Hyperthyroidism in cats - Symptoms and treatments

Feline hyperthyroidism is one of those diseases that , in most cases, manages to go unnoticed, manifesting only when the cat's health is severely compromised.

This is a very common pathology, especially in cats that have exceeded 7 years of age In itself it is not fatal, but it involves complications that put the life of the cat at risk, by attacking several of its vital organs.That is why Animals and Pets Online presents this article on feline hyperthyroidism, symptoms and treatment .Keep reading!

What is feline hyperthyroidism?

It is a disease that has documentation only since 1970.It is common in elderly cats , especially in those over 10 years, being more frequent in the Siamese race.

It consists of an alteration of the organism due to the overproduction of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4).Detected in time, there are high probabilities of control and improvement, but otherwise, the complications that accompany this excessive secretion of the hormone are deadly for the cat.

Causes of feline hyperthyroidism

The main cause of hyperthyroidism is the increase in thyroid hormone production , both T3 and T4.This increase is due, in most cases, to a disorder caused by a disease related to the thyroid lobes .

The cause is because, as the size of the lobes grows, as a result of the disease, the hormone begins to secrete larger amounts , affecting the balance of the whole organism.

Approximately 10% of the felines affected the disease is caused by the presence of a carcinoma (carcinogenic mass), in which case the prognosis for improvement is reduced.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism in cats

One of the problems of hyperthyroidism is that, in most cases, there are no clear signs of disease , these begin to occur when the pathology has already advanced.that it is necessary to remain attentive to any abnormality in the behavior and the habits of your feline, to detect this or any other ailment in time.

Usually , the cat's owner realizes that something is wrong when he notices that his partner eats the same or greater amounts of food, but shows an obvious weight loss .

This It is accompanied by other alarming signs , such as:

Chronic diarrhea
Depression
Hyperactivity
Nervous or arch behavior
Frequent vomiting
Inability to jump
Loss of strength
Neglected and knotted mantle
Arrhythmia
Dyspnea
Disorientation
A gresividad
Unusual nocturnal vocalizations

These symptoms do not appear suddenly or appear all together, rather they are shown in a progressive way, so if it is neglected, they may be overlooked.

By increasing the secretion of the thyroid, renal function is directly affected, so a renal failure is the greatest danger, putting the cat's life at risk.

How is the diagnosis made?

In principle, the size transformation suffered by thyroid lobes is usually noticeable with just palpating the cat's neck .This, of course, will not be enough to give a definitive diagnosis.of hyperthyroidism, nor the absence of this sign will mean that the feline does not suffer from the disease.

To be sure, various medical tests are necessary.The most important of all is a full blood test , in which you can appreciate not only the condition of the white blood cells and the health of the feline in general, but also the levels of liver enzymes (essential for detecting a kidney problem).

In addition to this, a electrocardiogram is recommended to assess the possibility of a heart problem, such as arrhythmia and tachycardia.

Treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats

When the results of the studies show a positive for feline hyperthyroidism, there are 3 types of treatments recommended.The choice of each depends not only on your country of residence, as one of them is not available worldwide, but also of the age, weight and health status of the cat, as well as the possibility of hepatic or cardiac complications:

The first option is administer antiroid drugs , a treatment that should be applied for life.The option is not curative, since it does not eliminate the origin of the problem, but it keeps the levels of thyroid hormone stable.It is possible that there are side effects, so They recommend veterinary check-ups every 3 months to review the dose and adjust it if necessary.The second option is a thyroidectomy , which is nothing more than the removal of the thyroid.This measure usually eradicates a large part of the problem, although you exist The risk of mortality is quite high.A therapy with active ingredients is usually applied and then surgery is used, because that way the lethality of the treatment is reduced.This solution should not be chosen if the cat suffers from liver disease or diabetes.The last possibility is the application of a treatment using radioactive iodine , which is considered the best option.However, it is not available in all countries, as there are no nuclear medicine centers to pets.

Radioactive iodine removes abnormally grown tissue, leaving the thyroid gland intact, and reducing hormone secretion levels.Treatment is given subcutaneously and does not represent any risk ; In addition, less than 10% of patients require a second dose, so it is highly effective.

