Mar 6, 2012

Two Cats Tuesday: Pimp has Hyperthyroidism and We're Fixing Him Up!

A couple weeks ago, I posted on my Catster blog about Pimp's test results at his last vet visit. He and Moo went in for their regular checkups, and I mentioned that he'd lost a little weight.

He's 12 years old, and I affectionately call him my "little bag of bones" (he was once 22 pounds, so anything is a bag of bones compared to that!), and I wanted to be sure there wasn't some underlying issue other than simple aging.

The vet said his weight is perfect for his size and age, and she wished more cats looked like him. (Yay, Pimp!) But I pressed on, because I know he's lost weight, so even if he's a healthy weight now, he has lost a noticeable amount in the past few months.

She suggested we test his thyroid, since this is something that can affect weight and many older cats develop issues. And so we did.

And a couple days later, she called me to tell me that his thyroid levels were through the roof -- higher than any other cat she'd ever seen even.

I calmly asked her WHAT IN THE WORLD THAT MEANT.

She explained that hyperthyroidism in cats is fairly common, and that it is generally easily treatable. An overactive thyroid can cause all of a kitty's organs to work double-time, especially their heart.

We have several options for treatment:

1. A daily pill (eek! Any option is better than that for Pimp or he'll live under the bed from now on.).
2. A medicated cream that I'd rub in his ear every day (but if you have more than one cat, it is a little hard because she said Moo should not be licking it because we don't want his normal levels to go down).
3. A relatively new diet treatment option where he'd eat exclusively Hill's Prescription y/d food, made just to treat hyperthyroidism (he'd have to eat this forever).
4. Down the line, Radioiodine Therapy, which is one shot which could cure him for good (but we have to get his levels down first).

We chose to go the food route for now and ordered the prescription y/d food in both dry and canned. The goal is to get his thyroid levels back to normal -- we'll retest him in four weeks to see how he's doing, and then again in eight -- and then do bloodwork to make sure they hyperthyroidism isn't hiding any other conditions. She said that sometimes a cat can have kidney issues, but since these levels are so high, it actually masks them in blood tests.

Good thing he loves the new y/d food!

Later on, once his levels are regular and (all paws crossed) when his kidneys check out, I think I'll look into the Radioiodine treatment, because then he'd be cured and we wouldn't have to eat or buy special food. And, well, he'd be cured.

For now, our biggest mission is making sure Pimp doesn't eat any of Moo's food. The boys are used to having food out all the time, so the switch to meal feeding is proving to be a big challenge for Moo. He wants to graze, not scarf. But Pimp can only have his food (and nothing else - not even treats!) in order to get better.

So we're working on it. I've been talking to my friends at Hill's Pet Nutrition, and they're going to work with our vet too, giving any advice and support we might have or ask for to make sure Pimpy gets the best care ever!

I'll keep you guys updated. In the meantime, Pimp feels perfectly fine. He is acting normal and there is nothing wrong with him, except just a number on a chart. All paws crossed his next test results come back showing much better results.

43 comments:

  1. What, no hyper-thyroid treats?! Ooookay, understood. Poor Pimp, for now, but here's hoping that he gets better quick!!! But, in the meantime, it's good that he enjoys the 'special' food!!! All of our paws are crossed for him, you betcha!!!

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  2. I'm glad Pimp likes his special food! We switched from free-feeding to regular mealtimes a few years ago and my Mommeh thinks it is healthier.  Now in the mornings and evenings I RACE over to get my food and eat with real gusto.  We also have a baby scale and get weighed about once a month to make sure we're not gaining or losing. 

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  3. Poor Pimp (and Dorian!) - I know what you're going through.  You made good choices and I'm glad he likes his new diet, because I know of cats who didn't like the prescription stuff!  With such good care from a Momma like you, he'll pull through and be just fine.

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  4. So good that he likes his prescription food. I'm sure Pimp's numbers will go down and you'll be able to fix him for good.
    Good luck, Dorian!  

