Thread: Hyperthyroidism cat food

Does anyone have a cat with hyperthyroidism? My cat was diagnosed, we tried medication (pills and trans dermal) but he can't tolerate them (throws up every day). There are only 3 other options (aside from letting him die): diet change, surgery, and radioactive treatment.

So I'm trying Hill's Prescription Diet Y/D dry food (4 lb bag - $41 from Petco). This is supposed to work very well, takes the place of meds -- still need a vet prescription. But the websites all say cats are carnivores, cannot exist on dry food alone, and need the moisture in the canned food. The Hill's Y/D canned food didn't get very good reviews -- people said cats won't eat it, it's "clay." The stores/vet don't stock it so I can't buy 1-2 cans -- you have to order online, and the minimum is 24 cans ($82 from Petco). Apparently I need something with >.32 ppm of iodine in it (Hill's Y/D has 0.1ppm). None of the cans actually say the amount of iodine, I've been searching online for info -- and contacting manufacturer's.

The Fancy Feast Chicken Feast Pate Senior 7+ is close -- it has .387ppm iodine. But try and find it. I went to PetsMart, Petco, Target, and Pet Supplies Plus today. They don't even have a space for it. Several places online say Out of Stock.

So -- I'm wondering if anyone out there has already done this search and can give me some suggestions. Do you know where they will sell me 1-2 cans of Hill's, or do you know of any other suitable OTC replacement? I'm checking on Instinct, Wellness, Weruva, Feline Natural -- so far no response.

Thanks.

Kathy

Do you have a Rural King near you? They sell single cans.

(I don't have a cat. I just googled it).

Thanks. I read a review on a hyperthyroid site that some woman said she was creating her own wet food. She uses raw chicken and mixes it with low-sodium broth. She freezes it in ice cube trays.

I managed to find 3 cans of the Fancy Feast. Can you believe that Purina will not disclose how much iodine is in their products? They told me to consult my vet if I have a specific medical issue. I wrote back and said -- I have a vet, I'm trying to find something to use until I can locate the Y/D canned food to see if he'll even eat it! They wrote back and said I should contact their Vet at an 800 number. What's the big secret? I found the iodine level for the Fancy Feast on a website where you could order it, and there was a place for questions. Someone had asked the question and it said the Purina rep answered it -- giving the iodine amt. It'll be interesting to see if anyone else answers me.

I do have a Rural King in my area -- but the website only shows Hill's Science Diet -- not Prescription Diet. So I'll keep looking.

My vet won't sent their prescription to just anyone -- and they won't give me a paper copy. I went through this with flea/tick meds with them. They can't be sure I am not taking their prescription to Canada and purchasing it illegally. They will only send the prescription to legitimate, US, companies.

So this is crazy.

Kathy

Originally Posted by kjwent

They can't be sure I am not taking their prescription to Canada and purchasing it illegally. They will only send the prescription to legitimate, US, companies.

Yeah, cause we all know what a hop, skip and a jump, you are to Canada! *smh*

I finally just bit the bullet and ordered the case of canned cat food online from Petco. The stores don't stock Prescription Diet, will not ship to the store for pickup, you have to order the 5.5oz cans (he usually only gets 3oz wet food) delivered. But, they will actually take back any unused cans right at the store with a receipt. So, I won't have to pack it all up and return it, or donate it. I'm ok with that. The Hill's instructions have a gradual introduction period (7 days) of mixing old food in with the new, so not everything I have will go to waste. We mix bag food -- like sensitive stomach (chicken) with urinary tract formula (salmon). Everything I have is open. Unfortunately the new food only comes in chicken -- he'll get no variety. My hairdresser will thank me for my donation -- she has 4 cats and also feeds feral cats. Nothing will be wasted.

I've stopped his meds today -- he was sick 2x this morning. Enough! I want him to stop being sick before I start feeding him something different. I'll let you know how this goes.

Kathy

Sometimes taking care of a sick pet is worse, and more complicated, than taking care of a sick human! Ridiculous.

Hope it works for you (him), and that he likes it.

Fingers crossed.

Well, my cat loved the food. Seemed to be thriving. Eyes bright, active, happy. I bought an automatic food dispenser, put his food on auto-delivery from Petco, and scheduled his monthly vet appt for bloodwork. Unfortunately, he never stopped throwing up the entire month he was on the Y/D food. So the vet had suggested xrays to see if something else was causing the problem. We never made it that far -- Max died last Monday (11/13). Just laid down on the living room floor in the sun and stopped breathing. We'll never know if the food was working or not. We're heartbroken and just stayed in for the last week. I know it will take awhile.

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions. I hope no one has to go through this -- it was tough with not a lot of options.

Kathy

Aww. So sorry to hear that. It's hard losing a pet. My dog has been gone 9 ys, and I still miss her.

It does sound like the new food was working. It sounds like he was happy in his last couple days.