Twiggy was my first pet as an adult living on my own. She was 100% cat. From her dark furry ears to her long white tail, Twiggy was a hunter, a jumper, a climber and a huge drain on my furniture budget; but when she looked up at me with her big doe eyes, I forgot about the damage to my Tommy Bahama ottoman. It was a look of complete acceptance; one I felt lucky to have earned. Twiggy had always been thin and active, but when she began to drink excessive amounts of water (out of the toilet bowl no less), I thought she might have developed diabetes and was surprised when my veterinarian suspected hyperthyroidism. Our vet, Dr. McKenna, was pretty sharp for a big man who appeared to buy most of his clothes from a costume shop and I trusted his judgment. He said that cats were most at risk for hyperthyroidism around 13-years old. We weren’t certain about Twiggy’s age, since she was grown when I found her, shivering on my front porch, three winters before. “Has she been eating more than normal?” Dr. McKenna said. “She is such a hunter; it’d be hard to say. She catches birds, lizards, locusts— anything she can pin in her claws—she’ll eat.” I told him. “How about vomit?” he asked. “Oh, she’ll definitely eat that.” I said. “No—has she been vomiting?” he said, shooting me a sharp glance. “Occasionally, she does. I figured it probably had something to do with her diet.” “Animals with hyperthyroidism can show signs of depression, appear weak, have difficulty breathing and seem cranky.” “She has been a little crabby and she urinates more than normal—probably from all the water.” “Her heart rate is little fast, which is something we see in hyperthyroid disease,” Dr. McKenna said, standing up and feeling of Twiggy’s throat. “Let’s get a blood panel with a T4.” He picked up Twiggy and left the room. When Dr. McKenna left, I walked over to the display of brochures on the wall of the treatment room. I grabbed the one on thyroid disorders and glanced at the cat on the cover; it could’ve been Twiggy’s twin. The pamphlet said thyroid disorders in dogs are somewhat rare, but that older cats—especially Siamese, are prone to overactive thyroids. Evidently, there are two thyroid glands in the neck, and it is common for both of them to be enlarged and producing too much hormone. The thyroid controls metabolism and one of the most common sign of thyroid disease is an animal that is eating more and weighing less. (A condition I personally dream of acquiring.) Increased activity, or “nervous as a cat” behavior, along with a neglected hair coat are also signs of an overactive thyroid. The spike in metabolism can also cause hypertension (high blood pressure) and a heart problem known as thyrotoxic cardiomyopathy, characterized by an enlarged heart that has thickened to meet increased metabolic demands; luckily these problems are usually reversible with proper treatment of the disease. Blindness from high blood pressure due to retinal hemorrhage or detachment can occur also. I was starting to think that Twiggy might have already used up a good portion of her nine lives. Thyroid disorders can affect many parts of the animal’s system. Kidney disease is common in cats with hyperthyroidism. Treatments for hyperthyroidism can range from life-long oral anti-thyroid medications or surgical removal of affected thyroid glands to radioactive iodine therapy. Thyroid lowering medication is methimazole ( Tapazole) and is given one to three times daily and must be continued throughout the life of the cat. It takes several weeks for methimazole to reduce blood thyroid. The pills may be difficult to administer daily and the owners may elect to have their cat treated with radioactive iodine or surgery. Methimazole can cause side effects like depression, vomiting and lack of appetite, which may resolve without stopping the medication. A more serious side effect is the development of low blood cell counts. If cell counts decrease, methimazole is stopped and another treatment should be considered. Enlarged thyroid glands can also be surgically removed. If both glands are enlarged, they can be removed and most cats will continue to produce enough thyroid hormone by the few thyroid cells scattered throughout the body to prevent hypothyroidism or low thyroid levels. A few cats will become hypothyroid and may need to take thyroid pills. Surgical removal of the thyroid is usually performed without complications. Occasionally, complications may develop, including damage to the parathyroid glands, which are closely attached to the thyroid gland; damage to nerves close to the thyroid gland; or damage to the voice box. Some cats will remain hyperthyroid after surgical removal of the thyroid glands. These cats have abundant thyroid cells in abnormal locations, including the chest cavity where surgical removal is difficult. This extra thyroid tissue is called ectopic thyroid. Treatment with radioactive iodine is performed by selected specialty veterinary practices. The iodine is given intravenously and will accumulate in the abnormal thyroid tissue killing the abnormal thyroid cells, but sparing the normal ones. Radioactive iodine will also accumulate in ectopic thyroid tissue. Radioactive iodine treatment is very effective and rarely causes hypothyroidism. Cats don’t have to be anesthetized for the procedure, but do have to remain hospitalized until the level of radioactivity decreases which is usually one to three weeks. Now, I was really worried about poor Twiggy. Could I have prevented her from developing thyroid problems? Dr. McKenna returned and said that the blood test results were only slightly elevated. He would need to do nuclear medicine scan to determine if Twiggy’s glands were enlarged. A small dose of radioactive compound that travels by the blood to the thyroid glands would be injected. Hyperactive thyroid glands accumulate the compound more than normal glands Twiggy would have to stay with him for a few days until the compound leaves her system. So, I left the office without my baby and went home to see if I could learn more about hyperthyroidism. Once home, I got on my computer and found out there were natural homeopathic products that calm the thyroid and endocrine system and normalize metabolic rates. One of them, Thyroid Soothe, contained Chamomile, Nux vom, Cratageous, Zingiber and Lycopus. Chamomile, Zingiber and Cratageous are all known for their calming properties. The Nux vom is made from the seeds of the strychnos nux vomica tree and is used to treat nausea and digestive disorders. Anything that would prevent Twiggy’s heart from racing might avoid the hypertension and enlarged heart that many animals with hyperthyroidism suffer from! I wished I’d known more about the illness before Twiggy’s symptoms began to occur. I was anxious to get her started on the homeopathic therapy and hoped that Dr. McKenna would help me monitor her progress. After all, Twiggy was my first pet as a grown-up.
researcher Sheli Ellsworth Natural Remedies for Hyperthyroidism in Pets Thyroid Soothe - Homeopathic remedy that works naturally to soothe the thyroid, heart and endocrine systems - Continue |
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