Hyperthyroidism in older cat - behaviour

Realtine

Does anyone please give me some advice please. Our 17 year old cat has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, she got very aggressive towards our other cats at the start of the new year so we took her to the vets as it was very scary.

So they diagnosed hyperthyroidism, having tried her on the liquid thyronorm we had to stop, as it completely zoned her out. She was stumbling around and falling over and we had so much difficulty getting it into her twice a day.
subsequent blood tests showed it hadn't done much for her anyway so she's now on Vidalta tablet once a day.

She's been on these for two weeks now and well, I'm concerned, she's still quite zombie like, she seemed to have lost her personality, up until she was diagnosed she was a feisty little thing but now it's like she became very old overnight.
Does their personality return? she just sits and stares into corners sometimes or just stays curled up in bed all day. Just stares out sometimes at nothing.

It's horrible to see and if anyone has any experience of this please let me know how their cat was.
thanks

Irish Stones

Hi Realtine,
I'm sorry to read about yor cat and her behaviour changes. Hyperthyroidism can give hyperactivity and a little more aggressive attitude, along with other signals, like an increased appetite and thirst, loss of weight.
<snip>
Talk to your vet, or, if you wish, have a consultation with another vet regarding the effects of the wrong medicine for your cat.
I hope everything will be alright soon!

Realtine

Irish Stones wrote: »

Hi Realtine,
I'm sorry to read about yor cat and her behaviour changes. Hyperthyroidism can give hyperactivity and a little more aggressive attitude, along with other signals, like an increased appetite and thirst, loss of weight.
<snip>
Talk to your vet, or, if you wish, have a consultation with another vet regarding the effects of the wrong medicine for your cat.
I hope everything will be alright soon!

Thanks for your reply, I called the vet and told her of my concerns and about how our cat was so out of it, I actually thought she was dying, one pupil looked larger than another and she's very unsteady on her feet, whenever she is gets to her feet that is.

She has scared me so much it's absolutely horrible to see, so the vet has said to stop all Vidalta medication for a couple of days and see if she comes around a bit, that is, more like herself, then we should restart the medication Vidalta and give it only every second day (currently its 1 tablet of 15mg) which is just too high, that's' my opinion though not the vets. I've been reading some pet forums for similar problems and some cats do seem to react this way even though it isn't a
common side effect.

The other thing the vet said that the way I was describing how she is acting sounds more like a neurological issue, perhaps a tumour or something so by stopping the Vidalta for a few days we would be able to see if she becomes more 'normal' even though the hyperthyroidism obviously is still there and will of course need to be treated. So we'll see and maybe look at other options also.

Irish Stones

When I had to take care of my cat with HT, the treatment was 1.25 mg Methimazole twice a day using a transdermal gel to be applied in inner of her ears. The transdermal gel is easier on the pet's system because it doesn't go through their stomach and don't give them upset tummies and othr bad reactions.

Usually vets have the habit to start the pet on a very high dosage of Methimazole, then to reduce it when they see that it is too high.
<snip>
This dosage had to be re-assessed every 5 to 6 weeks with a blood test to see how the thyroid levels were going. Eventually we were doing down to .625 mg twice a day.
The amount of drug and the time of the day when you administer it is key, I mean, you need to be precise with the amount, and also be on time with the administration. It is better to space the two doses out along the day, possibly 12 hours apart, and stick to these times of the day.
<snip>
What I would like to advise to you is to seek a second opinion from a different vet, better off if they are specialized in treatment of this kind. Your cat needs help now, please don't wait, HT is devil of a disease and keeps working behind the scene, even when it seems that everything is going on well.

jesuischarlie

Hi OP please contact your vet. Irish Stones has given you some wrong and frankly dangerous advice. The active ingredient of Thyronorm is thiamazole which is another name for methimazole. Your vet’s treatment is appropriate and you need to be guided by them, not forums like this.

Cherry Blossom

Ok, I’m always uncomfortable with threads like this in this forum. I am not a vet and dont understand veterinary language so don’t know if what someone is being told is correct or incorrect. The site wide rule here is that posts seeking or giving medical advice are not permitted. OP you should take advice from your vet, if you are unhappy with how things are going get a second opinion... from another vet, not from a discussion forum. Regrettably I have no choice but to close this thread. I hope your cats condition improves.

CB.

DBB

In addition:
I have removed veterinary medical advice that is wholly inappropriate to be posted on a discussion forum, because I don't want it staying published for others to read in time to come.
OP, please rely on your vet for appropriate, qualified advice.
Irish Stones, please take note. Do not give medical advice that is beyond your expertise.
Thanks,
DBB