Totally lost and don't know which way to gollll

kathy552

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Hi.  I have rescued cats in the past and the cat I am asking about is a 17 -18 yr. old rescue named BJ who is a sweetheart.  He was diagnosed in Jan. with Hyperthyroidism and put on Methimazole 2 times a day..  Blood work was  abnormal for thyroid still two weeks later in Jan.  Feb. blood work was normal range for all organs.  Told vet the meds were affecting his appetite and they said he had lost 1/4 of a pound in a month.  Now in March blood work is way off with heart, kidney, thyroid and one of the vet said she thought it might be cancer.  He is hungry but turns his nose up to food and when he gets the med his whole attitude changes.  No appetite and lays around.  He is hungry.  He still jumps normally with no problem.  Walking is normal, but he will not eat. He comes and lays on my lap and purrs and rubs my face.  He is skinny from not eating. I can't seem to get it through to the vet that he is hungry.  If I take him to another vet it will be the same I am afraid or I will be charged with animal neglect.  I have watched to see if he seems to be suffering.  He will he a little if I cream it and cats treats at time.  What do I do??   I am at a loss!  He is like my kid and no one will listen. I did start feeding him with a syringe but that is not a life for an animal. If you know of anything please let me know.  

Thank you.
 

neely

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Hi and welcome to TCS! 
  Thank you for rescuing a senior but I'm terribly sorry for what you have been going through.  I'm not sure why the vet is not responding to your concern about lack of appetite and not eating.  I would be adamant in that situation.  What makes them think he has cancer?  Just out of curiosity, what did the bloodwork show for his liver?  You must be very frustrated and I don't blame you.  I don't have any personal experience with hyperthyroidism but hope other members with knowledge in that area can offer advice.  Sending special thoughts for BJ. 
 

verna davies

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Hi. My cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the age of 15 so I know a little about it. Some of the signs are excess drinking and eating and weight loss. If your cat is not eating maybe she has a dental issue. Can your vet check that out. The blood tests should have shown if there is a sign if cancer. You could try small pieces of boiled chicken or perhaps a cat pate. Please keep us updated.
 

javi3

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Hi. I've been dealing with appetite loss in my cat this month and I believe she started to go into liver failure for fatty liver disease (Hepatic lipodosis ).

I'll tell you what has been working for Java:

I started shringe feeding her, but it only helped a little and seemed to tramatize her (she is a Siamese "drama queen" and gets overly upset about things[emoji]128522[/emoji]). I decided to "spoon feed" her (you can look up spoon feeding cats on you tube). It took half the time, and I was able to get more food into her without her feeling like she may choke. It seems like it might be more tramatize for a cat because you have to pry their mouth open and stick a spoon in, but other than temporarily upsetting Java, she got over it quicker and didn't hide, or hide for as near as long after wards. It is messier but when I do spoon feed her her regular solid food, it Jumpstarts her appetite pretty good and she starts eating on her own, usually by that evening. It might be different for your cat because of the meds, but it sounds like she may have gone into fatty liver disease by now. Its imperative that you get food into her now, either by force feeding her quota for the day (I think around 200-250 calories ), or from a feeding tube. A feeding tube means she will need to be put under and probably at the vets overnight or longer which could cost $1000-$3000 dollars (sadly, some cats still don't make it). If she doesn't get food into her, her liver may shut down completely and she could die.

Even if she starts eating somewhat, keep spoon feeding her (1/2 can of a small 3 ounce can ..if you feed her more at once, she might throw it right up). After my cat started eating more on her own, I thought it would be ok to give us both a break and slacked off for a few days, but that made her appetite go back down again. Its essential that you get her liver "jumpstarted" by foodat least twice a day or more and be diligent about it. Another thing that has really helped, is when Java started eating a little on her own, I would warm 3-4 tablespoons of cat food...more if she'll eat it) in microwave for 8-10 seconds (make sure it's not to hot..use your finger to test it). Then I would take the bowl to where she was resting, and tilt the bowl right up towards her face to eat, so she didn't have to get up. I would stroke her gently to stimulate her too. Most of the time she ate quite a bit and kept me from always having to force feed. Also, if the meds are responsible for her loss of appetite and the vet isn't taking this seriously or won't prescribe her an appetite stimulant (and some types don't work) I myself would take her off the meds, or slowly gradually reduce if needed (check with vet first ) until you can figure out another way to deal with her hyperthyroidism. I'm not a vet, so don't take this as completely solid advice, but this is something I might do.You might want to think about getting a new vet as well. Any vet who doesn't take a cat not eating seriously, is extremely careless IMO.
I wish you the best. Ps. If you have any questions, I'll be checking in periodically and will try to help you.
Take care.

Ps. Pate' food is best for forcefeeding and don't dilute the food. Use it straight out of the can , form a little mound on a teaspoon or baby spoon (never a disposable plastic spoon..it could break easily break in her mouth), and put spoon frontways into her mouth by prying mouth open. Then scrape the food on the spoon upwards towards the roof of her mouth ( never towards the back of the throat) and gently close if she tries to spit it out
 

catwoman707

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When my senior girl was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, I started her on transdermal ear gel, twice a day, 0.5.

Bam...there went her appetite, she was sleeping constantly, no interest in anything, just sleeping and not eating, so I lowered her dosage on my own then told the vet what6 I had done.

It did the trick, within a few days she leveled off to a happy medium, and was eating and sleeping and behaving normally.

Tested her T4 level after 6 weeks and it was right where we wanted it to be.

This to me means your cat's dose is too high and needs to be lowered.

I'd talk to the vet about doing this asap.
 

Antonio65

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My younger cat (16 yo) has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in August/September last year and put on Methimazole, pills.

The first prescription was 1/4 pill (1.25 mg Methimazole) twice a day, but the blood works three weeks later showed a worsened condition for her kidneys, so the prescription was reduced to 1/8 pill (0.625 mg Methimazole) twice a day.

The cat started vomiting the pill a few minutes after taking it, so the vet switched us to the transdermal gel, (12.5 mg/ml) 5 IU twice a day, equivalent to 0.625 mg twice a day.

This way it is sure that every dose is taken. It happens now that the cat eats less and sleeps a lot, her blood works have furtherly worsened, so now I give her the gel only once a day.

First thing you could do is ask the vet to repeat the blood works after some days from prescription changes.

My cat suffers from an unusual form of hyperthyroidism that is called apathetic.

This means that though she has hyperthyroidism, she is not constantly hungry, or hyperactive or edgy. She eats less, is slow and calm.

The only common symptoms with the normal hyperthyroidism are the constant thirst (that I relate to her bad kidneys too) and a poor looking hair.

There's a product designed to boost a cat's appetite. Its name is Nutribound, by Virbac.

It's like a broth, you can feed it with a syringe to your cat's mouth. The label says that 20 ml per day, all in one or multiple times during the day, supply the right energy for the day and stimulates the cat's appetite. Then from day 3 you can feed normal food mixed with this broth, and by the end of the week the cat's appetite should be restored.

Have a try.
 
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