My cat's on methimazole. Could low thyroid cause picky eating?

Having high thyroid should make him have a better appetite so i would not expect it to get better with a higher tapazole dose. If anything, controlling his thyroid more may make the appetite worse. If a cat with hyperthyroidism is not eating well then i would worry about some other concurrent disease process, especially with such a senior kitty. If all other labwork is normal then the next step is imaging of the chest and abdomen to rule out other disease processes. There are other ways to support the appetite as well besides mirtazepine, so if your pet is losing weight make sure you discuss this with your vet. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A T4 of 1.8 is normal and doesn’t indicate hyperthyroidism and it means the dose Tony is on a good dose. I wound investigate other causes of increased thirst: diabetes, liver disease, high calcium cancer, etc if his thyroid is regulated and his kidney values are normal. I hope this helps and I wish Tony the best!

Yes I would stop the methimazole until you can have him checked again by your veterinarian. If he feels better off the methimazole then the methimazole dose may have been too high. They will check his blood work again for the thyroid level and for the pancreatitis. When changing diets I try adding just a small amount of new food at each meal until he gets used to it. Cats are fussy eaters but if he's still not eating it may be that Jojo just doesn't feel well and it wasn't that he didn't like the food. Once cats get regulated on the thyroid medication usually things smooth out and you'll have less problems. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Jojo.

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.

I hate to hear Tony's levels are going up. The normal range will depend on the lab that is used. I recommend to call your vet and ask these questions because they know the reference range that Tony has been using this whole time. I hope this provides some guidance. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Luv Bug is so very fortunate to have you as an owner. I am sure that you are one of the main reasons that she is going strong at 17 years of age. Kudos to you for your consideration and compassion for your pet. In terms of hyperthyroidism in cats, there are only three real treatments on the market today. These are methimazole treatment, thyroidectomy surgery, and radioactive iodine treatment. It is believed in the veterinary community that radioactive iodine is the gold standard treatment today. With the information you have provided, I can offer you a few possibilities for future treatment: 1. Perhaps you can get the math him is all in a tablet form to crush it into a fine powder and then mix it with any palatable substance that she likes and then squirt it in her mouth with a syringe. This, however, may cause some behavior problems because she may not like this either. 2. If you are willing to accept the costs and all of the different parts that go with the radioactive iodine treatment, I say go for it because the success rate for that specific treatment is excellent. Thank you very much for your question and I know you will make the right decision on her behalf. Have a great day.

Hi there. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism generally include things like weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive vocalization, and increased appetite or thirst. I would tend to agree with your veterinarian that if your kitty is not losing weight or having any other symptoms of a problem, there is no reason to change his medication dosage - although an increase may be needed in the future if he starts to have symptoms again.