There are pros and cons of applying each of these treatments, consulting with your veterinarian can find the most suitable option for the cat.

This article is purely informative, at ExpertAnimal.com we do not have the power to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any type of diagnosis.We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in the event that he presents any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Hyperthyroidism in cats-Symptoms and treatments , we recommend that you enter our section on Other health problems.

Comments

How to know what size a mongrel dog will be?

When we talk about a mixed breed dog or mixed breed dog , generally we refer to a dog whose ancestry is unknown and that has typical characteristics of two or more breeds.This is usually the result of a non-selective breeding, but generally fortunate, since a mongrel dog can be exactly as good companion as a dog of a certain breed. Due to numerous factors, although here it is worth highlighting the great genetic variability, there are many advantages of having a mongrel dog and it is important to emphasize this point since unfortunately it is usually grant a lower value to a dog of these characteristics.If you are thinking of adopting a mixed breed dog, you are surely gathering all the necessary information, if you are wondering how to know what size a mongrel dog will be I didn't leave It is to read this article of Animals and Pets Online. Is it possible to know the size of a mongrel dog? Of course, estimating the exact size of a mongrel dog is not an easy task, although ...

How to remove the dog smell from my house

Image: pixabay.com The body odor of dogs is much more intense than that of other companion animals, such as cats, and it is not surprising that our home is impregnated with that smell, despite maintaining its hygiene properly In addition, there are races of cans that tend to give off a stronger odor than others, the Poodle and the Dachshunds, for example, are races that are not used to smell bad .In general, we usually immunize ourselves to the point of not noticing that our home smells like a dog, but visits do not, so that you can easily get rid of it, in this article of a How we want to teach you how to remove the smell of dog from your house with some Simple homemade tricks. Steps to follow: 1 The first thing you should do is look at the intensity of the smell , if your dog smells stronger than normal you should take it to the veterinarian since, in many cases, the bad smell is usually a symptom of Virico diseases.Other times the cause is usually the physiognomy of yo...

Tricks to shine my dog's hair

There are several homemade tricks to keep your dog's hair shiny and healthy.The simplest and most economical is to brush it gently on a daily basis (5 minutes are enough) although you can use many other techniques to make it look perfect either winter or summer. There are many tricks that have been used since ancient times They have been used to enhance the beauty of hair, both humans and animals, although more time is required to elaborate and apply them than usual brushing.In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will explain the most common or easy to apply so that the Your dog's hair is bright. In addition, you should keep in mind that factors such as feeding directly affect the quality and brightness of the dog's hair.Read reading to know tricks to brighten the my dog's hair . Beer The application of non-alcoholic beer to the dog's hair at the end of the bath, is proven to improve its brightness because it nourishes the hair bulb and softens th...

Flea bite allergy in dogs

In this Animals and Pets Online article we discuss a common problem: the allergy to flea bites in dogs .We say usual because fleas are parasites of wide worldwide distribution that, due to the conditions provided in our homes, can survive throughout the year, being able to bite dogs, cats, any other warm-blooded animal and even humans. Not all dogs develop allergies, but it is worth knowing this pathology because it is very common and the symptoms are very annoying, so read on to find out how to know if your dog is allergic to flea bites . Flea life cycle Fleas are parasitic insects observable to the naked eye.They have a flattened body to move better between the fur and are characterized by their high-altitude jumps.The adults get on the dog and bite to extract her blood , from which they feed.The female deposits eggs in the environment, between carpets or slits.These develop in several phases until they become adults and get on another animal, restarting the cycle.their way...

Green anaconda care

First of all we should emphasize that adopting a green anaconda will be a huge responsibility only within reach (if the adopter is sensible), of experts who have previously adopted other minor snakes, so that they already have a solid idea of the minimum care that should be taken in a terrarium for reptiles. One factor to consider is the sex of the anaconda, since females are much larger and heavier than males.Obviously males will be much more manageable than females, since they rarely exceed 3.5 meters, however, females can exceed more than 6 meters during their 30 years of captive life and exceed 200 kg of weight. Therefore you must build and modify the terrarium of your green anaconda based on its growth.If you continue reading e This post from Animals and Pets Online, we will explain the basic conditions for the care of the green anaconda . Terrarium size and needs The size of the terrarium will be based on the measure of the green anaconda.It will not be the same to...