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  5. my Harry is also on the new y/d - so far so good except he doesnt understand why I wont share amy chicken I eat with him any more. My other cat Sirius is not hyperthyroid, but they both get the same food, with Sirius getting a seperate dish of a few tablespoons of regular food for his iodine needs.

    lets hope both Pimp and Harry continue to do well :)

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  6. Oh my gosh...the same thing happened to my cat Cheese just last month! He's almost 10 and was losing weight. At first I thought it was just age but then I started to get worried as he is a BIG boy and started getting bony. He's on medicine now and it's working great, he's already gained a whole pound! Thankfully no special food, just medicine we hide in his treats (and he doesn't even know!). I'm sure Pimp will be just fine. Cheese thinks so too. :-)

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  7. So glad this is a treatable thing! Yay Pimp!! <3

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  8. Mario's mom here - our last kitty (before Mario) had thyroid problems.  We were fortunate that we could put her on the medicine that gets rubbed on the ear.   It was a breeze to administer.   I also know someone who went the radioactive iodine treatment - it was very successful in her case.   Good luck - if you can find a way to treat it successfully, Pimp would still have a couple of good years ahead of him.

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  9. Feel better Pimp.  I'm sure you'll get used to the new feeding regime as will Moo, and you are a handsome man.  I know several animals who have had hyperthroidism and medications have been successful.  Keep mowing down your special foods because you are very special.

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  10. I'm hopeful that Pimp will have many great years ahead of him.

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  11. Sounds like you are taking the best approach for him, in terms of not stressing him out.  Pilling a cat that gets stressed while doing it, isn't good for them.  I did a cream treatment for one of mine a couple of years ago, but it was easy because she didn't allow any of the others close enough to her to lick in her ears. lol.  But the food, if you can get him to eat it all away from Moo, is a great option too.  Hopefully, he can get to a point where you can have the treatment that cures him.  Best of luck to you and your boy!

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  12. Least invasive is always best at first. 
    Maybe Pimp could be a SpokesCat! He would need a publicist and then you would have a new job.
    heh

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  13. My cat has had hyperthyroid for about 4 years now. It's very manageable if you check their bloodwork regularly. Not monitoring it can cause kidney and heart issues over time. My cat is the hardest in the world to give a pill to, but I've come up with several tricks. You can crush the pill up and mix it in their favorite wet treat, tuna, yogurt (the vet said that was ok in a small amount) etc. now she is on a special renal wet food, so I just mix it in with that. When she is being very difficult and decides not to eat I mix the crushed pill in a little warm water and use a syringe to push it into her mouth. I've also used tuna juice to do this. In case you have to switch to a pill firm I hope that helps!

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  14. Pimp you look so handsome! My cat Hershey had this condition years ago. I used to crush up her pills and put it in her food. that seemed to work ok for her. I don't know if you are really supposed to do that but she lived to be 19.  Your Mom takes such good care of you guys!!! Kisses!!! 

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  15. I'm glad you kept pushing even though the vet said his weight was good.  That happened with me when I took one of mine in.  He had been losing weight and when I took him in for a check-up, they told me he was fine.  I took him to another vet and found that he had lymphoma.  Needless to say, I never went back to the first vet. 

    Baby scales are the best!  I bought one for the cat with lymphoma and have tracked everyone's weight ever since.  Very useful for my Moo, too, when he became diabetic.

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  16. I had this problem too when Leo was diagnosed with bladder issues. He needed to go on a special diet, but the indoor feral gets very very upset if there is no food around for her. She isn't overweight but I think she just likes the reassurance that food is there if she gets hungry  - probably because she was on her own outside for 4 years and knows how hard it can be. SO I asked the vet and he said it was okay for all the cats to be on the urinary food - I just have to keep an eye on them that they don't gain too much weight. Maybe that would work for you? 

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  17. Cee Ce has Hyperthyroidism. I was able to keep it in check for about a year by using Resthyro, but then it once agani became un-manageable and I am using Tapazole - one tablet cut in 4 pieces, in Cee CEe's wet food. I tried the Hill's y/d -- it's made from Pork -- why? I don;t consider it a complete nutrition so Cee Ce is eating her Wellness wet AND taking Tapazole. I also add, ala Anitra Frazier, specific vitamins to CC's food and i feed her 4 small meals a day -- the vet is totally aware of this -- we test CC's T4 levels every so often too.

