Posts Tagged ‘hyperthyroidism’

Follow up on Chester the Cat with Hyper-T

Monday, November 16th, 2009

There was an earlier blog posting between Martha in Titusville Pennsylvania and Dr Elizabeth and myself, urging her to take Chester for radioactive iodine treatments. Here was her reply:

Hi Tracie

I did try to get through to you on Cat Chat® but I got disconnected and couldn’t get back on again. Chester, the cat with hyperthyroidism, is doing well with the pills. My vet is very good, but we live in a very rural part of Pennsylvania. The reason I said that Radioactive Iodine treatments wasn’t an option was not the fault of the vet — he is a great vet! He also went to Cornell and is very open to what I tell him about your web site and the information that you give all of us. He will accommodate what I want for my animals. That means I’m not doing the vaccinations except for rabies. He simply doesn’t have the facilities that a bigger city would have. Akron, Ohio was the closest place to go for that treatment which is about 2 hours away… not really reasonable for Chester or me.

I don’t give him “kitty crack” and have been ordering from Pet Food Direct with your discount as well as getting good canned food from Petco. I did want you to know I’m doing what I can in this situation. Chester is heading for 16 years old… and is doing quite well right now with the medication. I wish things would be different, but for now it seems the meds are ok.

I have been on the band wagon about “kitty crack” to all my friends and their families… sometimes it seems that I am a fanatic! I try to do it as nicely as I can but you can’t believe the people that just don’t get it with cats being carnivores. They think that dry food is the only way to go.

I will probably buy many more Cat Bibles and send your message out. Thanks again for your radio programs.

Dear Martha,

I am sorry we came down so hard on you and your wonderful-sounding vet! I guess Dr. Elizabeth and I get frustrated by pet owners not being given all the options. In fact, the only place anybody can get a radioactive iodine treatment to cure their cat’s hyperthyroidism is at a designated clinic for that purpose alone — no normal vet clinic can offer it — so your geographical issue clearly makes it too tough for you. I am sure he will continue just fine on the pills. The only concern is that for some cats the dosage needs to be steadily increased and at some point may no loner be effective but there’s no saying that will happen with Chester. As for your advocacy of wet food only and trying to educate people about “kitty crack” — I am so proud of you and grateful for your attempts — but sometimes just sending them to my website is better than wearing yourself out, making enemies of resistant listeners and then they still stick with the nasty old dry food anyway!

I want you to know that I have a new radio show called DOG TALK® & CAT CHAT® which I hope you’ll start listening to and tell your friends to, also. You can listen to live online at WOR710.com on Saturday nights at 10 PM EST or by podcast the following day at WOR710.com and go to “schedule”, “weekend schedule”, scroll down to my page and at the bottom there is a link to the podcasts.

Tracie

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Are Greenies Good for Cats?

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

Martha, a dedicated CAT CHAT® listener on her way home from work every Wednesday,  said that if she called in and waited on her cell phone she would be in a “dead zone” by the time I got to her. So she wrote me instead with a question about Greenies:

I love the information on your show and I tell people all the time about avoiding “kitty crack” and vaccinations. I have 5 cats – one older than 20, another 15 (he is the one with the thyroid problem), an 8 year-old, and two who are 17 and 16 months old. I also have 3 dogs: 2 Pugs and one Akitalab.

I have found a web site for pill pockets that my vet suggested to give a pill to a cat who isn’t too happy about it! The only company I’ve found that makes them is Greenies… from what I remember they were very bad for dogs, with claims that they brush the dog’s teeth when chewed?  But my question is whether they are okay to give a cat? My cat has hyperthyroidism and we have to give him pills for this as neither surgery nor the radioactive iodine is an option.

