Hyperthyroidism: What You Need to Know | Vet's Voice

[@rascalandshadowsmith1277]

I plan on getting some blood work done on my two older cats to check their thyroid and blood pressure too the next time they go to the vet.

[@VetMedCorner]

That's a wonderful screening thing to be doing for cats as they get older, I'm so glad you are going to do that 🙌

[@nsv674]

Thank you doc!

[@VetMedCorner]

My pleasure! 🐾😻

[@janhankins911]

We had a cat with hyperthyroidism a number of years ago. She was treated with the radioactive iodine treatment and she never needed any additional treatment (no medication). Happily, we caught the issue before there was any damage to other organs. If you can do that treatment, I do recommend it highly (I'm not a vet, so my recommendation is from a cat guardian's perspective). The hardest part was having her hospitalized for a few days. I do have a question regarding blood pressure, however. The reason I ask this is because we took in a rescue dog that came from a "commercial breeding facility" (puppy mill). She was extremely fearful (so fearful that she would often express aggression toward "scary" things and since she'd been in a puppy mill with little exposure to much of anything, everything scared her. Her options were either (a) she come live with us or (b) euthanasia. So we brought her home with us). Her fearfulness made vet appointments doubly difficult. Yes, we did medicate her (Trazodone) before a vet appointment, but even with medication on board, her blood pressure was through the roof and her temperature would be extremely high. We ended up taking her temperature at home an hour before we left for the vet appointment, they'd take it at the clinic (and it would be very high). We'd take it again an hour after we got home, then again two hours after we got home. Our vet wanted it to be back to normal certainly within two hours after we came home (it always was). So how do you know if high blood pressure is due to disease or fearfulness?

[@VetMedCorner]

Yes, waiting while your cat is hospitalized is sooooo tough! I'm so glad you did the I-131 treatment though, it's definitely worth it!! 😻 Your question about blood pressure is an excellent one. For cats that enjoy/don't mind the vet clinic it's not so much of an issue. However, a significant number of our feline patients do find the vet clinic stressful. We have several tricks to try get a relatively accurate reading. We have a few different locations we can use for the reading (some cats tolerate one spot better than another), we tend to use dim lighting, towels for hiding spots, minimally touching the cat, booking for a time when the vet clinic is as calm as possible (this might be over lunch... Or while the veterinarian is in the OR so there aren't appointments going on simultaneously...). There are some situations where I've had clients pay for a house call (which may or may not be an option depending on where people live), and rare situations where I've had clients purchase a machine themselves so that they can be taught how to take a blood pressure at home and email them to me. Additionally, people can work on training their cat to opt in for this procedure and reduce the stress the cat feels because it's a known/taught behaviour!

[@janhankins911]

@@VetMedCorner Thanks for responding to my question. I love your point about the owner training the cat (or dog) to reduce the stress of having their bp taken.

[@GracieValenti1]

Years ago when I was working I had a cat with hyperthyroidism that was treated with the radioactive iodine treatment - I could watch her via video cam while she was in the hospital for treatment. It was expensive but worked so well, she was a new cat afterwards. And she was around 15 years old at the time. Sadly, I am now retired and on a fixed income. I have another cat now with the same condition - we are treating with medication but how I wish I could afford to do the iodine again! Thanks for your vid.

[@VetMedCorner]

That video cam is a wonderful idea, I'm going to suggest it to the treatment center I refer patients to! Thank you for your comment 🐾

[@judithb4202]

Very interesting! I shared with a friend whose cat may have hyperthyroidism

[@VetMedCorner]

I appreciate you sharing the video! I hope their cat can get a diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan 😻🐾

[@leepfrog7405]

Are there any developmental differences in cats who are neutured vs intact when it comes to thyroid issues? Also , are the numbers about the same for males and females. Or have the groups not been reviewed seperately. Thanks for another great video 👍

[@VetMedCorner]

No, those two factors are not links. Thank you for asking! 🐾💪

[@kimmacalusoMisticaLuna]

Is there a link between soy in cat food and thyroid issues? Thank you!!! :)

[@VetMedCorner]

Excellent question! From the (very limited) research we have, the best we can tell, soy can cause swelling in the thyroid gland (ie goiter), but only in animals eating diets that are relatively deficient in iodine (or perhaps in those who are otherwise predisposed to it for some reason or another... Which we don't understand yet). So, tl/dr we don't know if soy as an ingredient leads to cats developing hyperthyroidism.

[@kimmacalusoMisticaLuna]

@@VetMedCorner Thank you!!! I noticed my cat's food has soy in it but I won't panic yet lol :)

[@VetMedCorner]

I absolutely wouldn't panic, it was an excellent question to ask. I wish there was more research so I had more information to give you... I'll make sure to make an update video if we have more research in the future!

[@kimmacalusoMisticaLuna]

@@VetMedCorner Oh thank you so much! I would appreciate that.