Hyperthyroidism

Hello-

I have an almost 18-year-old cat who was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. He has lost a ton of weight, down to under 8lbs now, from a healthy 13.

I cannot afford the prescription food for him, and I can't put his through pills or radiation.

Is there a way to MAKE the special food for him? Low iodine?

Hi Wendy Sack - my senior cat David too was just recently diagnosed with hyperthyroid disease.  I can't speak for preparing foods, but may I suggest the usual medicine (methimazole is what my boy is on) not in a pill form (I CAN NOT PILL A CAT), but rather transdermaly (in his hairless part of his ear)?

That's how I've been giving David his medicine for a couple of months now.  I would definately ask your vet about it.  The medicine is in a special cream, that is pre-filled by the vet/compounding pharmacy, in a skinny syringe.  You squirt out just a small amount (depending on the dosage prescribed-once or twice a day), and rub that small amt. of cream in the tip of his ear, massaging it in for a few seconds until it is absorbed. easy peasy, (well, definately easier than orally, for sure!)  

good luck with your guy

i got all my advice from here, and have some tips of my own to share

4 years ago, my 9yo female cat went from 21 pounds to 12 pounds.

she was diagnosed  with hyperthyroism

we started her on 2 pills a day methimazole.  

she went thu a throw up period with the pills. eventually she adjusted to the medicine

today, she is up to about 15 pounds. she stopped losing weight as soon as we started the pills

the key to the pills.

i opened a can of cat food,she would come to my feet.. gave her a pill[opened her mouth and dropped it in and held her gently so she swallowed,sweet talking the whole time] immediately afterwards, one can of cat food.

next day, same method,followed by cat food.twice a day.,next day,next day, for 4 years. pill,than cat food,pill than cat food.   same time every day,8am and 8pm.,same place in the kitchen.

my cat for years now, at 8 am and 8pm, goes to the spot near the kitchen counter and waits for the pill, can of cat food routine.

also, i read somewhere, the iodine treatment price has gone down to as low as $500.  i cant afford that but after 4 years the daily medicine has cost that amount.

Just a note on methimazole, in my area the price varies wildly.  At the vet's office it is about $20 for 30 tabs, same as Walgreens.  CVS pharmacy charges $40 and Target $120.  So shop around!

Pilling can be easy if you train them into it.  I'm a fan of pill pockets; I break one into thirds and  hide the pill in one part, so my cats aren't sure which one has the pill.  My two cats that are on long-term medications get them compounded into liquids that I put on top of the food.

There is no way to make the low-iodine food at home, part of what makes it so expensive is the environmental control that goes into preparing it. 

I have a cat that's taking Methimazole right now. He's at a pretty low dose, 1.25mg twice a day. That amount put him at the correct T4 range. We get chew treats from BCP Pharmacy in TX, we do the liver flavor. They are soft chew treats, about a 1/2 inch in diameter. My cat BEGS to eat them. I'm in CA, they ship them to my door. To save a little money, I get the full days' dose in one treat, then split it in two. Cost for 60 medicated treats was $30 plus $10 shipping. My cat will eat the pill pockets, so probably regular pills wouldn't have been a big deal, but these work great. This pharmacy can also do transdermal and liquids as well. I've read you have to be careful with the transdermals. The med can absorb into your own skin so you need to wear gloves.

With respect to diet, there are some very interesting articles, he calls them blogs, by a Dr. Mark Peterson (a vet endocrinologist) regarding the special diet for the hyperthyroid cat. There are also articles by him that discuss basic diet for the older kitty. My take is he isn't a fan of the thyroid food because of its low protein. He has found that the older cat and hyperthyroid cat need a lot more protein to sustain life and muscle mass than what many foods provide.

Here's a link that discusses food considerations. You could look around his site for more info if you're interested. He also discusses the I131 treatment. http://animalendocrine.blogspot.com/2011/10/diet-and-nutritional-management-for.html
His site takes some maneuvering, sometimes you have to go to old posts, but after reading these articles and doing some calculations, I've actually increased my older cats' raw food amount to help maintain their muscle mass, and they look great! I hope whichever way you go for treatment your kitty get's healthier.

LCat4 said:

This pharmacy can also do transdermal and liquids as well. I've read you have to be careful with the transdermals. The med can absorb into your own skin so you need to wear gloves...

Click to expand...

yes, to this, I buy finger cots! to apply the meds to his inner Pinnea! so much easier than pilling, and works just as well 

Hi Wendy.

My Ernie had hyperthyroid.  I could pill him but it was diagnosed too late and he developed a heart condition which the vet also failed to diagnose.  If you hear your cat breathing with congestion demand your vet check it out.  I took my vets word for it that he was fine, just allergies, and now he's gone at 18 years.

We also have another, Junior, who was just diagnosed.  He can't be pilled.  My wife hides the pill in very small gel capsules, then puts it on a plate with treats from the store.  So far he gobbles up the capsule along with the treats.  the capsules seem to mask the smell/taste a bit.  They didn't work with Flagyl.  For her the capsules work better then pill pockets did.

Again, watch for those breathing sounds.  There are drugs that can help that for a while if your vet finds there's a problem.  We have a new vet now that is more knowledgeable.

Thanks, James