Papillon dog: features

In this Animals and Pets Online breed sheet we will talk about the papillon dog , also known as dwarf spaniel or butterfly dog, for its literal translation into French.It is one of the most elegant dogs in the world and comes from France and Belgium. Here are some details fundamental aspects that you should know if you are considering adopting one: the characteristics of the breed, how its training works or its possible relationship with children.But before, a little history: The papillon dog is It became really popular when Tiziano Vicelli painted them in the 16th century , as a result many other renowned painters began to include the papillon dog in their works such as Watteau or Fragonard.It was then when the dogs Papillon breed were considered as royalty dogs since in all to Europe the most important kings included them in their family paintings. The papillon created a trend .It is even said that Marie Antoinette had a papillon.This pretty and soft water dog changed her phy...

Animals with exoskeleton - Names and examples

The body of the largest vertebrate animals is not a mystery to most of people: it is known that it has a skeleton, internal vital organs (heart, brain, etc.), a dermis of variable and organ characteristics through which the five senses are manifested, among other characteristics. However, have you wondered what the invertebrate morphology is like? Then you need to know all about the animals with exoskeleton, names and examples. Don't miss this Animals and Pets Online article! What is the exoskeleton? The exoskeleton is an external structure that covers the body of various animals, including arthropods.It is characterized by being resistant but flexible .This structure It consists of different substances depending on the subfile to which the animal belongs: chitin for insects and fungi, calcium in mollusks and corals or silica in diatoms among other components. In turn, the exoskeleton is formed by three structures : Cuticle : non-cellular layer secreted by the hyp...

Because you fazem cats so much barulho quando cruzam

Everybody or world that widows do crossing cats knows how gracious they are fazem.It's true that you have come to the logo when cats are not involved, because they emit characteristic features to take care of two males .You responds also commended and assim starts court. Mase during a copula that you are shouting more obvious and scandalous.Muitas pessoas wondered because you cats fazem so much barulho quando cruzam ? Or PeritoAnimal criou this article to answer precisely that question. How do cats reproduce? As femeas atingem to sexual maturity between 5 and 9 months of going.Os males atingem um pouco more late, between 9 and 12 months. It is quite evident when As cats, there are no pois, for German two characteristic myriads, these are very many other aspects of how it is to roll, raise, etc. As cats temper a seasoned polyester reproductive cycle, in conditions normais.Ou seja, they will be reproduced most in some times of the year, once or a number of hours of lump u...

Types of herbivorous reptiles

There are many reptile fans who would like to start adopting and possess some very easy to maintain .However, most of the usual reptiles in pet stores have a common factor that puts these first time fans behind: almost all reptiles for adoption are insectivorous. This displeases these fans for various reasons.One very important thing is that insects cause them to repeat.Another factor to keep in mind is that incessant trips to the store must be made to provide themselves with live food, which often escapes and colonize the house.Crickets escaped inside a home can plunge their inhabitants into an insomniac despair.It is also not pleasant for many people to make a colony of crickets at home. If you are any of these fans, continues reading this p ost as Animals and Pets Online will tell you the different types of herbivorous reptiles. Land turtles Without a doubt, the most frequent herbivorous pet reptiles are the land turtles .In addition, they are also the easiest to maintain ...

Anaplasmosis in dogs - SYMPTOMS and TREATMENT

Ticks that can parasitize dogs are sometimes found, in turn , parasitized by pathogens such as bacteria that, if they enter the dog's organism, are capable of causing various diseases.This is the case of the anaplasmosis in dogs , a pathology that we will talk about in this article of Animals and Pets Online.We will see what symptoms can cause and how this problem can be treated not too well known, although worldwide distribution. Read on to discover everything about Anaplasma phagocytophilum in dogs and the Anaplasma platys , which are the most common in these animals. What is canine anaplasmosis? Anaplasmosis in dogs is caused by bacteria of the genus Anaplasma that infect animals through what is called a vector, in this case, a tick containing anaplasmas.they feed on blood, for which they must catch the animal.In that exchange is when contagion can occur and for this it must last a minimum of 18-24 hours. The anaplasmas are intracellular parasites obliged, thi...

Animals and Pets Online

Search This Blog