So I checked with Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, the Official Vet of the show, and she said that the pill pockets are not that bad. They have a very small amount of sugar and they do work well for cats that are difficult to pill. But Dr. Elizabeth wants to know whether you are feeding dry food? (My website has loads of blogs and Q&As and especially about the harmful effects of feeding dry food, which is known as Kitty Crack around here, as you probably know by now!). She wanted me to ask Martha why your vet says that I131 is not possible? Dr Elizabeth said, “Chances are, your vet is just wrong. If you don’t know why your cat can’t have the treatment, you NEED TO ASK. I know you everyone has heard this tirade from me before, but pet-owners deserve information, not just patronizing one-liners from their vet as though they are too stupid or not deserving of actual detailed reasons for decisions the vet is making on their pet’s behalf. I want to know WHY this cat cannot have the I131. Chances are Martha needs a second opinion, unless her cat has serious renal failure already. She also needs to read my chapter in YOUR CAT on hyperT as I discuss (and criticize) many vet’s views that you cannot treat cats with early CRD with I131.”

So Martha, if you call in to CAT CHAT® and say to my engineer Jimmy “It’s Martha and I cannot stay on hold,” I promise he’ll move you right to the top of the list and I’ll interrupt whatever I am doing to help you.  That radioactive treatment is a lifesaver- no more pills (which you have to increase over time, too) and a total cure. You should try to find a “cats only” vet (listed on my website under veterinary care and see whether you can get a treatment and forget all about those troublesome pills!

Tracie

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Weruva’s BFF Rings Merlyn’s Bell

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

What great news to get from one of my long-distance trucker listeners on Sirius who also joined Tracie’s Club for that special measure of attention from me. How great that Weruva’s new food is part of Merlyn’s get-well package:

Hi Tracie,

Writing from the road to say Merlyn is doing well since his radioactive treatment for hyperthyroidism. We ordered Weruva’s BFF and he really enjoys it. We cannot wait till we get home to pick him up. According to our daughter he is somewhat of a Houdini — he keeps escaping from our room.

Take care! Rick

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Cat with Hyperthyroidism

Friday, May 29th, 2009

I just recently received satellite radio (in my car only) and started listening to your program. I appreciate all your concern in regards to cats, and wish I could listen to you everyday.

My little 11-year-old female, Scout, has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She was vomiting for about a month and down to 6.5 lbs. (down from 11 lbs. a few years ago) when I finally took her to my vet. She gained a whole pound in 5 months after being on medication (.25ml of methimazole in the a.m. and .5ml in the p.m.). In the last 2 weeks, I’ve put all my 3 cats on wet food (store brands you recommended) and took them off of the dry “kitty-crack” (Scout’s brother, Addicus, is a big boy so I’m hoping he’ll lose a little weight on the wet food). Scout did fine last week on the wet food, but now has vomited 2 days in a row. My question(s): Is there an alternative to giving her the methimazole that the vet says she will need for the rest of her days? Do you have any suggestions for the vomiting issue?

I really don’t want to see her waste away again and you seem to be in the “know” when it comes to our furry friends’ health. I hope this is enough info for your response…

Thank you in advance for your answer and thank you for caring so much,
Rhonda in Washougal, WA

Dear Rhonda- So sorry to have taken so long to get back to you because I know you have an urgent medical situation with your kitty Scout. I was trying to get an answer from Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, the Official vet of CAT CHAT®, but she has been traveling. Only now did I realize that you need to get a copy of her book YOUR CAT right away – there is a whole chapter on hyperthyroidism that will help you understand it – and also help you get Scout off of medication. Dr. Elizabeth has her own page on my website and you can click right there to buy the book – which is now in paperback and very affordable. That medication,  and the hyperthyroidism itself,  can cause gastrointestinal upsets, so the sooner you follow Dr. Hodgkins’ advice in her book, the sooner Scout will be on the mend.

However, I will tell you that one of my most devoted listeners on CAT CHAT® is Michelle in Chicago and when her pussycat Samson had a bad stomach she went to the Spirit Essences page of my website and ordered the Essence called Happy Tummy. These are holistic remedies based on the Bach flower essences (like Rescue Remedy for people) and Michelle said it really fixed Samson’s stomach problems. There is also an immune system booster in the Spirit Essences and Scout is going through some difficult physical challenges and can use any help you can give her. And please let me know whether YOUR CAT answered your questions and whether the Spirit Essences made a difference. Good luck to you!

