What canned food is safe for my senior cat on thyroid medication?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bitty. If his hyperthyroidism is well controlled and he has not developed any kidney disease, then he can eat a high quality over-the-counter diet. I typically recommend Purina ProPlan or Royal Canin. If he has other underlying diseases such as kidney problems, then a prescription diet would be necessary. I hope this information helps!

Most of the premium brands (Blue Buffalo, Canidae, Orijen, Royal Canin) should be fine. Stay away from store or discount brands as these typically contain low quality ingredients and more fillers. Choose a canned food that comes from the can looking like a hockey puck. It should have a named protein source of animal origin. If you must feed dry, choose a grain free diet. Stay away from foods that are minced, diced or have sauces/gravies. these are usually higher in carb content which your cat does not need.

If you are feeding Hill's y/d diet, then yes, you can give it to all the cats. The cats that are not hyperthyroid though need iodine supplementation since the y/d diet is an iodine-restricted diet. This is VERY important. It is recommended that you take those healthy cats aside once a day and feed them a tablespoon (per cat) of regular canned cat food to increase their iodine intake. This should work just fine. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes!

if she is borderline and symptomatic they can send a thyroid test that can test more than just the in house version for a more definitive complete answer. Also they do make a food tailored to hyperthyroid cats that can help maintain the thyroid level. It is not safe to do if the number it not high though and it has to be the only food she gets. It is called science diet Y/D. I would talk to your vet about sending off a complete thyroid panel prior to any changes

Unfortunately the only food that will have a chance of working on its own it’s Hill’s. The other brands have not been formulated and studied with the same purpose. It is not the gold standard treatment for Hyperthyroidism but might work in some specific cases. Hyperthyroidism is caused by a tumour of the thyroid gland, and although benign can’t be left untreated. My personal recommendation would be to discuss other treatment options which might be more appropriate given Bob’s underlying allergies and given his relatively young age. Hope this helps !

The science diet Y/D is a good food for an over active thyroid. Changing the food is a good idea, but you should have the thyroid level checked every 4-6 weeks as some cats do not need the medication once the food is changed, some just need to change to dose. So checking the range frequently can let you know how in control it is

No that is uncommon. Many cats do not do well with diet changes and he certainly had a poor reaction to the food. Continue with his old diet. If you are unable to give oral medication you can have the medication made into a gel that you can rub on the ear flap where it will be absorbed through the skin. A compounding pharmacy can do this for you. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Theo.