Experience with Hill's Prescription y/d?

Even after Coco's tumor removal, her T4 is still over 10.  She has a long history of bladder/kidney problems, so they aren't sure yet if she is a candidate for I-131 or not.  Auburn Vet School (the I-131 clinic closest to us) wants her on 2.5 mg tapazole 2x a day and the y/d diet for 1 month to see how her T4 levels and her kidneys respond.  

Anyone have experience with this food?  I know it's new and not the best food ingredient wise, but I'm stuck with it if we want to try for the I-131 treatment.

Do they have a canned version of the y/d? If so, I would choose that over the dry version, especially since she already has bladder and kidney issues.

I don't have any experience with that prescription food, but if she's that sick it's worth a try.

Website says there is a canned version.  No experience either with that formula.

I was just about to start a new thread on this subject when I saw your post. We have had a very positive experience with this product and our vet said he is very impressed with it. First of all, YES...there is a canned version of it also and we have used them both! Our Leary developed an overactive thyroid when she was 15 years old and our vet said that the problem is very common in cats that age and older. He started her out with the standard treatment for overactive thyroid which is Methimazole liquid (the generic name, also known as Tapazole brand name and other brand names). The standard dosage for us was a 1 cc dose via dropper twice a day.

That turned out to be quite a hassle giving our kitty a dropper of medicine twice a day. She hated it and it also wasn't that cheap, working out to be about a $1.50 a day for the medicine for us and apparently often goes up to as much as $2.50 a day, depending on where you are. The vet said the only other standard treatment for thyroid at the time was to have the thyroid irradiated, an expensive and time consuming procedure. He said she would have to be taken to a special clinic where they performed this function and would have to be kept there up to several weeks until the radiation chemical would be completely excreted from her body. The treatment is apparently safe and effective but can cost up to $1,000 to $2,000 or more for the treatment.

He recommended that we try the Hill's Feline Y/D medication which had just been newly introduced at the time (last fall). It comes in both dry food and canned under the name "Feline Y/D". We changed her to that diet (we used a combination of both the dry and the canned versions since she had always eaten both canned and dry food daily) and her thyroid level dropped from 12.6  ug/dL (way too high) to 6.4 ug/dL within 3 weeks, a comparatively rapid drop! Since normal thyroid (T4) levels in a cat are between .8 to 4 ug/dL, he said he was extremely impressed with the food.

Unfortunately, at about the same time she started having the thyroid problems, he discovered tumors in her lungs which were completely unrelated to the thyroid problems but which ultimately led to her death a few months later. Had she not had the lung problems, he said he felt keeping her on the Feline Y/D canned and dry food combination permanently would have lowered her thyroid to normal levels and kept it there without the need for the I-131 (radiation) treatment.

For us, both the canned and dry Feline Y/D food seemed to be a very promising and successful course of treatment but we never had any experience with long term use (say over a period of years). Hill's has a very good track record with cat food however and I would ask your vet about this treatment if you have any questions. Most vets will likely know about it by now.

uagirl said:

Even after Coco's tumor removal, her T4 is still over 10.  She has a long history of bladder/kidney problems, so they aren't sure yet if she is a candidate for I-131 or not.  Auburn Vet School (the I-131 clinic closest to us) wants her on 2.5 mg tapazole 2x a day and the y/d diet for 1 month to see how her T4 levels and her kidneys respond.  

Anyone have experience with this food?  I know it's new and not the best food ingredient wise, but I'm stuck with it if we want to try for the I-131 treatment.

Click to expand...

You might want to read this article by Dr. Mark Peterson (vet who first discovered hyperthyroidism in cats): http://endocrinevet.blogspot.ca/2012/03/feeding-hills-yd-and-feline-immune.html

Tumbleweed01 said:

Hill's has a very good track record with cat food however

Click to expand...

I beg to differ. I personally don't think there's another pet food company around that has caused more illness and death in cats than Hill's has.

Yes, there is a canned.  She will be fed the canned primarily, but the dry will be available for free feeding.  We are also trying to get some weight back on her, so he still wants us to free feed.

