This is an update on my cat's (Cookie) progress with her meds for hyperthyroidism. She was diagnosed 4 months ago with the disease. The Vet who diagnosed her wasn't very helpful, and I didn't know the questions to ask in that moment, so I changed Vets and am happy with that decision. Her original Vet casually told me to control it with the special diet, and said that the meds for it can make a cat feel worse. That was it. End of discussion.
I wanted to know the options. Our new Vet has been really helpful and has the attitude of taking things on a case-by-case basis. No 'one size fits all' when it comes to treating this disease. The radioactive iodine therapy isn't done locally, and with the cost and stress it would put on my cat to travel (she's a terrible car rider and sedatives don't help), we needed to either try the meds or do the diet. I have nothing against the special cat food, other than there's not a lot of choices out there. The Vet encouraged the meds and said that he sees good results. I rub the gel on the inside of her ear twice a day. We started at a higher dose, but it was upsetting her stomach, so he advised we halve the dose. One month from starting the meds we had her labs run again. The TH number was coming down, but still in the 'high normal' range (not unexpected). Today, 3 months from that date, and the labs were run again. She is now in the normal range. Kidneys look good too. She's put on a few ounces that she lost.
My Vet's advice is to continue on with this dosage and we'll check again in 3 months. He said there's no guarantee that her thyroid won't act up at some point, but I will continue to monitor her and take her back to him if I see any changes in her. We all know our pets pretty well, and it was the subtle changes I saw that led me to insist on bloodwork in the first place with her previous Vet!
I tried the special thyroid food at first, and she tolerated it pretty well. I also cooked some chicken and mixed in a little sodium-free chicken broth with it. Since I ended up going to the meds, she is back on her normal diet (per the Vet). You don't use the meds and the thyroid food at the same time. It's one or the other. I find that the meds are actually cheaper ($30/approx every 3 weeks) than the special moist food.
I respect those who chose to do the diet. I'm not here to discourage that. I'm just simply updating our journey. I have another cat and it was challenging trying to keep her away from Cookie's special food, and vice versa!!
I wanted to know the options. Our new Vet has been really helpful and has the attitude of taking things on a case-by-case basis. No 'one size fits all' when it comes to treating this disease. The radioactive iodine therapy isn't done locally, and with the cost and stress it would put on my cat to travel (she's a terrible car rider and sedatives don't help), we needed to either try the meds or do the diet. I have nothing against the special cat food, other than there's not a lot of choices out there. The Vet encouraged the meds and said that he sees good results. I rub the gel on the inside of her ear twice a day. We started at a higher dose, but it was upsetting her stomach, so he advised we halve the dose. One month from starting the meds we had her labs run again. The TH number was coming down, but still in the 'high normal' range (not unexpected). Today, 3 months from that date, and the labs were run again. She is now in the normal range. Kidneys look good too. She's put on a few ounces that she lost.
My Vet's advice is to continue on with this dosage and we'll check again in 3 months. He said there's no guarantee that her thyroid won't act up at some point, but I will continue to monitor her and take her back to him if I see any changes in her. We all know our pets pretty well, and it was the subtle changes I saw that led me to insist on bloodwork in the first place with her previous Vet!
I tried the special thyroid food at first, and she tolerated it pretty well. I also cooked some chicken and mixed in a little sodium-free chicken broth with it. Since I ended up going to the meds, she is back on her normal diet (per the Vet). You don't use the meds and the thyroid food at the same time. It's one or the other. I find that the meds are actually cheaper ($30/approx every 3 weeks) than the special moist food.
I respect those who chose to do the diet. I'm not here to discourage that. I'm just simply updating our journey. I have another cat and it was challenging trying to keep her away from Cookie's special food, and vice versa!!