Vets: ISO info on Feline Hypothyroidism

[Denise]

Let me first say that we do have a vet we like who is doing the best she knows to help our little kitty. I'm looking for supplementary info here.

It appears that our 6 month old kitten is suffering from congenital hypothyroidism. I'm discovering that this is a very rare condition in cats and I can find almost no info on it. Have any of you seen/treated this condition? We start her on thyroid supplements tonight. What kind of hope is there that she will end up okay? How quickly will it work and what should we expect?

She doesn't currently have any life-threatening symptoms. She is small and dwarf like, but eats fine and is active. The main reason we had her thyroid tested was that she never grew any adult teeth.

We are really attached to this kitten! Are we headed for heartbreak?

[luv2cook]

I'm not a vet but I can tell you that hypothyroidism is not that rare. Maybe rare in that age - my girl was diagnosed with it when she was 12.

It can be managed. My vet suggested surgery to remove it. I only said no because of her age.

Treatment is usually medicine - just like I take - every day. We had a liquid made and we just mixed it in her moist food every morning. She was never wiser. It's inexpensive and it sure beats the he*l out of stuffing a pill down her throat every day.

Depending on the options your vets suggest, if you choose medicine, check for a compounding pharmacy. If you can't find one, BCP here in Houston will mail you the medicine...

Hope this helps some...

chances are she might grow once her thyroid is leveled off maybe? You never said what your vet recommended...

[VictoriaL]

Our cat, Boots, was diagnosed with this at age 14 and lived for another 5 years. We gave her meds daily in turkey baby food (called around and found them quite inexpensively at a local pharmacy) and she was none the wiser. Good luck with your baby!

Edited to say that I believe our cat did, indeed, have hypothyroidism. I remember that the vet said it was unusual and, since this was back before I used the internet, I had barely any information. Sometimes I feel as though the internet offers too much info, but in some cases too much is better than too little.

[mcgeiger]

Older cats are usually diagnosed with HYPERthyroidism. I think here we are talking about HYPOthyroidism (one is too much hormone, and the other is not enough). I don't know anything about hypothyroidism in cats (very rare), but I'll see what I can find tomorrow.

[Denise]

Thanks Mcgeiger!!
I am in fact talking about hypothyroidism which is not enough hormone. In addition it is congenital (she was born with it and has never gotten enough thyroid hormone) and that is what makes it so serious. Apparently these hormones play a large part in the cat's growth, so she hasn't developed normally. The obvious symptoms are that she is very small, has abnormally short legs and tail, her furr has a kind of funny texture, and she never grew any adult teeth. I'm worried that there are other developmental issues that aren't yet apparent, heart, kidneys, bone structure? And how much of these can be corrected with thyroid supplements at this point (she's 6 months old)?

[luv2cook]

Synthroid for cats ;) I guess i was thinking they both were common...hmmm. I asked my vet about hypo and a six-month-cat. He said 1 in 100,000.
I found this article but it would let me copy and paste:mad:
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/hypothyroidism.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/hypothyroidism.html

[cminmd]

Our dog Calypso was diagnosed with hypothyroidism ten years ago and she is still strong and healthy. We adopted her from the humane society so we are not exactly sure how old she is but between 12-14 yo is our best guess. Obviously, it can't be too big of a problem! We give her a pill in her food at night and a pill in a piece of cheese in the morning. She has never had any secondary health issues other than we have to be careful about her weight. Low thyroid hormones can lead to weight gain.
I don't know for sure, but I think the only problem is it seems to be harder to get a cat to take meds everyday, but if you can get the dosage correct and consistent I wouldnt stress too much.

[mcgeiger]

I have an article, but I haven't had time to read it yet. Hypothyroidism is common in dogs, and is an "older" dog disease, whereas when feline hypothyroidism happens it is usually congenital (from what I've found so far...)

[Denise]

Thanks everyone for trying so hard to be helpful!

luv2cook - thanks for the link! That's the most info I've found so far. Its the comment there about checking the health of kidneys and heart in cats with the condition that worries me! How do I know what the condition of her internal organs is.....

cminmd - thanks for the encouraging words. Unfortunately, since it is congenital for our kitty it is much more serious. We do have her on a thyroid supplement and getting her to eat the pill is easy. The question is will she make up all the developemental growth she has missed in the last 6 months? Its not as easy as just getting her thyroid levels back to normal (I don't think...).

mcgeiger - Thanks for doing some research. Any info you come up with is helpful. For now I guess we just wait to see how much more she develops. Like I've said I'm most concerned about all the internal stuff!

[mcgeiger]

check your PMs

[Peweh]

No advice, Denise, just sending good thoughts your (& Kitty's) way!!

[beckms]

Phew! Lots of questions got answered!

McGeiger is right on. These are important distinctions:

DOGS get hypothyroidism (not enough thyroid hormone makes them fat, sluggish, and inactive)

CATS get hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone makes them ravenous, lose weight, and very hyperactive)

BOTH conditions require treatment, often in pill form.

These are generalities, but the opposites are VERY rare. If a cat has HYPOthyroidism (not enough hormone), it is indeed very unusual. I would be interested in hearing how it's going to be treated (I'm about to go to bed and get bear the thought of looking through scientific journals right now! :p ). If it's the same as for dogs, then the treatment should be easy and results should be quick. But then again, cats are not small dogs and usually can't be treated as such.

Keep us posted, and good luck!

[Denise]

A big thanks to everyone here for the support and especially to mcgeiger who went out of her way to answer my questions.

beckms - she does indeed have HYPOthyroidism. Her thyroid levels are 1/5 that of a normal cat her age.

We have started her on a thyroid supplement and can already see an improvement. Since she has never shown any of the serious symptoms that can be associated with hypothyroidism there is hope that she will be okay. I'm feeling better about the situation and now have some good ideas on what to do and what to look out for. I'll try to post a picture of her tomorrow (I'm not very good with pics!) so you can see how cute she is!
Thanks again everyone!

[mcgeiger]

I would be interested in hearing how it's going to be treated (I'm about to go to bed and get bear the thought of looking through scientific journals right now! :p ). If it's the same as for dogs, then the treatment should be easy and results should be quick.

FWIW It appears it is thyroxine...there is an article in the Jan JAVMA (what's your diagnosis)...