of a rollercoaster ride until she became somewhat stabilized (but not normal) on a half dose of the prescription 2x/day. But then perhaps every month or so, she would start to get hyper again and want to eat all the time, but then wouldn't really eat very much. At those times, I would add one drop of methimazole to one of her two daily doses until she got to the prescribed dose (I've forgotten what that dose was since I pretty much just count drops). She's quite thin now: normally, she was about 12 pounds (she's a long cat and always in very good shape), but then she kept dropping weight until she got to 10 pounds where she stayed for quite a while. Now, I believe she's slightly below 9 pounds, if the scale can be believed.

Her liver enzymes went up initially when on the medication, but I think she's gotten used to it and doesn't vomit nor show any signs that I can tell of elevated liver enzymes. I do not want to add any more mehtimazole going forward for fear of elevating her liver enzymes any more than they already are, but I'm afraid she will need an increase in another month or so.

I need a better solution! I am a follower of Medical Medium and it's been recommended that I try to get a little celery juice in her, along with other things such as tinctures of zinc, B12, lemon balm, etc. The only things I can add to her food that she will not notice, and will therefore ingest, is zinc, sovereign silver, B12, and sometimes a drop of two of lemon balm. In the last few days I've added a bit of vitamin C and L-lysine powder (from capsules) and she seems to not notice that.

I feel these are all bandaids. She seems a bit better, but somewhat teetering on the edge of being hyper still. What would you suggest I do at this point? I would like to see her gain weight of course, but also I would like to see her fur come back to normal (currently, she gets matted fur and it looks greasy). She doesn't groom so much anymore. She purrs and lets me brush her and she will cuddle however.

Any suggestions you can offer me would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Dannette

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Dannette and thanks so much for making your first post!

I'm sorry to hear about your challenges with Dougan.

You are 100% correct that the supplements, diet and even methimazole are really just bandaids.

Fortunately, there's things that you can do which are curative (vs. the palliative bandaid).

To help determine what might work for her, I wonder what she's eaten for most of her life?

Also, has she had any health issues throughout life like urinary symptoms, skin or ear problems, etc.?

If she has, how were these treated and for how long.

The answers to these questions will let us gauge her vitality and balance and determine what to do.

 

[DannetteB]

Thank you for your response. I'm still working on acclimating to the forum. I also appreciated your time yesterday. Regarding her food, I'm on it! I'm going to attach her medical records here in the hopes that it might illuminate something further.
My sincerest thanks,
Dannette

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome Danette. It was wonderful to meet you on the phone!

These results look pretty good to me.

It would be wonderful to monitor Dougan's t4 (thyroid hormone) more closely, but on the phone you mentioned that going to the vet is stressful for her. Perhaps you can find a housecall vet in your area.

A blood recheck is important to assess her internal health. Diagnostic test results like CBC, chemistry, urinalysis, ultrasound, etc. show internal symptoms in addition to the external ones that you can see.

For example, Dougan's creatinine (a kidney value) rose in the few months between tests.

Future blood tests will help define trends, such as her "creatinine creep", which can be an early warning sign of kidney dis-ease.

Even before getting any internal test results, you can monitor external symptoms that are correlated with them like Dougan's weight, heart rate, etc.

Use this data along with her BEAM and any abnormal symptom to help determine, along with your local vet, what to do. Many vets now also offer phone or video consultations.

 

[DannetteB]

You're welcome Danette. It was wonderful to meet you on the phone!

These results look pretty good to me.

It would be wonderful to monitor Dougan's t4 (thyroid hormone) more closely, but on the phone you mentioned that going to the vet is stressful for her. Perhaps you can find a housecall vet in your area.

A blood recheck is important to assess her internal health. Diagnostic test results like CBC, chemistry, urinalysis, ultrasound, etc. show internal symptoms in addition to the external ones that you can see.

For example, Dougan's creatinine (a kidney value) rose in the few months between tests.

Future blood tests will help define trends, such as her "creatinine creep", which can be an early warning sign of kidney dis-ease.

Even before getting any internal test results, you can monitor external symptoms that are correlated with them like Dougan's weight, heart rate, etc.