The reason that the Y/D diet works for hyperthyroid cats is that it has a reduced iodine content, so that decreases the amount of iodine available in the body leading to a decreased production of thyroid hormone.  This means that the diet must be fed in total exclusion of all other foods, this includes treats and even some medications which have iodine in it, otherwise, it won't work.

I have heard promising results from people on the diet, but there haven't really been any larger, long-term studies on the effects of the food.  From what I've read, the longest study that's been conducted has only been 2 years.

That was my understanding as well.  Both her canned and dry will be y/d.  We are also hoping it is temporary if her kidney function shows she is eligible for the I-131 treatment.

I had never heard of y/d before, but my first cat had the I-131 treatment. It worked purrfectly for her. I read 95% of feline patients who get it do not become hyperthyroid again, so I always hate it when people say they need to medicate their hyperthyroid cats. But a prescription diet that helps hyperthyroid cats is interesting and worth thinking about.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I had never heard of y/d before, but my first cat had the I-131 treatment. It worked purrfectly for her. I read 95% of feline patients who get it do not become hyperthyroid again, so I always hate it when people say they need to medicate their hyperthyroid cats. But a prescription diet that helps hyperthyroid cats is interesting and worth thinking about.

Click to expand...

Emily, please understand that not everyone can afford irradiation treatment, and comments like this, against treatment are really, IMHO unnecessary. Having personally lost a kitty to congestive heart failure in consequence to her parents before me NOT treating her properly with Metronidazole over the years (I adopted her as a senior), I can tell you first hand that thyroid treatment can make a difference in between life and death, and not medicating can have devastating consequences. Please do be careful with your posts.

Carolina said:

Emily, please understand that not everyone can afford irradiation treatment, and comments like this, against treatment are really, IMHO unnecessary. Having personally lost a kitty to congestive heart failure in consequence to her parents before me NOT treating her properly with Metronidazole over the years (I adopted her as a senior), I can tell you first hand that thyroid treatment can make a difference in between life and death, and not medicating can have devastating consequences. Please do be careful with your posts.

Click to expand...

Good post.  Thanks.. Carolina

My cat, Candy, was diagnosed with early kidney failure and lymphoma in the kidneys a few months ago. Unfortunately, I had to send her to heaven because her cancer was progressing. She was on g/d dry food and wet food though, and she really enjoyed eating both. They seemed to help with her kidney failure. I would definitely try the y/d, it is specially formulated for your kitty's needs and it will be the best thing for her.

Good luck with the new food.

My kitty, Jacob, wasn't able to tolerate either the pill or transdermal med for his hyperthyroidism, so I was so happy when Hill's Y/D became available.  He ate both the canned and dry for about four months . . . and his thyroid levels tested close to normal.  Both I and his vet were overjoyed over this "miracle" food.  HOWEVER, after another two months, he suddenly refused to touch the food (ate less than a cupful in a week), and was rapidly losing energy and weight.  So I started feeding him some high-quality cat foods (canned and dry -- he loved both).  I figured his body "told" him he wasn't getting adequate nutrition from the Y/D.    The upshot:  he had a wonderful last three months -- eating yummy food, gaining weight, playing, purring lots and showing a sleeker coat.  But he died last week from a blood clot which was the result of poor circulation from his thyroid- damaged heart.

So, I would say that Hill's Y/D is not a miracle food, not if your cat stops eating it or his health is further compromised because of inadequate nutrition.  Quality of life is what counts when your beloved kitty has a serious medical condition.      

henrycat said:

My kitty, Jacob...ate both the canned and dry for about four months . . . HOWEVER, after another two months, he... was rapidly losing energy and weight....

So, I would say that Hill's Y/D is not a miracle food, not if your cat stops eating it or his health is further compromised because of inadequate nutrition.  Quality of life is what counts when your beloved kitty has a serious medical condition.      

Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum, henrycat! I know that we all share your sorrow of losing Jacob.

henrycat, your formed, experienced opinion of Hill's y/d mirrors that of someone who - professionally - knows a thing or two about hyperthryoid kitties: https://plus.google.com/101005440385865429333/about

A series of articles about this "miracle" can be found here http://endocrinevet.blogspot.ca/search/label/y/d diet

it is specially formulated for your kitty's needs and it will be the best thing for her.

Click to expand...

Ah, thanks but, no thanks....not for this kitty!

I've been using the Hills y/d for almost 2 months now. At first i was hesitant reading peoples views, opinions, and experience with the product. But i was fresh out of options. She was previously taking the tapyzol or whatever you call it, and it was such a pain. It was hard keeping her on a daily routine, and struggling with her to give her the pill was not working! and it was expensive! I now find that with the hills y/d im spending less on average, and it seems to be working great for my cat. She is around 15 years old, and her thyroid levels are already back to normal. She has put on weight since previously she was extremely bony. I like to give her both types of food. I give her the dry food throughout the day, and give her the wet food at night as a treat. I think its personal preference. Personally i find that id rather give my cat not the best ingredients in the food, if it will help her more in the long run. Its all up to you, but so far i have only had positive experiences with it.

My old boy Toby has been struggling with thyroid and kidney problems for quite some time now and our vet has suggested that we try him on Y/d.  He's only been on it for a week or so but we're having problems getting him to actually eat it.  He can't eat the dry food as his teeth aren't what they used to be and the wet food really doesn't seem too appertising at all.  Does anyone know if there is more than one flavour of the wet food as we can only seem to get one in the UK.

Tobysmum said:

My old boy Toby has been struggling with thyroid and kidney problems for quite some time now and our vet has suggested that we try him on Y/d.  He's only been on it for a week or so but we're having problems getting him to actually eat it.  He can't eat the dry food as his teeth aren't what they used to be and the wet food really doesn't seem too appertising at all.  Does anyone know if there is more than one flavour of the wet food as we can only seem to get one in the UK.

Click to expand...

As far as I know, there is only the one.... Unless htey came up with a second one since I fed it..... But it was one wet and one dry.....

My cat, Piddi, a 12 YO female siamese mix, was losing weight; otherwise everything else was good--eating, active, alert, etc.  I took her to the vet and he had blood drawn to do the tests.  Result was the problem with the thyroid.  The vet suggested that I start out trying the Y/D food to see if it would be a good treatment for her.  She had always been fed canned food in the AM, and dry food always available.  I bought a bag of  Y/D dry food and a few cans to see if she liked it.

 After four months, she doesn't really like it (not the way she liked the Purina that I had always fed her) but it is the only food that I put out for her.  At first she ate both the dry and canned Y/D with no hesitation.  Now she will eat it eventually because she is hungry.  It has worked--she has put weight on; not bony like she had been.  I also notice that her coat is much better; it had been getting a little scraggly before this food.  So I am happy with the results.  But not happy with the situation because I can tell that she is hungry all of the time, and only reluctantly eats the food because it is the only thing that she is going to get.  I would like it if she would be more enthusiastic about eating the canned food.  I am trying to think if there would be anything that I could add in to get her to eat the canned food right away and more of it...  Any suggestions would be welcome.

Yes, and far as I know, there is one flavor of the canned food, and one variety of the dry.  Happy New Year.  Thanks, Weez 

Why not talk to your vet about using methamizole so you can feed her a better diet? :dk:

This is a blog written by the vet that first diagnosed hyperthyroidism in a cat (he's a small animal endocrine specialist):

http://endocrinevet.blogspot.com/2011/09/treating-hyperthyroid-cats-with-iodine.html

http://endocrinevet.blogspot.com/search/label/y/d diet (All the blog posts tagged with y/d). Good idea to read through them all....

One of the posts includes:

So the bottom line is this: if the cat doesn't like the taste of the y/d, dietary management is not likely to be effective. Remember, if you switch this cat over to medical treatment with methimazole or, even better yet, use radioiodine or surgery to "cure" the hyperthyroid state, you can feed that cat whatever he wants to eat. And isn't that the way cats deserve to be fed, anyway?

Click to expand...