Hello friends, I am new here. Just got back from the vet with my 13 year old Maincoone She had lost 3 lbs in 8 months, hair looked bad and throwing up frequently. He did a complete blood panel, but seems to feel it is a thryoid tumor. Everything I have read has made me feel sad. Anyone had any experience with this? Thanks and looking forward to this forum. In addition to my Maincoon (Kitty) I have a Manx, (Stubby), 2 Cairns (scruffy and Sparky) and manage feral cat colony that I love very much.
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thyroid tumor
- Thread starter stubbys mom
- Start Date
How is your kitty's teeth? Did the vet check to see if there are any infected ones? Did the vet check her blood pressure too?
Last year my Chynna was throwing up multiple times per day. Turns out it was due to high blood pressure. Once she started on blood pressure pills she stopped throwing up. She still throws up on occasion, but not every day and not multiple times.
Her coat was also terrible and she had lost a great deal of weight in a short period of time. We thought for sure it was her thyroid. Turns out at the time it was malnutrition from her bad teeth which were preventing her from eating adequately. Once she had a dental her coat improved because she was able to eat.
Fast forward a year.....
I took her in a week ago again because I thought she had a urinary tract infection. Her thyroid is now hyperactive (a year ago the test was normal). She is now on a daily pill for her thyroid. Ideally she needs to have radiation to kill off the thyroid but they don't have that capability where I live, so I have to give her Tapazole. The only problem with that is it can affect her renal function, so she requires closer monitoring for her kidney function now and it will advance faster than it otherwise would have.
She's been on the thyroid pill for a bit more than a week now and she seems to be doing ok. I was told that she could lose her appetite and throw up, but she seems to still be eating and drinking well.
If they didn't inspect her teeth or do a blood pressure, I would have them do that first. By the way, what makes the vet suspect a thyroid tumor if the blood work was normal?
Last year my Chynna was throwing up multiple times per day. Turns out it was due to high blood pressure. Once she started on blood pressure pills she stopped throwing up. She still throws up on occasion, but not every day and not multiple times.
Her coat was also terrible and she had lost a great deal of weight in a short period of time. We thought for sure it was her thyroid. Turns out at the time it was malnutrition from her bad teeth which were preventing her from eating adequately. Once she had a dental her coat improved because she was able to eat.
Fast forward a year.....
I took her in a week ago again because I thought she had a urinary tract infection. Her thyroid is now hyperactive (a year ago the test was normal). She is now on a daily pill for her thyroid. Ideally she needs to have radiation to kill off the thyroid but they don't have that capability where I live, so I have to give her Tapazole. The only problem with that is it can affect her renal function, so she requires closer monitoring for her kidney function now and it will advance faster than it otherwise would have.
She's been on the thyroid pill for a bit more than a week now and she seems to be doing ok. I was told that she could lose her appetite and throw up, but she seems to still be eating and drinking well.
If they didn't inspect her teeth or do a blood pressure, I would have them do that first. By the way, what makes the vet suspect a thyroid tumor if the blood work was normal?
Did your vet do a T4? If yes, what was the number?
Based on a very strange experience I once had I have to ask the same question.
Stubbys Mom, please give us more info!
And, please, don't feel sad, even if your kitty does have a thyroid tumor, thyroid tumors are highly treatable. By no means do they mean the end of the road for a kitty. Especially one that's only 13 years old.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Thanks for the feedback. The results of the blood panel have not come back yet, so we re still not positive what is wrong, but vet thinks it is a tumor. He hs not ruled out other options. I will keep you posted as I get updates.
Welcome to TCS
I don`t have any experience of this but hope your cat gets better
I don`t have any experience of this but hope your cat gets better
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Kittys blood pnel came bck fantastic. Vet was actually shocked at how good it was
. Wants to change diet to Royal Canin Presciption. I just started a thread to see how people felt. My dog forum hates RC, but they are very fussy adn most feed raw.. Thanks!
If the blood work results are "fantastic", what's the reason for the prescription diet? Do you know?
Also, did you get a copy of the blood work results? If not, pick up a copy for your own records as soon as possible. When you have it, go over all the numbers most carefully to see how those "fantastic" results really look like. You may discover something that requires further thought.
See whether all the values are normal, or you find some that are low-normal or high-normal. You will have to keep a very close eye on those that are low-normal or high-normal. These are the values that tell you about potential problems and help you decide how soon you should have follow up blood work done.
Please pay special attention to the T4 value for future reference.
Also, did you get a copy of the blood work results? If not, pick up a copy for your own records as soon as possible. When you have it, go over all the numbers most carefully to see how those "fantastic" results really look like. You may discover something that requires further thought.
See whether all the values are normal, or you find some that are low-normal or high-normal. You will have to keep a very close eye on those that are low-normal or high-normal. These are the values that tell you about potential problems and help you decide how soon you should have follow up blood work done.
Please pay special attention to the T4 value for future reference.