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  18. Have you considered switching to a homemade pet food diet?  We switched our kitties to that along with simple vitamin and oil additions and have noticed a remarkable improvement.  Here's the link to my site with the info.  I would highly encourage you to try this, or at least start including coconut oil into their diet.  That alone can work wonders. 
    http://essentialgrain.com/Dogsandcats.htm

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  19. Before you embrace the Hill's Prescription food, all of which are made from substandard ingredients (look at the ingredients), please take a look at the posts about y/d on this endocrine veterinary specialist's blog, here http://bit.ly/ym7U0U.  This food is very controversial in the veterinary community.  Did you know that the main reason that vets recommend Hill's Prescription Diet is that this firm, which is owned by that wonderful "food" manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive, underwrites most of the nutrition education that vets get in veterinary school? So vets are predisposed to prescribe it.  It's not particularly nutritious, either, and is made from the leftovers from human food manufacturing processes.

    I had two cats with hyperthyroidism, back in the '90s, before they knew as much about the problem.  The recommended treatment then was surgery to remove the thyroid and then give replacement thyroid therapy.  We were able to do that for Shasta, even though she was 19, but for Annabelle who had cancer, her health was too frail.  I was able to give her the thyroid-suppressant tapazole, mushed into her food, and she did fine for the last five years of her life.

    My message is be careful about accepting that Hill's diet provides a viable answer and please do more research!  Best of luck with Pimp, who's obviously such a love and Mama's boy.

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  20. Pimp is so beautiful!
    A friend had this problem with one cat. She took the Radioiodine Therapy route, and she reported to me that everything went just as planned! It did just what it was supposed to do, so after that treatment (several days, I think) she was able to feed all of her cats with always-available kibble once again.
    Just one note - the radioactive Iodine is placed near or at the thyroid, but it eventually makes its way all over the body and into the litter box. My friend lives in California, and they have really silly laws about what can go out with the trash. She had to separate the used litter and have it picked up by a haz-mat company that would dispose of it 'properly'.
    The Radioiodine, as they call it, has so little radiation in it (just a touch is required) that the amount of the substance that gets to the litter box is infinitesimally small, compared to, say, an X-ray. so we laughed hard over the haz-mat silliness. Anyway, my warning: if you choose this route, check your state's rules about it. You vet may know.
    Take care! Remember to pamper yourself occasionally when you're supporting others through grim experiences. Good luck with Pimp!
    alice

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  21. We're pulling for you, Pimp!

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  22. My 15 yr old Dallas has Hyperthy. also.  He's on a pill a day, Felimazole, and will be checked in a few weeks.  He's gained weight so it's looking good.
    That radioiodine thing and surgery are a lot more expensive routes to go.  At 15, I'd be scared to put him thru either. 
    I wouldn't do the Hill's diet either because of another cat in the house - too hard to keep them separate and then I read how that my not be the greatest thing in the world to do.  So, the once a day pill is easiest for me.  Bet of luck to Pimp and all our Senior Furry Purrys... we're GREAT moms!

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  23. Back in 1999 my 11 year old kitty, Ginger, had the same thing, but we did the pills.  Which we gave to her, a quarter or half, twice a day or once a day depending on her blood test results.  I used to have to wrap her in a towel and straddle her between my legs to get the pill down her, but we evolved to just walking up to her, tilting her head back and dropping it in the back of her mouth, she would swallow and we all were happy.  She lived to be 19, which is a long life for a kitty that also had access to the outdoors.  Never despair, it will get better and Pimp will be on healthy again.  Wishing you the very best with Pimp and Moo!!

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  24. I am a vet tech and it wouldn't hurt moo if he ate pimp's food, but could become very costly as the food is expensive

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  25. Thank you, everyone, for the comments and well wishes! I will give Pimp a smooch for every single one of you! :)

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  26. Thanks, Sue! That's what our vet said, too, except that she said he should eat regular food also. He doesn't need his levels to drop since he's at normal, but it wouldn't hurt him if he nibbled on Pimp's. But you're right -- it is definitely more expensive!

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  27. That sounds like exactly what I have to do when I pill Pimp! The straddling and towel-wrapping. I would if I had to, but since there's another way, we're trying this first. Poor Pimp would be traumatized! 

    So Ginger lived 8 more years with the medication? That's great!

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  28. Yes we are! Give Dallas a smooch from me!

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  29. That's what the vet told us, too, Alice. She said Pimp might have to "vacation" there for a week while he was radioactive. ;) If we can do it and he's cured, I think he'd be OK with that though!

