Possible Hypothyroidism for Sasha...

Since November I've noticed that Sasha has dropped an incredible amount of weight (she's now at 5 pounds) despite her eating all the time. At first I thought it was stress due to Phoebe but they've been acting like best of friends and have started grooming each other. But she also hasn't been acting like herself either. Before she was always on the couch snuggling with someone, but now she stays underneath our kitchen island in a cat bed 24/7. She had bloody stool a few times as well.

I took her to the vet two days ago and as she flicked her head from side to side she flicked blood on one of the vet techs. The vet looked around at her and noticed that her ears are completely closed shut with this dry, scaly skin. She's had this skin condition since I've had her and it usually isn't a problem, she just has patches where her body produces too much skin. Kind of like keloids. Anyway, her coat is also horrible. She stopped grooming herself a month ago and is filthy, even after bathing her myself. Phoebe tries her best to clean her but its no use. The vet said that Hypothyroidism is running through his head right now, but we'll need to do tests before we can be sure. The first thing we're doing is handling the bloody stool. They did a fecal and there weren't any worms but there were single cell organisms called spider-something-or-other. She's been given a one time tape worm killer pill, anti-biotics, and some stuff to sprinkle on her food to help with intestinal issues. After this round is over we'll go from there to do the bloodwork and the T4 test.

The thing that shocked me the most were her ears. Its no wonder she wouldn't answer to her name anymore.

How old is your kitty?

I think you mean HYPERthyroidism (overactive thyroid).

How come the Vet didn't suggest doing bloodwork to check for all possible causes of weight loss?

I take it your cat goes outside otherwise why would kitty be treated for tapeworm if an indoor cat?

What were the antibiotics given for? Just so you know, some antibiotics can cause diarrhea, upset tummy and decreased appetite.

5 lbs is pretty small. How much weight do you think she lost?

Sasha is around 7. We are going to do bloodwork, but we're going with the bloody stool first and getting that out of the way. Plus my vet knows that money is an issue and he didn't want to throw too many things at once at me. No Sasha's a strictly in door cat, but it doesn't hurt to completely rule out the possibilities and its just a one time pill. The pills they gave her is Metronidazole, just two cut into 1/4's for once a day.

I'm not exactly sure how much Sasha weight at her healthiest, but it was too the point where she had this cute waddle when she walked. Now I can feel her hip bones jut out. Its pretty bad.

I am sorry to hear about your Sasha and I wish her to get better soon!!!

In some cats thyroid disease does not show up in blood work. Our Sammy was diagnosed in Dec with thyroid disease. His blood work was all normal (T3, T4 and organ profile) but he had all the symtoms: weight loss, excessive shedding, excessive eating, oily coat, soft stools and throat nodule. He developed a grade 2 murmur as a result of the thyroid overworking. Our vet decided to treat the symptoms. We give him 5mg Metro (the gel form) and he has been feeling much much better: gained weight, firmer stools, not shedding so much and just looking more alive.

What is the Metro dose you give her?

Marina

Its 250 mg, 2 tablets divided into fourths, and I give her 1 fourth tablet once a day.

Are you sure a tablet is 250mg? The recommended daily dose for a cat is 5-10mg.

Marina

Originally Posted by LoveWhiskers

Are you sure a tablet is 250mg? The recommended daily dose for a cat is 5-10mg.

Marina

Click to expand...

Actually that's not true. The dosage range for Metronidazole in cats is roughly 5-23mg per pound, once or twice a day. I can remember giving my cat Taco 1/4 of a 250mg tablet years ago when he had diarrhea.

http://www.1800petmeds.com/Metronidazole-prod10098.html

In this article, written by a Vet about cats w/ IBD, it states that the dose of Metro for a cat with IBD is 5-10mg per lb, twice a day:

When combination therapy is indicated metronidazole (Flagyl) is usually the first choice to be used in conjunction with prednisone. Metronidazole's mechanism of action includes an antiprotozoal effect, inhibition of cell-mediated immune responses, and anaerobic antibacterial activity. A dosage of 5 to 10 mg/lb two times daily is used for IBD. Ideally, at least several months of metronidazole therapy is given once it is started. In some cats with severe disease long term consecutive use or one to two month cycles of treatment may be required. Side effects to metronidazole at this low dose are uncommon in cats. Occasionally nausea or vomiting may be seen.

http://www.vin.com/vindbpub/searchpb...00/pr00427.htm

You're correct in the "5mg to 10mg" but it's that much "per pound of the cat's weight" that determines the safe/appropriate dose.

