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Mid Hudson Animal Hospital
Rt. 9, Hyde Park Plaza
Hyde Park, NY 12538
Telephone (845) 229-7117
www.ulster.net/~hmintzer
Dr. Howard A. Mintzer
Dr. Marie E. Quattro
Dr. Andrea E. Guazzo
Dr. Nicole S. Singer
Dr. Rune Standnes
Managing Your Cat’s Thyroid
Disease
Your cat has a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism occurs when your pet's
thyroid (a gland in the neck) produces too much thyroid hormone. The condition is usually caused by
an adenoma (non cancerous tumor) of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland’s hormone thyroxin
regulates the speed of many activities in the body. Thyroxin's actions might be thought of as similar
to a symphony band’s conductor. The conductor controls the speed and intensity of the different
instruments in the band. If the conductor conducts faster, the band plays faster. If he conducts very
fast, some of the musicians might get tired and stop playing while some of the other musicians won’t
be able to keep up with the fast tempo. When excess thyroid hormone is present in the body the heart
beats extremely rapidly, the intestines get irritable and many of the other body systems go into
overdrive. As in the band, some organs just can’t keep up and stop working, while the other organs
get out of pace with each other. As you can imagine this makes your pet sick.
Don’t get too upset about this diagnosis. This is a common condition affecting cats and even
some human beings! Former president George Bush and his wife Barbara are also afflicted with
hyperthyroidism (in humans called Grave’s disease). Both, as you know live an active, productive
life in spite of their disease. We hope and expect that the same will prove true for your cat.
Diagnosis
Most cats that we see with this condition exhibit quite a few similar symptoms. Some owners
notice that their cat has lost a considerable amount of weight over the past few months. They tend to
vomit quite frequently. Strangely most of these cats eat voraciously, seemingly always in search for
food. Many ill cats are extremely active; some owners describe their activity as “hyper”. Quite a few
cats no longer take the time to groom themselves and their coat becomes unkempt looking. Many cat
owners report that they can feel such a strong rapid heartbeat that their cat’s heart feels like it is
“jumping out of the chest”.
The diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism is based upon your report and our observation of the
common symptoms, the results of a series of blood test and often the analysis of an
electrocardiogram. We perform blood tests that actually measure the level of thyroid hormone in your
cat’s body. Other blood tests eliminate the liver, kidneys and other organs as the source of your pet’s
illness. A complete blood count tells us if your cat is anemic and might need iron and vitamin
supplements in addition to thyroid medication. The signs of hyperthyroidism are quite similar to the
signs of heart disease in cats. We use an electrocardiogram to confirm that your cat has
hyperthyroidism and not heart disease. Once all the tests are completed and analyzed we can
comfortably make a diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism. Then we are able to devise a treatment
protocol tailored to your pet’s medical condition.
It might sound strange, but the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is a very “good” diagnosis for
you and your pet. That’s because many of the other conditions that fit the symptoms your cat has
(weight loss, vomiting, rapid heartbeat, etc.) are difficult to treat and are often fatal (cancer, kidney
disease, heart disease, diabetes, etc.). This disease, hyperthyroidism is well controlled by treatment
and should not affect your cat’s life at all.
Treatment
There are three types of treatment that may be prescribed for your cat. All have their pros and
cons. The first type of treatment is medical. We administer a drug called Tapazole that decreases the
amount of thyroid hormone your pet makes. Usually, your pet only need receive this medication once
a day. Your pet will have to be given this medication for the rest of his life. Fortunately, with close
monitoring, there are few side effects with this treatment. This is our most common form of therapy
and will probably be the treatment recommended for your cat The second type of treatment is
surgical removal of the thyroid gland itself. Once your pet is regulated on thyroid medicine we will
probably recommend surgery. The thyroid gland is actually two glands and often removal of only one
gland is enough to return your pet to normal. In the long run, surgical removal is a cheaper (and
easier) way to regulate your pet’s thyroid hormone level. The third type of treatment involves giving
your pet radioactive iodine to destroy the unhealthy part of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is the
only part of the body that needs iodine. Therefore, all the radioactive iodine that is given to your pet
goes into the thyroid gland and the radiation destroys the sick parts of the gland which decreases the
amount of thyroid hormone it makes. Following this treatment your pet might need supplements of
thyroid hormone for the rest of his life. This treatment is very effective, and is not particularly
dangerous for your pet. However, there is one major drawback. The radioactive iodine is very
dangerous for you and the environment. Therefore, it can only be administered in a large veterinary
hospital (such as those found in veterinary colleges) which have the facilities to monitor and dispose
of radioactive wastes. Your pet must remain in the hospital until his body has eliminated all the
radioactive iodine he has been given. This may take two or more weeks and the expense can run
more than a thousand dollars.
Your Cat’s Future
Two weeks after we initiate treatment we will re-test your cat’s blood to make sure that the
thyroid levels are returning to normal, and that no adverse drug reactions are occurring. We will
continue to measure your cat’s thyroid hormone level every two weeks until the values have
stabilized, usually within 4 weeks. After that your pet will need to be examined and have thyroid
levels and kidney and liver function checked two times a year and a complete blood count once a
year.
Besides the need for these occasional tests and the daily administration of thyroid medication,
your pet’s life should not change at all. He will probably put back some of the weight he’s lost, will
stop vomiting, slow his voracious appetite and will be calmer and less frantic. He should make a
better pet and live a long natural life span!