Thyroid "shot" in my male cat?

Question

Took my 10 year old male cat to vet today because it looked as though he was breathing rather shallow and I noticed he had been losing weight rapidly. Vet examined and said breathing was okay...just more "noticable" due to 4 pound weight loss. Temp was fine, everyhting else seemed okay too. Vet said his last blood work from May 06 had elevated thyroid readings and at this point vet thinks his thyroid is shot. He will have blood work result on Wednesday and has put him on a daily pill. If that doesn't work he will adjust the meds as needed. My question is...I have never heard of a cat having a thyroid problem. Anyone have any experience with this? I've had cats all my life - this is a first!

Answer 1

Hyperthyroidism is quite common now in older cats. My vets have said that when they were in vet school they never saw a case of (say, 25 years ago). Veterinary medicine does not have an answer as to why it is becoming so common.

It is caused by a tumor growth on one or both of the thyroid gland that results in an excess of the thyroid secretion. This causes the cat's metabolism to increase significantly, blood pressure is increased and if the bp gets high enough can even cause the retinas to detach. The cat's appetite increases significantly and despite eating more the food is burned up and the cat loses weight. The tumors are cancerous in only about 1% of cases.

So your cat will start on his pill and will be retested to see if the thyroid secretion is right - whether more or less medication is needed. Once the medication level is established the cat will continue on the medication indefinitely with periodic checks of his thyroid secretion level.

I had one cat with this condition and she was treated with the radio-active iodine - that destroys the tumor and medication is no longer needed. I have a cat diagnosed with this condition about a month ago and he has started on medication and will be checked again next week.

Tumors can also be removed surgically. Since your cat is only ten you might want to consider the iodine treatment as the long-term use of medication can be as expensive as that treatment.

Answer 2

Sure, cats can have thyroid problems; in fact hyperthyroidism and diabetes are the two most common endocrine diseases in cats. Your vet may need to run some more tests to see exactly how the cat is doing and what his thyroid is up to. Weight loss is one of the most common signs of hyperthyroidism.

The disease can be treated in several ways depending on why the thyroid is overactive, the cat's overall health, how much money is available, etc. Daily pills can be given and adjusted as needed; sometimes surgery is necessary to remove the problem areas of the thyroid gland. A permanent solution is radioactive iodine (I-131) treatment which is usually only offered by teaching hospitals or referral centers. The cat gets a dose of radioactive iodine intravenously and then stays in the hospital for a day or two until he pees it all out. The iodine destroys the extra thyroid tissue so the cat should be permanently cured. It's expensive, but in a relatively young cat like yours it might be less expensive than years worth of medications.

So--ask your vet which option--medication, surgery, I-131--is best for your kitty, and good luck!

Answer 3

yes. Animals have thyroid problems like humans. A non-functioning thyroid gland would give him hypothyroidism though not hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism is where there is not enough thyroxin being produced by his thyroid gland and will promote weight gain, slower metabolism, and lethargy. Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid gland which will promote weight loss, hyperactivity and shallow breathing as you stated. Most thyroid medication is in a synthetic man-made form because dessicated thyroid is difficult to measure how much thyroxin is actually in it. I would make sure the cats levels are checked again by the vet.

Answer 4

Yes cats can have thyroid problems. I've never sure which is which but there is hypothyroid and there is hyperthyroid. One is when the thyroid is overactive causing weight loss and the other is an underactive thyroid causing weight gain among other things. Cats can live a normal relatively healthy life when on medication and the proper diet.

Answer 5

Feline hyperthyroidism has become a widely recognized disorder in cats. It is caused by an unregulated overproduction of thyroid hormone by the thyroid glands, which is usually related to a benign enlargement (growth or tumor) of one or both thyroid lobes. This enlargement of the thyroid gland(s) is referred to as thyroid adenoma or thyroid adenomatous goiter. It is unknown what causes the thyroid to become enlarged.

The thyroid gland consists of two flat lobes shaped like a butterfly and located on either side of the trachea, or windpipe, just below the voice box. These lobes are flattened and cannot be easily palpated. The thyroid gland acts as the thermostat for the metabolic rate of the body, controlling how fast or slow the body functions. Hyperthyroidism can have effects on multiple organ systems, since the increased thyroid hormone levels increase the cat's metabolic rate.

Although this disease is usually diagnosed in older cats (at least 9 years of age), it has been diagnosed in cats as young as 6 years of age. There is no recognized breed or sex predilection for this disease.


Treatment

Treatment is directed at controlling excessive secretion of thyroid hormones and can involve a variety of approaches depending on several factors. These include your cat's overall health, availability of radioactive iodine therapy and cost considerations. There are three main methods of treatment:


1. Radioactive iodine therapy. The advantage of this therapy is that it is usually a one-time treatment, does not subject the cat to the risk of anesthesia and surgery, has no need for long-term medication and follow-up care is usually not required.The disadvantage of this form of treatment is that it is available only at facilities that are licensed to handle radioactive isotopes, and hospitalization of the patient for a minimum of 7 to 10 days is usually required in most states.

2. Medical therapy with Tapazole® (methimazole) and beta-adrenergic blockers (such as atenolol) to reduce some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Patients receiving Tapazole
must have their serum thyroid hormone levels measured periodically. They must also be monitored for any adverse reactions to the Tapazole; these reactions can include drug- induced anemia, low white blood cell counts and liver injury.Treatment with Tapazole must continue for the remainder of the cat's life and the dosage may have to be adjusted periodically. Most cats tolerate therapy with Tapazole very well.

3. Surgical removal of the abnormal thyroid lobes.
For cats that don't respond well to medical therapy, or when owners prefer not to medicate their cats on a daily basis, thyroidectomy (removal of the thyroid gland) is a viable alternative. The advantage of this approach is that surgical removal of the abnormal thyroid lobe or lobes is curative. However, since approximately 75 percent of hyperthyroid cats have adenomas involving both thyroid lobes, a bilateral thyroidectomy is required to control the hyperthyroidism.

I hope this helps

Answer 6

yes-- hyperthyroidism is very common in older cats.
there are different treatment options-
your vet is going to do the medication treatment which is actually toxic to the gland-- it is like a poison and can have its disadvantages (can cause other problems and have to get blood work often to make sure it doesnt harm other organs and blood).
**the safer route in my opinion is "radioactive iodine" treatment-- which is specific to the thyroid gland and a one time deal.
research this for yourself on the web.... see if a treatment center for this exists in your area.
they tend to do much better with this option.
see-- http://www.felinehtc.com/