"Kate" wrote in message
...

"Kate" wrote in message
...

"Phil P." wrote in message
...

Thank you so much for your help, Phil. I will pass on your
recommendations to our vet tomorrow (Monday). The way things have
been going lately, I am concerned that the yo-yoing of his blood
pressure will do even more damage to his kidneys and/or heart, so
a
very gradual reduction sounds an excellent idea. I just hope we
can
get it down soon enough to prevent heart damage, though...


Don't be too worried, Kate. Many hyperthyroid cats develop
myocardial
hypertrophy that's often confused for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Thyrotoxic myocardial hypertrophy often (usually) resolves when
hyperthyroidism is brought under control.

BTW, he is an absolute star about taking pills, and his mouth is so
huge, I can hardly miss!

You're *so* lucky! That alone increases his chances
*dramatically*!

Please keep me posted!

Best of luck,

Phil


I have started Toby on 1.25mg of methimazole, once a day, but my vet
has also been researching and she wonders if his potassium levels
might be too low. She would like to test for this, but, unless
Toby`s condition deteriorates in the meantime, we are going to leave
it for one week to see how he gets on with the low dose of
methimazole.

Regarding the pill-taking, having had a multi-cat household for more
than 25 years, I have had my share of difficult customers. Toby is
certainly the easiest to medicate that we have ever had. It may be
because I have gained a lot of experience over the years and
approach the task with confidence, which is picked up by the cat,
or - more likely - that Toby is a great big, soft, dollop!

Regards
Kate

Unfortunately, within 12 hours of giving Toby 1.25 mg of methimazole,
he vomitted, so it seems that even that tiny dose does not agree with
him.

I've run across this problem a few times with subtherapeutic doses. It might
be the taste of methimazole, not the dose, that's making him sick -- its
horrible - very bitter - and has been known to make some cats vomit.

Ask your pharmacist to compound his methimazole into a flavored suspension
solution. Methimazole can also be formulated into a transdermal gel that's
applied to the inside of his earflap. Another alternative is crushing the
pill to fit inside a gelcap.

When you pill him, do you drop the pill into his laryngopharynx so that he
doesn't smell or taste it and also so it doesn't begin to dissolve in his
mouth?

http://www.maxshouse.com/Medicating_Your_Cat.htm


As his appetite had dropped even further, the vet prescribed an
anti-emetic in case he felt nauseous.

Try the flavored suspension or transdermal gel -- I'd bet its the taste
that's making him nauseous - it would make me nauseous!



Then last Wednesday she took
more blood to test for hypokalemia, urea and creatinine. The results
showed that he does not have hypokalemia, and both his urea and
creatinine were down slightly - still well above normal range, but
down nevertheless.

As his appetite was still very poor, I changed his food from canned
Hill`s Senior plus a/d to Whiskas kitten food. I chose kitten rather
than adult food because it is much finer and as Toby does not have any
teeth, he rejects coarse food - well, spits it out, in fact! This new
diet seems to meet with his approval, and although he is not eating
sufficient for his size, at least he is eating. I realise that kitten
food is high in protein and it does worry me that it will be bad for
his kidneys, but, then, so is not eating. Still, I expect it won`t be
long before he goes off the kitten food, and we can try him again on
the Hill`s.

I shall be speaking to the vet again tomorrow, but it now looks as
though his hyperthyroidism cannot be treated without causing kidney
failure. Although he is weak and lethargic and presents a pathetic
figure, he does not seem depressed or in pain, which is good. I know
that the prognosis is poor but will do my very best to help him
enjoy what time remains to him.

Thank you again for all your advice.
Kate

I have a very strong hunch that the taste of methimazole is making him sick
and affecting his appetite. Speak to your vet about a flavored suspension
or transdermal gel.

Good luck,

Phil