I need advice from those who have dealt with hyperthyroidism in older cats

Hi,

Jamine is 15 and is recently losing lots of weight (from 6 lb 9 oz to 6 lb 4 oz in only a week). She is also CRF, although that has been managed quite well and her last kidney numbers were very good.

My question is: as they age, does the thyroid gland put out more or less hormone? If less, then I'm probably overdosing her being that the amount of methimazole I give has been constant for the past few months. However, if such is the case, shouldn't she be gaining weight rather than losing?

Should I give her more or less medicine to try and forestall the sudden weight loss? I'm thinking that there may be multiple issues going on here and that there simply may be no way to slow down the weight loss. She is already on cyproheptadine and does eat, but is just really dropping weight recently.

My gut feeling is that we're just running out of time. It looked like Jasmine was really near the end about 3 weeks ago but then rebounded somewhat. Now, she just acts pretty lethargic and basically lays and sleeps most of the time.

Any advice welcomed. I am trying increasing the methimazole but her weight seems to have dropped again today. I guess I have to try it both ways and see if there is any change.

Is it possible that the T4 level has suddenly gone up? This would more be in line with the weight loss - in which case I should increase her meds - which is what I'm trying. Tough to know what to do and what will help - if anything at this point.

Thanks,
Keith

I have had two HT kitties. One has passed due to other conditions. Arthur is my current.

I would never tweek meds without a vets ok. A blood draw to recheck the numbers is not terribly expensive.

There could be something else going on and raising or lowering the meth could do more harm than good.

Just recently I had Arthur in as he was loosing weight also. I was "positive" he needed his meds adjusted. Turns out his numbers were perfect and we found he has a pancreatic insufficiency which does not allow him to digest his food, thus he was loosing weight. Now he is gaining again with the proper meds for that condition.

So right there is a perfect example of what I mean. A vet visit is definately in order.

I hope you find out what it is with your kitty.

I agree with farleyv re: the T4 test. Our Sophie (16 yrs old and deaf/recovering from two detached retinas possibly caused by hyperthyroidism and high blood pressure) is marginal Ht and is on "Tapazole" 1/2 tab/day also on cyproheptidine due to a sinus infection! However, the cypro has made her a virtual eating machine and she has put back the weight she lost when she went on antibiotics and lost her appetite! She will have another T4 test in a couple of weeks when her tapazole Rx is due for renewal. Hopefully by then she'll be off all the antibiotics (clavomox)! I believe it's really important to use a vet to get the dosing right. We are working with an animal opthamologist to get the right dosage of amlopidine to control her High Blood pressure which has returned Sophie's vision after over a week of total blindness!

Hi Farleyv,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to draw blood from Jasmine anymore - the last time they barely got enough to run one test. I think her blood test days are over. I agree that a vet should concur with any change in meds, but with Jasmine I've done quite a bit of 'tweeking' over the past year with dosages depending on how she seems to be doing. Jasmine does not have much time left, and so I have not been afraid to experiment with adding more of this or less of that. Not the most medically sound method to be sure, and I always check with my vet when I go in (Jasmine has had weekly appointments for the past half year now anyway) so they pretty well know what I'm doing with her meds. I have always followed advice, but with the methimazole it is such a balancing act involving many factors - appetite, general appearance of coat, weight, etc. I consider what I'm doing a last attempt to forestall the weight drop. My gut feeling here is that she either needs much more than I've been giving or else considerably less. From research I've been doing, it does seem that older cats produce less thyroxine, which would be consistent with then lowering the dose.

That's great that you got the pancreatic issues diagnosed and treated! Curious..how did you do that? Was that done by blood tests??

Thanks again,
Keith

Arthur had a sonogram. The vet could see loads of undigested food in his intestines. She determined that he has a pancreatic insufficiency. So now, I sprinkle what I believe to be an enzyme on his food and let it sit for ten minutes before he eats it. It "pre digests" it for him. He has been putting on weight.

He also has a gall stone and a stone in a bile duct. For that he gets Ursodiol and milk thistle.

Arthur also gets special food d/d.

He is a walking, furry pharmacy!

When I had my hyperthyroid kitty, I could often tell when his dose needed adjusting by his ears--if he was hyperthyroid, they would be hot throughout the day, and when he went hypothyroid, they would be cooler throughout the day. Once, I even managed to predict that he would be hypothyroid when my vet thought he would need an increase (the blood test showed that I was right). If she's lethargic and eating less, it may be worth lowering the dose to see if her appetite improves. Best of luck.

Thanks so much to all who replied.

Cloud_shade:

I have tried lowering the dose, but no change in appetite. I'm afraid that Jasmine is simply running out of time. She looks so tired and worn out. I don't think there is anymore I can do for her, save to help her cross over the bridge.

I found interesting what you said about the ears though. Over the past few months often her ears were cold (and the tail). I took the dosage way down recently. Maybe, just maybe I'll see some improvement soon. Hopefully. Thanks again...

Keith

Is there any possibility of giving her subcutaneous fluids? Since she has CRF, she may benefit from fluids--I've heard from others on this site that fluids can make a huge difference in the kitty's quality of life.

Hi again,

Yes..she has had fluids every week since September. I just posted a new thread that will pretty much explain where we are at this point. It was not an easy piece to write. Thanks again. You're right...the fluids are so great and really kept her going much longer than ever would have been the case.

Keith