Treatment, diet, medicine for cat with hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism is one of the most common disorders of the endocrine (hormone) gland that affects a huge population of cats. It can severely affect pet health and needs to be taken care of before it causes severe pet health problems.
Surgery Or Medicine For Cat With Hyperthyroidism?
The thyroid gland is situated in the neck of your cat and is quite small in size. It produces a thyroid hormone also known as thyroxine (T4) as well as small amounts of triodothyronine (T3). These hormones help in regulating the metabolic rate of the cat’s body and can affect the working of every system or organ in his body.
The thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) produced in the pituitary gland controls the production of thyroid hormones. If this production stops or if the required amount of hormones is not produced then it can adversely affect pet health.
When you bring home kittens, you need to take advice from your vet regarding its food, diet and ask different types of pet health questions. The pet health questions can vary from understanding the various diseases to knowledge of symptoms and treatment for hyperthyroidism in cats. Hyperthyroidism is actually caused when the thyroid gland of your cat starts producing excessive thyroid hormones and this condition is known as hyperthyroidism.
The immediate cause for hyperthyroidism is due to the increase in non-cancerous cells of the thyroid gland. These are abnormal cells and can vary in different sizes from small nodules known as adenomas to bid nodules known as multiple adenomas. In the last 25 years, there has been a rise in the number of cats affected by hyperthyroidism. This is a medical condition that needs good pet health care.
Hyperthyroidism normally occurs in those cats, which are aged between 4 years and 22 years. Normally, this medical condition occurs as your cat will grow older, which means that you will have to take better care of pet health . Hyperthyroidism can affect both male and female cats.
The various symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:
Increase in the consumption of food
Weight loss
Vomiting
Increase in water consumption
Increased urination
behavior changes
Nervousness and restlessness
Increased activity or hyperactivity
Hair loss
Tremors
Diarrhea
labored breathing
Loss of appetite
These affects overall pet health and can be taken care of only if you are able to identify any of the symptoms and take your cat to the vet immediately. Some cats even show rapid heart rate due to hyperthyroidism leading to high blood pressure. Those cats that are not treated for hyperthyroidism might develop a fatal heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which can lead to death.
What is the treatment of Hyperthryoidism?
There are currently three main treatments for hyperthyroidism in cats and your veterinary surgeon will discuss the most appropriate treatment options with you.
- Medical treatment
- Surgical removal of the thyroid gland
- Radioactive iodine therapy
- Medical treatment
Using anti thyroid drugs is often the first line of treatment for a hyperthyroid cat. These drugs often have to be given two or three times a day so can be difficult for some owners to administer in an uncooperative cat. They act by reducing the amount of thyroid hormones released by the thyroid gland. The effect of these drugs may need to be monitored by blood tests at regular intervals. They are often successfully used in the long term treatment of hyperthyroidism and some cats can be maintained on these drugs alone. Occasional side effects of these anti-thyroid drugs include anorexia, vomiting and lethargy.
Surgical removal of the thyroid gland
Surgical removal or thyroidectomy is a delicate operation performed if the medical treatment of hyperthyroidism is proving unsuccessful. Possible complications include nerve damage and parathyroid gland removal. The parathyroid gland is a very small often unidentifiable gland which is positioned adjacent to the thyroid gland. This gland is responsible for the control of calcium levels in the blood and its accidental removal can cause signs of hypocalcaemia which owners should be aware of in cats that have undergone thyroid surgery.
Radioactive iodine therapy
An injection of radioactive iodine is a relatively safe and successful curative treatment for hyperthyroidism in cats. The radioactive iodine is selectively taken up by the thyroid gland where it works by destroying this overactive thyroid tissue. It also destroys thyroid tissue not accessible by surgery. Because it only selectively targets thyroid tissue, no other tissues in the body are harmed including the parathyroid glands so there is no risk of developing hypocalcaemia. There is also no anaesthetic involved.
By: Scribbler
Some glandular diseases such as Cushing’s disease, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism can give rise to hair loss in cats, generally in a symmetrical pattern along both sides. This condition may arise from overproduction of steroids
In short a good quality wet food diet low in magnesium and acid is the best for cats with a propensity to contract this disease. In this instance cat illness prevention is possible.
Not all cats will have all symptoms, and about 20% of hyperthyroid cats will be sluggish and depressed instead of hyperactive. Untreated, hyperthyroidism can cause a serious heart problem called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Cat Hyperthyroidism-A Brief Introduction
When it comes to possible contributing factors for cat hyperthyroidism, there is still much that is not understood. however, it’s believed that factors such as age, environment, and diet could be related to the development of thyroid .
Statistically it has been found that cats fed a diet of fish-based cat food develop more hyperthyroidism and other glandular ailments. This may be due to rancid polyunsaturated fats found in poorer animal-quality fish products.
How Can I Change My Cat’s Diet?
Some cats develop strong food preferences. These cats may resist diet changes. In my experience, the best way to transition cats from one food to another is to do it very gradually.
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
If you need further information on pet health you can find many articles at our resource centre on pet matters. We also have a great section for pet health questions with information on many varied subjects related to cats and dogs.
