Elderly Cats - Thyroid Issues

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Question:
Recently, some of you might have read posts where I discussed our elderly cat who eventually was diagnosed with as hyperthyroid. It displayed itself as so many other illnesses that the vets were checking everything else about her, BUT the thyroid, and we utterly shocked when they realized that's all it was.

I subscribe to a newsletter and today I got some more interesting info on thyroid conditions in cats. I hope it's ok to paste it here because it might help someone:

Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is diagnosed so often in cats that it has practically become an epidemic. It is rarely seen in dogs. It is more common in older cats, but may be seen in younger cats as well. Hyperthyroidism seems to be more common among cats that have been fed sub-standard nutrition and food containing artificial preservatives. Some holistic veterinarians feel they have seen an increase in hyperthyroidism that corresponds to the increased vaccination rate for feline leukemia. Viral and bacterial infections can also play a roll, as well as environmental toxins.

Prevention of hypothyroidism is the best approach through proper diet and daily supplements, avoiding unnecessary vaccines, and minimizing exposure to chemical or environmental hazards including cleaning products, X rays, antibiotics and food preservatives.

The thyroid gland produces hormones that affect the body’s metabolism, growth and development. The two most important hormones are tetraiodothyronine (thyroxine or T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). There are two conditions caused by a dysfunctional thyroid gland–hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is more common in cats and is caused by an overactive thyroid gland with the resulting overproduction of hormones. Hypothyroidism, which is more common in dogs, is caused by an under active thyroid gland that is not producing enough hormones resulting in decreased metabolism.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:

Excessive thirst (in 10% of hyperthyroid cats)

Excessive urination

Increased appetite

Weight loss (despite increased appetite)

Hyperactivity

Irritability or Aggression

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Voluminous fatty feces

Panting; Heat intolerance

Skin lesions, dry, greasy, matted coat

**Keep in mind that your cat may only show one of these. Ours has been hyper all her life so our first indication was weight loss. She had a great appetite but as her metabolism was so high, she couldn't put weight on no matter how much she ate. Eventually her thyroid level became so high that her appetite did begin to suffer. This list mentions irritability. Remember, it can come in many forms. Our cat started defecating all over the house and the vets thought she was simply getting senile. She wasn't. It was the thyroid.

Secondary problems include high blood pressure and heart disease. The increased metabolic activity stimulated by the excess thyroid hormones cause an increased heart rate which leads to an enlargement of the heart and thickening of the heart walls. The increased pumping pressure of the heart leads to high blood pressure.

Hyperthyroidism is best addressed with a team approach that includes you, your veterinarian and a holistic veterinarian–either in your area or via phone consultation. Some cats are excellent candidates for allopathic treatments; some cats need a strictly holistic approach; many will do best with a combination of both approaches.

The holistic methods of treating hyperthyroidism include improving the overall health of the animal through improving diet and providing proper supplements, as well as more targeted treatments such as constitutional homeopathy or Chinese herbal remedies.

***I have more information on diet and supplementation for thyroid conditions but it has a lot of advertising of products in it so I am not going to add it here. If anyone would like to read it, I can forward it to you in person if the forum allows that. Even if one ignores the product selling component there is some very useful information. We have gone the route of both traditional veterinary medication with holistic. The result has been phenomenal as our cat needs very little medication now to stay stable.

Answer:

Cat Behavior