Use this data along with her BEAM and any abnormal symptom to help determine, along with your local vet, what to do. Many vets now also offer phone or video consultations.

Thank you, Dr. Jeff!
Assuming I can manage it, how often should I get her t4 tested, conservatively?
Also, what are the specific blood tests you think I should have her retested for? Are they CBC, chemistry, urinalysis, ultrasound? I know she recently had an ultrasound and a "wellness panel," but not sure what to ask the vet for specifically. And how often, again, assuming I can manage it, should I have these done?
In the meantime, turning to nutrition, while she's not red hot about cooked or raw turkey or chicken, she seems to enjoy bits of sardines I'm throwing into her normal fare. I hope this is, while maybe not ideal, at least a step in right direction? (Will still keep at it with the turkey and chicken.)
Thanks again!
Best regards,
Dannette

 

[DannetteB]

Also, I cannot seem to find/access the Empower Hour you mentioned regarding the heart. I'd like to see about how to test her heart rate. Thanks!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

You're welcome, Dannette!

Ideally, recheck her thyroid 2-4 weeks after any change in the methimazole (thyroid medication) dosage.

Then every 4-6 months if she is stable. If she is losing weight or showing changes in BEAM (behavior, energy, appetite, mood) then recheck at that time.

The 2-3 times/tear recheck should include t4 (thyroid), CBC, chemistry and urinalysis.

The sardines, or any real, and not commercial cat, food is great to add as part of her vitality-promoting fresh and varied diet.

You may want to try other small fish like anchovies as well as other meats like rabbit.

In addition to the chicken and turkey, some kitties love whole Cornish game hens and quail.

Regarding the heart webinar-course, it's probably together with the other heart Empower Hours! If you have any problems finding it, I'm sure that @aruna can point you to it.

You can reach Aruna here on the forum or at [email protected]

 

[DannetteB]

You're welcome, Dannette!

Ideally, recheck her thyroid 2-4 weeks after any change in the methimazole (thyroid medication) dosage.

Then every 4-6 months if she is stable. If she is losing weight or showing changes in BEAM (behavior, energy, appetite, mood) then recheck at that time.

The 2-3 times/tear recheck should include t4 (thyroid), CBC, chemistry and urinalysis.

The sardines, or any real, and not commercial cat, food is great to add as part of her vitality-promoting fresh and varied diet.

You may want to try other small fish like anchovies as well as other meats like rabbit.

In addition to the chicken and turkey, some kitties love whole Cornish game hens and quail.

Regarding the heart webinar-course, it's probably together with the other heart Empower Hours! If you have any problems finding it, I'm sure that @aruna can point you to it.

You can reach Aruna here on the forum or at [email protected]

Thank you, Dr. Jeff. A lot of good info there. I'm at a bit of a crossroads in a way currently. Seems Dougan stopped enjoying the sardines and doesn't now care much at all for the fresh turkey or chicken meat. I was even having a difficult time getting her methimazole in using the favored method (mixed into Fancy Feast gravy). I also have reduced the medication just slightly. She's lost more weight and for now the only things I can get her to eat with any "reliability" is Friskies canned chicken and Fancy Feast canned chicken. Other than Appetite, her BEAM is good. I am planning on taking her to the vet soon to get the tests performed that you recommended, but I'm also conscious of the fact that it's hard on her to go to the vet. And she's just getting settled into a new home. Hate to say it but I'm feeling somewhat (temporarily) defeated by her hyperthyroidsim.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes, I can understand the overwhelm and defeated feelings related to Dougan's hyperthyroid treatment.

For ease of methimazole administration, have you tried the gel that gets applied inside her ear?

I see that she lost weight, but is she very skinny?

Have you considered consulting with a vet homeopath or someone trained in Traditional Chinese Vet Med?