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  30. Thanks, Nicole. I have seen both sides for sure. I did do a bunch of research, and I do know that vets are kind of predisposed to the Hill's food. For other things, I might think twice, but since this is an option to the dreaded pilling, I am willing to give it a shot.

    My main goal right now is to get his levels to normal so we can check for other things. Then, if he checks out, I will seriously consider (and research, of course!) the radioiodine treatment. I'd love for him to be all better.

    The vet did tell me about the surgery option, but said they like to use that as a last resort now. So he had food, then cream, then pills before we'd consider that. And the radioiodone too! 

    Thank you for the link. I really appreciate all the input and insight from everyone who has gone through this before. :)

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  31. Thank you! We're trying the food because it is the least stressful option. So far he likes it, so I hope the results are what we want them to be!

    I did see that pork is a main ingredient. He was eating Wellness cans before and doing great (activity and energy-wise before), and hopefully his youthfullness keeps up with this. It's something I'll definitely be keeping and eye on.

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  32. Ferals are such special kitties. I love them! And that you have one inside. :)

    It is OK for Moo to have some of Pimp's food, but since his levels are normal, he needs regular food so they don't drop. The bigger concern is Pimp getting in Moo's food! 

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  33. My cat had a radioactive pill for this.  Special vet office had to administer and hold her for 2 weeks.  Then when I did get her back home I had to hold on toall dirty cat litter in the garage for several weeks since it was still radioactive and would be detected as radioactive waste at the dump...some kind of craziness.  She was completely better after that...well she still had diabetes and needed shots every day but that was a separate issue.  This treatment was pretty expensive though.  It was about 8 years ago so maybe price has come down.  Also, can Moo eat the special food too?  That is how I am currently handling the same issue with 1 cat that needs special food and they are used to grazing.  Again, more expensive if they are both eating the prescription food.  Idea to think on.

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  34. I have a scale that weighs to the 0.1 pound, so I get on it myself and then grab a cat and get on. It's pretty accurate, I think! Baby scale is probably more accurate, but I think this way I could see a noticeable loss. 

    I'm glad I kept pushing, too!

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  35. Poor sweet boy. It's not so easy to adapt to new food and new schedules, I know. And what a hassle feeding 2 kitties 2 different foods! 
     But Pimp is in my thoughts, and I hope his levels are soon perfect!X's

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  36. Aw, poor Pimp. It happens as they get older. My kitty, Grace, has to eat special food for her aging kidneys.  It's called "NF" which Grace tells me it means "No Flavor". Sigh.  So, while I put out two dishes, she runs over to the regular food and Hobbes goes and eats hers.  Ugh. 

    Yeah, try to see if you can get the iodine treatment if possible. This two-food thing is tough to accomplish.

     

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  37. Love 'n hugs, Pimp, from Tai and Stormi. Hope you get all healed fast. Pills are nasty. You are lucky your mom decided to get you the food instead. We're rooting for you!!

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  38. Hope Pimp feels better soon! It is never easy having a sick pet to care for, an I know how expensive the prescription food can be. Thoughts and hope are with you!

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  39. Feel better, Pimp...your one lucky, handsome little guy.

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  40. Gosh, Pimp. we are sorry you have the darn thyroid problems. We had a kitty here that had it and we gave her a pill twice a day and she was just fine. Dorian, have you ever tried to give him a pill?? Some cats are not hard to do at all. And after awhile they do get used to it. 

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  41. He is horrible with pills. Horrible. He fights to the death! 

    If we can avoid that in any way, I really want to. We'd have a terrible relationship if I had to do that to him all the time. :)

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  42. I would like to suggest you do the ear cream. I had to do that with one of my cats. There were 4 other cats and 2 dogs in the household at the time and licking ears was never an issue,( taste is everything). At the same time one of the dogs became dietetic and had to go from 'free feeding' to 2 meals a day. It took over 3 months and was very difficult for the dogs to finally adjust. I can't imagine having to do that with cats. 

     My Flannel did great after he got the ear cream. Because he did so well I try to have as many meds made into an ear cream as possible. My friends that have used ear creams feel the same way.

    Once Pimp's thyroid gets under control he'll be just fine.

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  43. Poor Pimp. I've had two cats get the radioactive iodine treatment and it worked very well for them. Good luck with whatever you decide.

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