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SUBWAY’S Advice Alley
Let’s Learn About Thyroid Disease
Meowlo, newsletter friends! It’s your feline friend, Subway, and I’m here to tell you about a very common disease in older cats — hyperthyroidism.
What is hyperthyroidism? Also known as thyroid disease, the condition occurs when the thyroid glands produce an excess amount of thyroid hormones. It’s mainly caused by a tumor called an adenoma. This tumor is non-cancerous in most cases. The disease is seen in mostly older cats — 8 years old and older. What are the signs of hyperthyroidism in cats? While cats may be good at hiding their pain and other health concerns, there are several symptoms you can look for. Some symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, drinking and urinating more, and unkempt fur. However, the main sign that your feline may be suffering from hyperthyroidism is if they are losing a lot of weight but their appetite increases. How is hyperthyroidism diagnosed? If you go to your veterinarian and you inform them about the symptoms you witnessed, your veterinarian will check out your cat’s heart and blood pressure, and they may even feel around your feline’s neck to check for an
Cat Had Lots of Energy
But Weight Loss Caused Concern
Nhonho (his nickname at the clinic is No-no) is a 9-year-old male cat that lives with Dr. Carmo and her husband. He came all the way from Brazil to live with his mom and dad. Recently, they moved to a new house where Nhonho has more space to run around, play, and be his goofy self. He seemed to enjoy the new house. However, as the weeks went by, Dr. Carmo started noticing an increase in his appetite, which in the beginning seemed to be related to his increased energy level. A few weeks later, Nhonho started showing some signs of weight loss despite eating more. At this point, Dr. Carmo started to think about the many different diseases that could be going on with her cat. But like any other pet, Nhonho needed to be examined. On his physical examination, Dr. Carmo checked his heart, lungs, lymph nodes, and abdominal palpation, among many other things, but the only abnormality was the two- pound weight loss. At this point, blood work was recommended. Many different values are checked when performing blood work, such as liver, kidney, protein, glucose, electrolytes, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, and thyroid. Most of Nhonho’s results were unremarkable; however, his thyroid value was on the high end of normal. In cats and dogs, thyroid levels
measured during a normal blood work can indicate thyroid disease, but it needs to be verified by a different test. In cats, a normal value does not always mean negative for the disease, especially if it is on the high end of normal. Therefore, with the help of her fellow veterinarians, Dr. Carmo tested Nhonho again. Nhonho’s thyroid results came back very high, confirming hyperthyroidism. This disease, despite having some “good” side effects (such as increased energy) can be very detrimental for pets. It can cause severe weight loss, fast heart rate, arrhythmias, predisposition to kidney disease, increased blood pressure, and many other things. Dr. Carmo started treating him with a medicated lotion that is applied to his ear, and it absorbs within a few hours. The biggest lesson Dr. Carmo learned with her own pet is to not ignore any symptoms, good or bad, big or small. Sometimes, symptoms can be very unspecific and will require further testing to assess the health of many organs. Make sure to always pay attention to any signs that your pet might be giving you and keep in mind that testing is often necessary. PS: Nhonho loves getting his medication in the morning, along with pets and kisses from mom and dad.
Valentine’s Day Dog Treats Celebrate your four-legged valentine this month with these adorable and delicious treats!
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