 

[RobynS]

Hi Dannette!
I'm really sorry to hear about your kitty. I feel for you! Our 16 year old cat, Cindy, was just diagnosed with Hyper-T on October 8th. Secondary to it was the cardiomyopathy they believed was a result of it. We had no idea anything was wrong with her up till she began running through the house at night as if her anxiety level was off the charts. She wouldn't sit still. Kept screaming and yowling. Of course this happened at night with no access to the vet, so she screamed for 7 hours straight! The next day I called around trying to get her seen but thanks to Covid, even the emergency clinics in my area were closed. I finally found an animal hospital 40 minutes away who could see her. But it took me 3 days to get her seen. Three LONG days of yowling and endless running around through the night. Cindy doesn't travel well and the 40 minute drive to get her there took its toll. She held her mouth open and panted the entire time as she screamed. It was a LONG trip! Then it didn't help that they triple booked everyone that day so Cindy had to wait 2 additional hours in the pet carrier. I was so afraid she was going to have a heart attack as I could hear how funny her breathing sounded. I told them I wasn't going to wait anymore when my appointment was 2 hours before and my cat needed help NOW. So they got her in right then and there. After running all their tests/labs/ect, they gave us the bad news. She had hyperthyroidism and her T-levels were 10.4. We didn't get the actual results until 2 days later so the doc didn't want to start her on the Methimazole until his diagnoses was confirmed. From the very first pill, Cindy changed into a cat we didn't recognize anymore. She stopped eating entirely, wouldn't move around, her eyes looked vacant, she seemed totally depressed, and then she threw up. We continued with the meds for a few more days and nothing changed. I was now having to force feed her through a syringe. Our 9 pound cat now weighed 6.4 pounds and looked quite skinny. We had seen the weight change, but we knew she had bad teeth and we were hoping to get some weight on her for the dental surgery we planned on getting for her. Her last dental surgery was a few years before. So we just thought she didn't want to eat because of her bad teeth because she'd growl as she was chewing, twist her head back and forth as she tried to lick the food off her gums, then she'd paw at her mouth. When Cindy's behavior on the methimazole wasn't getting nay better, we contacted her emergency vet and he said to definitely not continue with the pill. He offered other options: transdermal gel, surgery, and radiation. Because we had another cat diagnosed with diabetes 6 weeks before, we didn't want to take a chance of her coming into contact with the transdermal gel and after researching how the surgery and radiation went, even if we had the money for them (which we didn't) my husband and I didn't want to put Cindy through all that. We were told right out of the shoot that there is NO HOLISTIC means by which to help with Feline Hyperthyroidism and to pick one of these other options for her.

That's when I decided I was going to shake the world apart until I found something that WOULD...something NATURAL!!

It took me over a week of phoning around (all the time Cindy was off the medication, all the while having to expand my search area, knowing that I couldn't go too far due to how terribly Cindy does travelling. I found someone who could help and I was so excited, but then I learned Cindy would have to go back and forth frequently (Once every few weeks) and I KNEW right then and there Cindy would never survive it. Their office was 1 1/2 hours away. I felt so hopeless. I didn't give up though. I continued to call around and landed on a holistic vet 40 minutes away. Still quite a distance, but I'd have to risk it.

Cindy screamed the whole way, open mouthed and panting. The vet was scared she was going to have a heart attack. She ran all her tests, and we came up with a game plan. She'd had other Hyper-T cats and had seen how holistic approaches helped them. Our hope was that it would do the same for our Cindy. Once our cat, Olive, was diagnosed diabetic, we pulled up all the dry kibble they'd lived on all their lives (they ate RAWZ kibble...and we thought we were doing good) and started feeding Primal raw food. So Cindy already had about a month's head start and little did we realize the true value of the kind of food they were eating. To make an already long story shorter, Cindy gets all raw food, enzymes, probiotics, milk thistle for her slightly elevated liver value, and on top of incorporating the "purr technique" as I call it, we started her on Thyroid Support Gold by the Petwellbeing company. Her new holistic vet wanted to recheck her in 3 weeks, do labs, and see if the holistic approach was doing anything positive for her. During the 3 weeks that followed, we began noticing an improvement. Cindy went from yowling every night to now only doing this once or so a week by the end of week one. She'd totally stopped by week two. Even though her teeth remained a bane, her appetite was coming back. I found I wasn't having to syringe feed as often now. She was resting now instead of zipping through the house in a frenzy. Every chance I got I would sit and pet her until she purred. Cindy is NOT a lap cat. She doesn't like to be held, so this was quite a feat to achieve. I started trying to get her to play more too. I heard that switching proteins as well as probiotics back and forth is a good thing for them so we ordered a trial of Darwin raw food. At first, both our girls snubbed their noses at it and the whole thing got thrown out. Then I decided to put a little inside their mouth so they could at least taste it...and that's all she wrote. BOTH our cats are so hooked on Darwin now that they refuse to eat the Primal. lol. Cindy actually meets me at the fridge for food at times!