P.S. If you have SiriusXM radio in your car then you automatically have it in your house, too! You can use your computer as a “radio” by going to the Sirius website, getting a password (any subscriber can get one) and then you can listen to anything on the channel from your computer (but especially CAT CHAT®!)

Tracie

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Lousy Vet Advice for Ailing Kitty

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Hello I am writing to you for your opinion about my cat Merlyn. He has hyperthyroidism and is on methimaz 5mg a day. His vet is recommending radiation isotope or something like that. His other option is surgery. He has lost 5 pounds since diagnosed. He weighs 10 pounds 9 oz. His breed is Ocicat and we are waiting on blood work to determine if his kidneys are failing. After the vet injected subdermal fluid due to dehydration he perked up. I was wondering what you have heard about for his condition. Thank You Very Much for your time. Sincerely, Richard

Richard – I am answering your query before dozens of others because this is the breed of my official vet, Dr Elizabeth Hodgkins, who also shows her Ocicats –- and it sounds like you need some emergency advice.

I am going to get her respond to your question but I know she will want to know — as I do — whether you are feeding kitty crack (dry food) of any kind? If so, it is dreadful for the health of all cats, but one with a tumor on the thyroid, especially so. How old is he?

It would seem that the fluids are related to kidney issues. Dr H will let us know whether a thyroid tumor would also dehydrate like this?

Where are you located? Is there a feline-only vet anywhere near you? (the website for the feline-only vets- AAFP – is linked on my website or www.catvets.org)

Please send back any lab test results you have in order for Dr H to be able to comment. She also can do a paid consultation with you and/or your vet which I would highly recommend. She has been able to give my listeners valuable assistance this way

Good luck with your sweet little kitty.

Tracie

Thank you, Tracie. I will get the test results tomorrow I took him off dry [food] months ago after I started listening to your show. He turned 15 on Thursday the 19th. The medication he is on has a side effect of excessive thirst and within the past week he has started drinking quite a lot. When the vet took a urine sample he said it was mostly water. For the next 5 days we are in Southgate MI. We travel around the country with him and one other cat in a semi truck. Thanks for getting back so soon. I know your time is valuable.

Richard – this was Dr. H’s comment:

“The hyperT chapter in my book YOUR CAT is very informative for any owner with a cat with this problem. It is pages and pages long and now that it is in paperback, quite the deal for all that info. I think Richard should grab a copy and read and then we can answer his questions if he still has any.” So will you please do that ASAP and we’ll go from there?”

Tracie – I just came back and the vet said his kidneys are just showing signs of degradation. So we put him on meds to combat the hypertension. We took him off of raw chicken which he is fanatical about. We are doing the radio isotope but we are going back out on the road for 2 months to generate revenue to cover it. He ate a little more today as well as more fluid intake. He also is on an antibiotic to fight gingivitis, something he has had a problem with since he was about 2. The first time we had him on an antibiotic for this the script was prescribed at too high of a dose and he started having seizures. I will order YOUR CAT tonight from Amazon if it isn’t at Borders.

Thank You,
Richard

I was distressed to learn that your vet might sway you to abandon the excellent diet you’ve been providing. Nothing could be better for him than a raw chicken diet professionally prepared with ground bone and added taurine. Is this the same vet who overdosed your cat on antibiotics? Why do you stay with him? I feel terrible that you are driving extra truck routes to pay for vet advice this questionable. And what is up with the blood pressure medication — taking a cat’s blood pressure is rarely done, and is unreliable because in a vet’s office it is always sky high. So the measurement is dubious at best but then the vet is giving this poor cat even more medication for it??

Here is Dr Hodgkins’ comment:

“If he gets my book he will read what I say about the MYTH of low-protein diets for cats. Yes, the chicken has helped the cat for sure and making the cat’s life miserable with a horrible diet is not the solution now, that’s for sure. Between the hyperT and CRD (chronic renal failure) chapters, Richard should be better informed about both diseases when he finishes.”

–Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM, Esq.

Last word from Richard was that Merlyn was eating and drinking well and begrudgingly taking his medications. I just wish he could get to a good feline-only vet, or better yet a holistic one who isn’t so fast to take away good nutrition and throw so many medications at the problems.

UDPATE:

Richard wrote back:

“The vet likes the idea of a wet diet but he said the raw chicken had too much sodium for hypertension. I did not think chicken had high sodium without adding it. I will be getting YOUR CAT today.”

I wrote to him: You are sensible and smart and logical — seems more so than the vet. After you read Dr H’s book you will be even smart and more logical!

Here is Dr. H’s last comment:

“I’d be interested in knowing how high this cat’s BP is actually is as few vets even measure it. Feeding chicken isn’t going to complicate this cat’s hypertension even if he did have it. I think I liked it better when vets KNEW they didn’t know anything about this stuff.”

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More From Janelle & Mr. Kitty

Friday, November 14th, 2008

What a wonderful letter to get from Janelle in Germany (you can read earlier letters from her further down in the BLOG). What great news about her boy’s improvement (he’s going to be Mr. December on CAT CHAT so she got a special goody box with a bottle of Nordic Naturals Omega-3 oil and samples of Platinum Performance and Wagatha’s biscuits). Her dedication to Mr. Kitty is an inspiration – and look how it’s paying off!!

Hi, Tracie!

I just wanted to let you know that we received your wonderful box this week and it was like Christmas morning! WOWEE Nordic Naturals! HOORAY X-O Spray! I put my nifty, new Cat Chat® hat on, my sweet and kind bookplates in their respective books and sat down that night and read The Cat Behavior Answer Book by Arden Moore. You are so kind, giving and thoughtful to send me all of this great stuff. Kitty says Danke as well!

WELL! Our visit last Wednesday to the vet has proven to be quite a successful one! I walked in with my checklist in hand (as well as in mind) and this is what we discovered: Kitty’s ears were infected and when swabbed, YEAST was found. Dr. B. gave me Otomax Otibiotic drops to clear it up.  She prescribed an antihistamine to help with his itchy ears but also to see if it would do anything for his itchy body (if you remember he has been scratching, chewing, biting at his skin to the point of leaving bald patches on his belly and parts of his legs). She also wanted to run another round of blood tests and added his T4 levels to be checked for hyperthyroidism.

On Friday, Dr. B. called with Kitty’s blood work results: his T4 level is 2.0 on a 0.9-2.9 range which she said was normal. I need to email Dr. Hodgkins and ask what she thinks of these numbers because I know in her book, Your Cat, she discusses T4 levels and how they can be misleading, depending on the range that is used. Dr. B. said this was a normal level, but I’d like a second opinion. I do not think Kitty is showing signs of hyperthyroidism, but…??

She also said that she wanted to recheck his blood glucose level next week because they were high. I did not think it was anything to worry about; I didn’t mind bringing him in (with a urine sample) to recheck, just in case. She said sometimes stress or food can cause a glucose level to raise. I did not think he had diabetes (he shows none of the signs of it and he’s on a wet diet, no kitty crack).

So yesterday morning, we returned with urine sample in hand. No glucose in his urine, hooray! His blood glucose looked fine. I took him into the examination room with a big smile on my face and said, “I really think this is working! What a HUGE improvement in just a week! He is not scratching his ears endlessly; the constant scratching, licking, chewing of his fur is not happening anymore either. Occasionally he will lick and scratch, sometimes it appears to be normal grooming, but I really think we are on the right track.” Dr. B. was happy (and I think a bit surprised!) by this news. She wants to continue on with the antihistamine for a month and see what happens.

