What are Your Experiences with Hyper-T Cat?

[Lana & Yoyo]

My cat, Yoyo, was just diagnosed this morning with Hyper-T. I have not been able to keep him hydrated. He walks around yowling in misery. His insulin requirements have tripled.

I am especially wondering about BG. The vet did not think his thyroid situation was having an effect on his BG. What is your experience. There has to be a reason why we have gone from 0.5u to 1.5u and he is still not stabilized.

He was started on Methimazole this morning. If you have used this, how long was it before you saw a change in your cat's condition?

Any other info greatly appreciated.

Lana

 

[Larry and Kitties]

You should see some improvement in about two weeks or so. When did you vet say to come back for a rest of the T4 levels?
My Lightning is on 2.5 mg Methimazole once daily and doing good.

 

[BJM]

A hyperthyroid cat is voraciously hungry all the time because the body is running at full speed all the time and uses any and all available calories, so of course the insulin is needed to match all the food being consumed. That just makes sense.

Feed low carb canned, space out the meals so they are frequent and small, maybe dilute with some water, but keep it coming until the methimazole kicks in. With the body running so hard, the calories are being burnt rapidly too. (I was able to dose my civvie Emmy by putting the pill in a small amount of canned food; she was so hungry that she'd eat it in minutes. Then I'd put down more food.)

As the methimazole kicks in, you should be able to slowly lower the food intake, and thus the insulin to use it. You'll want to be very observant and monitor carefully as this happens, so you don't wind up with either ketoacidosis, nor hypoglycemia - its a delicate balance.

 

[Lana & Yoyo]

You should see some improvement in about two weeks or so. When did you vet say to come back for a rest of the T4 levels?
My Lightning is on 2.5 mg Methimazole once daily and doing good.

He was started at 2.5 mg twice/day. We go back in 3 weeks.

Lana

 

[ohbell]

Wondering about this too for my Civvie Slappy. She is 16 this yr....just had the 3rd test done for hyper t. At dx., the then vet had me admin. one time a day to the ear...compounded 2.5. The new vet did not like the number she was at and increased to 2 times a day at the same amount 2.5.
When she was dx, she would not eat at all. Loosing weight.
Now, she is lower and the vet likes where she is at but she is eating 3 times more food??? I cannot seem to get her away from her 'perch' where she eats...she hangs there allllll day wanting more and more foods.
Her last hyper t test she was at 1.0 and this was 2 wks ago.
She went from eating 1/2 can ff in the am & pm - and had a hard time getting her to eat it. And now she is eating about 2-3 cans a day.... One full one in the am and probably 1 to 2 in the evening as I have more time to feed after work and before bed.
I thought the lower the number the better she would get....she is eating me out of house and home. She eats more than my other 2 during a feeding????
I am confused about this. The original vet told me that ecid - but they usually want to eat lots and lots until they are regulated. But she did not and now she is?
ohmygod_smile

 

[Lana & Yoyo]

A hyperthyroid cat is voraciously hungry all the time because the body is running at full speed all the time and uses any and all available calories, so of course the insulin is needed to match all the food being consumed.

I am so used to a diabetic cat eating voraciously when his blood sugar goes up and sparingly when his blood sugar goes down, that I failed to think of something else making him hungry and the blood sugar going up as a result! Thanks. . .

Lana

 

[Larry and Kitties]

My Lightning did not fit that symptom. He was not eating much and was losing weight. After starting treatment his appetite returned.

A hyperthyroid cat is voraciously hungry all the time because the body is running at full speed all the time and uses any and all available calories, so of course the insulin is needed to match all the food being consumed. That just makes sense.
snip.

 

[BJM]

Make that "many hyperthyroid cats"

if they get too ill - hypertensive, cardiomyopathy, etc. - the cat may feel sufficiently unwell to have no appetitie.