Now came the difficult part. Three weeks were about up and we'd know either way if the holistic approach was helping. I was nervous, but at the same time my gut saw all the positive changes in Cindy and that told me her T-levels just had to have gone down some. I did a lot of praying too! I talked to her vet about how scared I was having her travel all that way just for lab work, and she agreed it would be in Cindy's best interest to have her labs done locally and the results sent to her. Now, that's a sign of a GREAT vet! Cindy's lab work was done on Wednesday and by Thursday the results were in.

The interesting part of the story is that we do NOT like the local vet. They did Cindy's dental a few years back, but we did what was best for Cindy and they are only a mile from our house. Although they DO have Cindy's recent files, the vet who spoke to me and gave me her results, didn't have those files on hand, so she simply read the new results blindly. She had no idea why Cindy was there either. That vet office totally disagrees with holistic medicine/food which is another reason we don't go to them. So when she told me that Cindy's liver enzymes were slightly elevated but nothing that raised any alarm bells, and that her kidney values read the same with no alarm bells, and then she said her T-levels were slightly higher than normal and made a point to let me know this so that we could monitor this going forward, then added that some cats normal is considered higher and then stated they usually go by clinical signs to alert them and asked how Cindy was at home. That's why I told her she'd been diagnosed Hyper-T and that we were there for a 3 week recheck to see if the "meds" were helping. I didn't tell her she was on anything holistic. Then I asked what her T-levels were and she stated "6.2" I actually did a jump for joy in my kitchen, knowing she was at 10.4 before we implemented the holistic approach. When I told her what her numbers used to be she got all excited and said, "Oh, wow. Definitely keep her on those meds because they're working.

Cindy's main issue is throwing up furballs. The holistic vet has us trying to give her some coconut oil daily and to keep brushing her. This has certainly helped, but not as much as I'd hoped. The furballs are about 1/8 the size now, but I wish she wouldn't throw them up at all. She's always been an excessive groomer. She throws one up about every other day or so. Another positive is that during this 3 weeks, her fur has turned silky and shiny again and isn't showing the signs of thinning it had before. I know all cats are different, but I'm hoping that Cindy's story will have helped you and anyone else reading this and at least given you some hope, help, and more options you may not have thought about. And another thing...she's actually gained half a pound! She's up to 6.9 now. Take care!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Fantastic story, Robyn! Thanks for sharing.

Your tireless pursuit of a way to work with Cindy's body naturally is a compelling example of why doing the research step of HMDM (Holistic Medical Decision Making) is so important.

HMDM:

 

[DannetteB]

