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- Mar 30, 2008
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I know there are a lot of posts about excessive shedding but none really seem to address my problem. I have a 16-17 year-old male tabby that has always had a shedding problem. The groomers always hated when we brought him in. Lately though it seems to have gotten worse. I can brush him and brush him and it's like the hair regrows as fast as I can get it out.
As a little bit of a background, he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 6 months ago and was treated with radioactive iodine in Novemeber. His T4 levels have normalized and his BUN was 31 - 3 months after the treatment, which is only 1 point above the upper limit.
Wherever he lays or sits he leaves little clumps of fur and "hairs" everything. The vet is thinking that he might have Cushing's disease. He said that he still has his winter coat from a year ago. It is warming up though so he should probably be shedding more than usual I'm assuming.
Over the last 2-3 months it seems like he is drinking more and when I clean out the litter box there are big chunks of urine. Renal failure is always a concern after treating hyperthyroidism as it can mask it but his levels were satisfactory given his age following the treatment. The excessive shedding, drinking and urination are all symptoms of Cushing's disease, along with other things. It's possible he is developing kidney problems which would explain the the drinking and urination. Cushing's is fairly rare from what i understand, which is why the vet wants his partner to examine him as he is more of a cat expert. They'll also recheck his labs.
He is a very high-strung and neurotic fellow. He gets spooked very easily and it seems to have gotten worse over the last 6 months or so, maybe just since the thyroid treatment. Not sure if there's a correlation. At night if I reach over and pet him and he doesn't see me coming he lets out a big "MEOW" and sometimes jumps up. I've read nervousness can cause excessive shedding. He doesn't excessively groom himself so that's not it. In fact, I rarely see him grooming himself at all!
Any ideas or similar experiences?
Thanks for reading!
As a little bit of a background, he was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 6 months ago and was treated with radioactive iodine in Novemeber. His T4 levels have normalized and his BUN was 31 - 3 months after the treatment, which is only 1 point above the upper limit.
Wherever he lays or sits he leaves little clumps of fur and "hairs" everything. The vet is thinking that he might have Cushing's disease. He said that he still has his winter coat from a year ago. It is warming up though so he should probably be shedding more than usual I'm assuming.
Over the last 2-3 months it seems like he is drinking more and when I clean out the litter box there are big chunks of urine. Renal failure is always a concern after treating hyperthyroidism as it can mask it but his levels were satisfactory given his age following the treatment. The excessive shedding, drinking and urination are all symptoms of Cushing's disease, along with other things. It's possible he is developing kidney problems which would explain the the drinking and urination. Cushing's is fairly rare from what i understand, which is why the vet wants his partner to examine him as he is more of a cat expert. They'll also recheck his labs.
He is a very high-strung and neurotic fellow. He gets spooked very easily and it seems to have gotten worse over the last 6 months or so, maybe just since the thyroid treatment. Not sure if there's a correlation. At night if I reach over and pet him and he doesn't see me coming he lets out a big "MEOW" and sometimes jumps up. I've read nervousness can cause excessive shedding. He doesn't excessively groom himself so that's not it. In fact, I rarely see him grooming himself at all!
Any ideas or similar experiences?
Thanks for reading!