Cat with hyperthroidism and/or diabetes

[camimom]

Does anyone here have a cat or had a cat with either of those disorders?

My cat Timber is currently being seen by a vet for the possibility of either of these disorders.

Symptoms:
almost 4 pound weight loss.
Will only eat canned cat food. (refused all dry food, even when I tried different brands).
Occasional diarrhea.
getting into the trash.
excessive howling when lonely and/or hungry.

Related heath issue:
Gluten allergy

His teeth were checked, no issues there- so that's not what caused the turn off of dry food.

no excessive drinking or urinating.

occasionally picks a piece or two of dry dog food out of the dog's bowl and eats it.

I had blood work drawn on him, now I have to wait for the results.

If its hyperthyroidism- the vet said the treatments are pills, special food and surgery.

The special food is out of the question since its not grain free.
surgery is pricy and invasive, which I would like to avoid.


for diabetes- I know its daily injections of insulin.

Just wondering if any of you guys have experience with either of these disorders, and what you guys do to treat it/ manage it. how much harder did it get to care for them once diagnosed.

 

[camimom]

Picture of Timber.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Hyperthyroidism treatment is very successful with just the pills. They have to be given twice a day for the rest of his life. It's a very common cat disease. If the pills are hard to give or he doesn't tolerate it well you can do radio iodine treatment. It's and injection of radioactive iodine that is given once and since the thyroid is the only organ in the body that takes up iodine it specifically goes to the abnormal tissue and negates it. It's very successful for usually a life long cure but is expensive and he would have to be boarded at their facility for a few days for radioactive safety. Surgery isn't really a good option but maybe he was talking about radioactive treatment? But with at least the pill treatment they do very well. We took in a very hyperthyroid kitty as an owner surrender and she's now a clinic cat. Over the 3 months we've had her she is a whole new cat! She went from a very skinny, unhappy, unkempt hair coat to healthy weight, happy, and soft coat kitty just with her pills. There is a new diet to reduce iodine content of the diet, but it's not critical. The thyroid level has to be checked after starting the medication every few months until it's correct and then at least yearly to monitor it.

And diabetes is twice daily injections of insulin. And the blood glucose will need to be checked usually a few times a week for the first few weeks to adjust and monitor the dose. Diet in diabetic management is very important actually.

Good luck with Timber and I hope you get the results soon!

 

[camimom]

Timber takes pills very easily, so that wont be an issue.

My main concern is the diet. since he has a gluten allergy, there are only so many foods out there he can eat.

How do I manage his gluten allergy PLUS whichever diagnosis he gets?

Do the symptoms I posted sound like either of those disorders?

Have any of the cats you've treated or been around this, gone off the dry stuff and only wanted wet? I even tried 3 different kinds of gluten free food, and he wont eat it.

His fur is def unkempt. not matted, but hes been softer and fluffier.

Any ideas on how to get some weight back on him, as im very concerned about how boney he is?


He will eat 2 cans of cat food a day. I offer food whenever he asks for it.

as for the surgery, I believe the vet said that she would simply remove the thyroid.

If it helps any, hes 6 years old.


Complete random side note- any ideas on his breed? He has a large black ring on his sides, and his coat is made up of all the colors. his chin is white.. I just say hes a DLH, but i'd like to know what else, just because.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Based on what you describe it sounds like hyperthyroidism the most. Maybe some IBD too based on his GI sensitivity, and that won't show up on bloodwork. Almost all of my hyperthyroid patients stay on their regular diet. There is that new diet specifically for hyperthyroidism but it hasn't proven that it's strongly beneficial yet so it's not necessary.

Surgery (thyroidectomy) can be done, but it's not really a standard option for most people. I don't even really offer it to my clients because there are better alternatives, like radioiodine. To each their own though.

You probably won't get him to put on any weight until the underlying problem is found. Once that's treated he'll put that weight back on. Our new clinic cat is actually a little bit overweight now! And all that changed was giving her medicine.

Each cat is different when it comes to their preference of food. Good that his teeth checked out okay because that would be my first thought too. I've had some cats who just decide to change what type of food they want. As long as they keep eating you just manage it.

Breeds are so hard to say in cats! But he has a bit of a Maine coon look to him...

 

[camimom]

Can he do well with hyperthyroidism if he only continues to eat wet food?

im concerned hes not getting the right nutrients to do well.

The vet checked the teeth really well, said he had some minor tartar build up, but nothing that would have put him off his food.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Oh yeah, as long as he's eating a quality diet he will do just fine on canned food only.

 

[camimom]

OK. I feel better now.

I was just worried that the wet food just wasn't good enough.

Thanks so much ferret!!! you have been awesome. I'll post again once I have the blood work results back.

 

[camimom]

SO the vet just called.

Aside from being mildly anemic, all his blood work is normal.

Now they want to do a radiograph of his abdomen and his chest.

As well as something about a test for a feline leukemia and something else

Any new ideas, I cant go spending thousands of dollars on a goose chase.

 

[camimom]

Could anxiety cause all of this?

my sisters jacka** of a dog likes to chase the cat around sometimes.

I try to stop it whenever I can, but Im at a loss as to how to prevent it completely.