Hi Dannette!
I'm really sorry to hear about your kitty. I feel for you! Our 16 year old cat, Cindy, was just diagnosed with Hyper-T on October 8th. Secondary to it was the cardiomyopathy they believed was a result of it. We had no idea anything was wrong with her up till she began running through the house at night as if her anxiety level was off the charts. She wouldn't sit still. Kept screaming and yowling. Of course this happened at night with no access to the vet, so she screamed for 7 hours straight! The next day I called around trying to get her seen but thanks to Covid, even the emergency clinics in my area were closed. I finally found an animal hospital 40 minutes away who could see her. But it took me 3 days to get her seen. Three LONG days of yowling and endless running around through the night. Cindy doesn't travel well and the 40 minute drive to get her there took its toll. She held her mouth open and panted the entire time as she screamed. It was a LONG trip! Then it didn't help that they triple booked everyone that day so Cindy had to wait 2 additional hours in the pet carrier. I was so afraid she was going to have a heart attack as I could hear how funny her breathing sounded. I told them I wasn't going to wait anymore when my appointment was 2 hours before and my cat needed help NOW. So they got her in right then and there. After running all their tests/labs/ect, they gave us the bad news. She had hyperthyroidism and her T-levels were 10.4. We didn't get the actual results until 2 days later so the doc didn't want to start her on the Methimazole until his diagnoses was confirmed. From the very first pill, Cindy changed into a cat we didn't recognize anymore. She stopped eating entirely, wouldn't move around, her eyes looked vacant, she seemed totally depressed, and then she threw up. We continued with the meds for a few more days and nothing changed. I was now having to force feed her through a syringe. Our 9 pound cat now weighed 6.4 pounds and looked quite skinny. We had seen the weight change, but we knew she had bad teeth and we were hoping to get some weight on her for the dental surgery we planned on getting for her. Her last dental surgery was a few years before. So we just thought she didn't want to eat because of her bad teeth because she'd growl as she was chewing, twist her head back and forth as she tried to lick the food off her gums, then she'd paw at her mouth. When Cindy's behavior on the methimazole wasn't getting nay better, we contacted her emergency vet and he said to definitely not continue with the pill. He offered other options: transdermal gel, surgery, and radiation. Because we had another cat diagnosed with diabetes 6 weeks before, we didn't want to take a chance of her coming into contact with the transdermal gel and after researching how the surgery and radiation went, even if we had the money for them (which we didn't) my husband and I didn't want to put Cindy through all that. We were told right out of the shoot that there is NO HOLISTIC means by which to help with Feline Hyperthyroidism and to pick one of these other options for her.

That's when I decided I was going to shake the world apart until I found something that WOULD...something NATURAL!!

It took me over a week of phoning around (all the time Cindy was off the medication, all the while having to expand my search area, knowing that I couldn't go too far due to how terribly Cindy does travelling. I found someone who could help and I was so excited, but then I learned Cindy would have to go back and forth frequently (Once every few weeks) and I KNEW right then and there Cindy would never survive it. Their office was 1 1/2 hours away. I felt so hopeless. I didn't give up though. I continued to call around and landed on a holistic vet 40 minutes away. Still quite a distance, but I'd have to risk it.

Cindy screamed the whole way, open mouthed and panting. The vet was scared she was going to have a heart attack. She ran all her tests, and we came up with a game plan. She'd had other Hyper-T cats and had seen how holistic approaches helped them. Our hope was that it would do the same for our Cindy. Once our cat, Olive, was diagnosed diabetic, we pulled up all the dry kibble they'd lived on all their lives (they ate RAWZ kibble...and we thought we were doing good) and started feeding Primal raw food. So Cindy already had about a month's head start and little did we realize the true value of the kind of food they were eating. To make an already long story shorter, Cindy gets all raw food, enzymes, probiotics, milk thistle for her slightly elevated liver value, and on top of incorporating the "purr technique" as I call it, we started her on Thyroid Support Gold by the Petwellbeing company. Her new holistic vet wanted to recheck her in 3 weeks, do labs, and see if the holistic approach was doing anything positive for her. During the 3 weeks that followed, we began noticing an improvement. Cindy went from yowling every night to now only doing this once or so a week by the end of week one. She'd totally stopped by week two. Even though her teeth remained a bane, her appetite was coming back. I found I wasn't having to syringe feed as often now. She was resting now instead of zipping through the house in a frenzy. Every chance I got I would sit and pet her until she purred. Cindy is NOT a lap cat. She doesn't like to be held, so this was quite a feat to achieve. I started trying to get her to play more too. I heard that switching proteins as well as probiotics back and forth is a good thing for them so we ordered a trial of Darwin raw food. At first, both our girls snubbed their noses at it and the whole thing got thrown out. Then I decided to put a little inside their mouth so they could at least taste it...and that's all she wrote. BOTH our cats are so hooked on Darwin now that they refuse to eat the Primal. lol. Cindy actually meets me at the fridge for food at times!

