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Nora was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism

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  • Nora was just diagnosed with hyperthyroidism

    Nora's my tortie calico kitty. While we were still living with my parents, she developed diarrhea, which I assumed was because of the stress of being at the bottom of the kitty hierarchy.

    I was hoping it would clear up once we were back in our own place and she only had Julie to contend with. But it hasn't, so now that I have a little time between gigs, I took her to a vet.

    Hyperthyroid was actually the first word out of his mouth as he was going through the possibilities. I haven't noticed much in the way of other symptoms; not much weight loss or excess hunger. He didn't feel any swellings in her thyroid. But the blood work came back with a T4 level of 5.1. T4 is a thyroid hormone, and the normal levels in cats range from 0.8-4.0.

    So we've started on medication. She gets half a pill twice a day. Right now I'm also giving her the antibiotic he initially gave her before the blood work came back. She can taste it in wet food, unfortunately, so I have to do it the old fashioned way. She's handling it pretty well, and I give her treats afterward.

    I'm hoping she'll get so used to it it won't be a big deal. My parents had a cat with hyperthyroidism back when I was in my 20s. He was really easy to pill, especially if you caught him while he was taking a nap. Wake him up, open his mouth, shove it in, he barely knew what happened.

    It seems to me like we caught it early, so hopefully if we stay with the meds she won't have much in the way of complications.
    "If you pray very hard, you can become a cat person." -Angela, "The Office"

  • #2
    Aww, poor baby! But yes, it sounds like you caught it right at the start, so she should be OK.

    I had a cat with the opposite: hypothyroidism. I didn't realize how badly off he was until one time when I realized he'd been asleep for even longer than normal. I poked him and got no response at all. Nearly had a heart attack; I thought he'd just quietly died in his sleep.

    He went on meds, recovered, and lived another decade, until advancing age finally hit him with a load of problems all at once.

    I'm betting your kitty will be fine, too, now that you've got the problem identified and are dealing with it.

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    • #3
      Pill pockets. We used them for our one kitty a couple of years ago. If they're still good (I need to find them since we moved a bit ago) and if you think Nora would love a pill disguised as a treat, I can ship them your way.

      ETA: just found them since DaDairyDruid sort of knew where they were. They're best by 2/23/12 and the website says they're good for up to 6 months after unopened. There are 3 packs unopened. It's up to you.

      However, I can suggest if you don't want them (and I understand completely), they are probably cheapest on Amazon. I can give you the merchant I bought them from. They were something like $27 for 6 packs, and that's a good deal seeing as they go for about $6 pack in the store.
      Last edited by fma_fanatic; 03-15-2013, 12:22 AM.
      Random conversation:
      Me: Okay..so I think I get why Zoro wears a bandana
      DDD: Cuz it's cool

      So, by using the Doctor's reasoning, bow ties, fezzes and bandanas are cool.

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      • #4
        fma, sorry I didn't reply sooner! I got a pill shooter and we seem to be doing all right with that at the moment. I've read that methimazole is bitter tasting, so I don't know how well the pill pockets would work. But I do give her treats afterwards.
        "If you pray very hard, you can become a cat person." -Angela, "The Office"

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        • #5
          When my longhair orange tabby was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, we had the option of a transdermal med. It was a jel injected to his ear. We used that 'til he developed some kind of allergy--he had a rash in the ears so we had to go to pills. Eventually he was acclaimated enough to pills that it took only one of us to give it to him.
          I'm trying to see things from your point of view, but I can't get my head that far up my keister!

          Who is John Galt?
          -Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

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          • #6
            The vet called me today. She had more blood drawn a couple weeks ago for a more extensive thyroid panel. The results came in, and her levels are down within normal limits. I was at work and not expecting the call, so I didn't get any more detailed information. But he said we'll keep giving her half a pill twice a day and recheck her levels in a year. And of course, if she has symptoms again, I'll take her back.

            She's doing really well with the pills. She doesn't really like the procedure, but she sits still for it, and we've got it down to under 5 seconds!
            "If you pray very hard, you can become a cat person." -Angela, "The Office"

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            • #7
              Glad she's doing better

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              • #8
                I've had a couple of cats with that problem. It sounds like you caught it early. Pill pockets are indeed great, but if the piller thing works, that's cool.

                Interesting fact: A wonky thyroid can compensate for wonky kidneys. So, keep on eye on her kidney function too, especially as she gets older. Sometimes you have to balance two conditions.
                When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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