Marina, you stated that with your cat your Vet didn't treat your cat's thyroid issues but instead just treated the symptoms (diarrhea), eg) Metro for this. But if your cat has thyroid issues such that they've impacted your cat's heart function (murmur), this is only going to continue. I've never heard of a Vet who would opt not to properly treat a hyperthyroid cat but merely treat the diarrhea that results from it. Untreated hyperthyroidism can kill a cat.

Hi the_food_lady, I can see how you may have misunderstood my post. What I meant was that our vet said that although Sammy's blood work did not indicate thyroid disease she still went ahead and treated the symptoms of thyroid disease; she told me that they (vets) are taught to look and treat symptoms not just the disease diagnosed in blood work. Had she gone just by the blood work results it would have been a mistake.

She started Sammy on a low dose of Methimazole to keep side effects minimal and see how he responds. He responded well to the treatment.

Marina

I think I've heard before from a vet (can't remember where or when) that cats can't have a hypothyroid, only a hyperthyroid. I know in humans if they have a hypothyroid they tend to be overweight, and people with hyperthyroid are skinnier. I also know when some cats get older they develop hyperthyroid, and that would cause them to get skinny, have stool problems, nasty skin and coat, etc. I just had Taylor checked for hyperthyroid and she's good. I know the thing about the hypo and hyper thyroid because I have a hypothyroid and I have to take hormones everyday for it.

Sorry I don't have any advice, all I can tell you is that if your cat does have a thyroid problem, I don't think it's possible to be hypothyroidism

Originally Posted by LoveWhiskers

Hi the_food_lady, I can see how you may have misunderstood my post. What I meant was that our vet said that although Sammy's blood work did not indicate thyroid disease she still went ahead and treated the symptoms of thyroid disease; she told me that they (vets) are taught to look and treat symptoms not just the disease diagnosed in blood work. Had she gone just by the blood work results it would have been a mistake.

She started Sammy on a low dose of Methimazole to keep side effects minimal and see how he responds. He responded well to the treatment.

Marina

Click to expand...

Marina,

I think the miscommunication here is that there are 2 totally different meds being discussed here. You're referring to Methimazole (aka Tapazole, used to treat hyperthyroidism in cats), and the original poster is referring to a completely different medication she was given for her cat's diarrhea, "Metronidazole" (aka Flagyl). Now it makes sense why you were questioning the dose (though her cat is not on Methimazole) and what you meant about your Vet treating your cat's symptoms of HyperT although bloodwork didn't show elevated T3/T4 (cat was, in fact, treated successfully with Methimazole).

Hopefully the original poster is not too confused!!

Lol, sorry about the Hypo-confusion. The "O" was a typo. I meant hypERthyroidism. I fixed in my OP but it didn't show up in the subject line. I'm calling the vet tomorrow to schedule bloodwork. The last few days she hasn't been making it to the litter box, instead having bowl movements near her and Phoebe's food bowls. She was also urinating on our area rug.

I'm just really scared because I lost my first cat Lexie 3 years ago. While Lexie was my first cat she was more bonded with my mother. But Sasha is my baby, and lets me do anything to her like a rag doll. She hasn't been acting like Sasha for a month.

She also has these firm yet squishy lumps on her back and side. She has 3 total, and one is new. I think when she was fatter they didn't show up as much but now they're huge. When I hold her its as if she can't get comfortable and keeps adjusting her rear and lower back.

My vet is a super sweet guy and he carefully asked me how much I was willing to spend. He said that we could start racking up tests just to get an answer. I told him I want to do everything for her, but I'm just scared that we'll do all the testing just to find out there's nothing we can do.