Now came the difficult part. Three weeks were about up and we'd know either way if the holistic approach was helping. I was nervous, but at the same time my gut saw all the positive changes in Cindy and that told me her T-levels just had to have gone down some. I did a lot of praying too! I talked to her vet about how scared I was having her travel all that way just for lab work, and she agreed it would be in Cindy's best interest to have her labs done locally and the results sent to her. Now, that's a sign of a GREAT vet! Cindy's lab work was done on Wednesday and by Thursday the results were in.

The interesting part of the story is that we do NOT like the local vet. They did Cindy's dental a few years back, but we did what was best for Cindy and they are only a mile from our house. Although they DO have Cindy's recent files, the vet who spoke to me and gave me her results, didn't have those files on hand, so she simply read the new results blindly. She had no idea why Cindy was there either. That vet office totally disagrees with holistic medicine/food which is another reason we don't go to them. So when she told me that Cindy's liver enzymes were slightly elevated but nothing that raised any alarm bells, and that her kidney values read the same with no alarm bells, and then she said her T-levels were slightly higher than normal and made a point to let me know this so that we could monitor this going forward, then added that some cats normal is considered higher and then stated they usually go by clinical signs to alert them and asked how Cindy was at home. That's why I told her she'd been diagnosed Hyper-T and that we were there for a 3 week recheck to see if the "meds" were helping. I didn't tell her she was on anything holistic. Then I asked what her T-levels were and she stated "6.2" I actually did a jump for joy in my kitchen, knowing she was at 10.4 before we implemented the holistic approach. When I told her what her numbers used to be she got all excited and said, "Oh, wow. Definitely keep her on those meds because they're working.

Cindy's main issue is throwing up furballs. The holistic vet has us trying to give her some coconut oil daily and to keep brushing her. This has certainly helped, but not as much as I'd hoped. The furballs are about 1/8 the size now, but I wish she wouldn't throw them up at all. She's always been an excessive groomer. She throws one up about every other day or so. Another positive is that during this 3 weeks, her fur has turned silky and shiny again and isn't showing the signs of thinning it had before. I know all cats are different, but I'm hoping that Cindy's story will have helped you and anyone else reading this and at least given you some hope, help, and more options you may not have thought about. And another thing...she's actually gained half a pound! She's up to 6.9 now. Take care!

Dearest Robyn,

I can't thank you enough for taking the time it must have taken to relay Cindy's story! Wow, is all I can say. It was very generous, and it appears you are doing a stellar job of taking care of your dear friend. Congratulations on her 1/2 lb. weight gain, too!

You also made me feel better about my cat, Dougan's, situation. You've shown me that perseverance pays big dividends.

I wish you continued success as you proceed with Cindy--we're hopefully not far behind you!

Dannette

 

[DannetteB]

I wanted to share an update on Dougan's health. I recently took her to a new vet (we moved to a new state very recently) to have her T4 levels checked, among other things. The vet recommended a senior wellness panel, the results of which are attached. I am extremely pleased to say that her weight has been maintaining at around 9.1 lbs. and all of her levels have improved. In addition, I weighed her again 3 days later and she is now 9.6 lbs. I have no idea what to attribute this to, other than a much more increased focus on brushing her and petting her and cuddling with her and continuing to try new foods (to no avail) -- I guess what I'm saying is that perhaps her Mood has improved and is therefore feeling a bit better. In any case, I'll take it! I will continue to endeavor to feed her healthier choices... sigh.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Fantastic news that Dougan is doing well, inside and out, Dannette! Sorry that I missed seeing your post.

Everything you are doing (promoting play and purring, brushing, etc.) is helping re-establish her internal balance.

As you continue with these holistic actions you will see her hyperthyroidism and quality of life improve. With continued monitoring of her thyroid levels, you should also eventually be able to reduce the methimazole medication.

BTW-The instrument which I mentioned when we spoke is called a glass armonica:

Benjamin Franklin's Glass Armonica | The Franklin Institute

In the mid-1700s, Benjamin Franklin served as a delegate for colonial America and spent a great deal of time traveling to London and Paris. During this period, it was quite popular and entertaining for amateur musicians to perform on sets of "singing" or musical glasses. Franklin attended one of...

www.fi.edu