hyperthyroidism

[mhaslo]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum. I have two lovely cats, Archie 1yr and Nini 11yrs. Nini has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and has just started taking 10mg of Vidalta tablets a day.

I was wondering if anyone has any advice for me about this condition and if anyone has experience of this drug. She seems to have gone off her food a bit since taking the tablet.

She will soon be having the radioiodine treatement, but needs the drugs to stabilise her first.

I am very concerned and would appreciate any advice or details of others' experiences with this.

Thank you

Michelle

[farthing]

Hi, I have 4 cats who are hyperthyroid.
2 are on felimazole and 2 are on vidalta long term.
You may find her food intake has dropped because the vidalta is taking effect, typical symptoms of hyperthyroidism is a ravenous appetite but no weight gain. As her throxine levels are drop back into the normal range, I would expect her eating to slow down.. Some cats can certainly have a reaction to the drugs, but my 4 have been well on all the various combinations. Spice and Smudge have always been on felimazole, and Tabitha has always been on vidalta. Samson was changed from felimazole onto vidalta because we couldn't get him within the recommended range with felimazole, but he never seemed poorly with it, he just remained above the desired blood levels.

[Elaine]

Hi and welcome to Catsey even if it is under quite sad circumstances.
I dont have any experience of Hyperthyroidism but there are several members here that do and will be able to help.
All I do know is that Thyroid problems can mask kidneys issues and vice versa but I am sure your vet is well aware of this and will keep a close eye on it.
Other than that the following link was invaluable to me when I had my old fella who had CRF but as the two are often linked, it also has alot of useful info on hyperthyroids.
http://www.felinecrf.org/related_diseases.htm

Also a few tips on getting your cat to eat are...
Try heating the food a little or trying some smelly fish such as sardines. Feed little and often. The CRF site also has useful tips for this too.

[farthing]

What Elaine says is very true, another thing to think about checking is the blood pressure, many cats over 10 can deveolp this, but more so in hyperthyroid cats, again this can put stress on the kidneys.

[mhaslo]

Thanks for all your messages. I'll have a look at the link and get some information. It was quite unexpected to be told she had hyperthyroidism and I'd had no experience of it before, so I really appreciate your comments. She is the first cat I've had, so I'm still learning about our mysterious feline friends Thanks

[John]

my Millie had hyperthyroidism, and was on Felimizole for about 3 years, I lost her 3 moths ago she wa nearly 14yrs old..it was strange but she seemed to know she had to have a tablet every night..towards the end she was on steroid type of tablet as well..when I think back th fun and games we had, she would keep just out of my reach and then she would just give up and usualy take her tablets without a struggle..

[Elaine]

Originally Posted by mhaslo

Thanks for all your messages. I'll have a look at the link and get some information. It was quite unexpected to be told she had hyperthyroidism and I'd had no experience of it before, so I really appreciate your comments. She is the first cat I've had, so I'm still learning about our mysterious feline friends Thanks

It can be very over whelming when told about these things and every one here would do as much as they could to help support you through this. Dont be afraid to ask for help and or advice. Wishing you both well xxx

[farthing]

I think the main thing is not to be intimidated by it, it is very common in older cats, Samson and Spice have had it controlled by tablets for 3 years now, Spice now has high blood pressure and the start of renal failure- but is also 18. Samson is doing really well and is now 14, I expect to have quite a good few years with both of them unless something unexpected happens.