Tracie! He is just feeling so much better! He is more friendly, he follows me around the house again, he is more playful, and just more calm and relaxed. He is back to his normal self and who can ask for more, really? He has been on Platinum Performance for about two weeks now, I am slowly mixing this in more and more with his wet food. (Kitty is weird about his food sometimes. New smells and changes take baby steps for him.) I have also been making raw food with turkey, liver and supplements mixed together and yesterday I finally found RABBIT! I gave him some and he ate it ALL! SO happy about that.  We are slowly mixing in the raw as well. I would LOVE to one day say that he eats only raw, if he’s okay with that. He still gets the canned, but I only give him turkey or chicken based, no beef and never the fish. I will add the Fish Oil you sent and hopefully this will help his skin as well.

(Sigh.) I feel forever indebted to you for your help, guidance, and public service of informing the masses about our pets. I know that this field of work is highly emotional and quite draining, but I sure hope you go to sleep at night knowing that you have helped and made a difference in so many people’s and animals’ lives. Thank you, Tracie. Again and again, Thank YOU!

I hope it’s okay to stay in contact with you and even call you on one of your shows.

Take care.
Janelle & Mr. Kitty

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Sick Cat has “Kitty Crack” (i.e., Dry Food) Problem

Monday, July 28th, 2008

I got this desperately sad story from a loving cat parent who has been given the run-around and very poor advice for years while her kitty cat suffered. Here’s what she wrote – my reply and that of Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins is below.

Ok, I will try to make this as short as possible. We have an about 18 year old female tonkinese seal point named Marbles. She is really the best. We have had her for about 16 1/2 years.

For years now (over5) she has had this squatting problem – the doctors say bacteria in the urine. or crystals. We test for it and never has been found. They had us put her on urinary S/O wet and dry.. she was on that for over 5 years. Now we went to get her annual teeth cleaning done and she has lost weight and has been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and CRF. So they took her off The S/O and put her on K/D… which she doesn’t like at all.. And thyroid meds..She’s lost even more weight. Has always weighed around 9 lbs 3 weeks ago 6.28…But hasn’t squatted since she has been on the meds. about 3 months.

Three weeks ago got blood work and urine tested again and found bacteria for the first time gave me Clavamox. Good news was the thyroid meds are working… From 8.0 to 1.6 Yeah!

About 2 wks ago she was so lethargic.not eating at all.couldn’t keep herself standing up very scary… We freaked out and went to Petco and got whatever wet food I could find just to get her to eat! She started eating and is A LOT better. But I apparently screwed up and started giving her dry also .Again.. We just wanted her to EAT. The vet agreed that we should feed her whatever she would eat. We really thought we were gonna have to put her down.

Well Two days ago she started squatting again… She starts squatting everywhere and pushes so hard that blood comes out. They can’t tell me what it is just caused by stress??? I don’t know… I heard your show and took her off the dry 2 days ago after she started again. She is a VERY picky eater!! OVER the top picky..

We are truck drivers and as soon as we stop in CA we are going to get Dehydrated Meat and go to Trader Joe’s to get more of the wet you recommend.

They have me give her Metacam when she does this and it does calm her down but I have lost all faith in these Doctors that don’t know what is wrong but have me give her dry food and meds that obviously aren’t working.  We would love to have her around a few more years she is our last baby left.

Your input would be greatly appreciated. Sorry to just ramble but we are so upset. My husband and I just want her better! Thank you for your time and God Bless.

Coreen, Marbles proud momma

With all the horrible medical problems the cat has had, I wasn’t sure if I could trust my own judgment and tell Coreen that this seemed to me to be a chain reaction of physical ills – ALL stemming from feeding kitty crack. So instead of getting hyper-focused on any one problem, I wrote to Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, the official vet of the show,and asked her whether I was correct that the problems do sound as though they stemmed from feeding dry food (and some wet food with poor quality ingredients) – and since the cat was A LOT better on the wet, could the problem have been that Coreen mistakenly re-introduced the kitty crack.?

And this was Dr Hodgkins’ reply:

“Yes!!!!”

Poor Marbles and her people – they have been steered so wrong and paid such a high price for it. I do hope that once the kitty crack is out of the house and only nutrition wet food crosses her lips, that she will be as good as new!

—Tracie
The Cat Bible by Tracie Hotchner

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