Content
- Feline Hypothyroidism
- Symptoms of Hypothyroidism in Cats
- Diagnosis
- Treatment of hypothyroidism in cats
Like humans and dogs, cats also suffer from hypothyroidism, a condition caused by poor thyroid function. It can be due to different causes, but the main problem is the decrease in hormone secretion of the thyroid. These hormones when they are scarce cause an imbalance in different functions of our cat's body.
In this PeritoAnimal article we explain everything you need to know about hypothyroidism in cats so you can help your cat improve its quality of life.
Feline Hypothyroidism
As mentioned in the introduction, this is a thyroid hypofunction state that may be due to different causes and that it will result in an insufficient amount of thyroid hormones.
The causes are varied but simple to understand. It can occur due to an alteration at any level of the Hypothalamus - Pituitary axis or commonly known as the regulatory axis.It can also be caused by a lack of thyroid development and in both cases it is considered as primary hypothyroidism. Here we can also include atrophy of glands and/or tumors.
In case of secondary hypothyroidism we have a problem in the synthesis of thyroid hormones because there is some problem in the functioning of the hormones that control the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormones are amino acids with iodine secreted by the gland that produces them and are the only compounds that have it. Therefore, they have essential functions in the body, such as:
- Regulate homeostasis giving a good balance of the internal environment
- Regulate body growth and development
- They act in the synthesis and degradation of proteins and fats
- Increase oxygen consumption
- Form vitamins from carotenes
- Essentials for the nervous system
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism in Cats
The symptoms that our cat can present when suffering from this disease are mainly the weight gain and/or obesity without dietary changes. These are called "red flags" for homeowners and are very easy to measure and observe. Let's look at other symptoms that may or may not accompany the disease:
- neurological disorders such as depression, confusion, stupor, intolerance to move, etc.
- Dermatological changes (although they are more common in puppies), lack of hair in some areas of the body, very itchy head and extremities, bad hair appearance, hyperpigmentation in some areas of the body, increased edema (such as inflammation), seborrhea.
- Cardiac changes such as decreased heart rate or changes in the heart.
- neuromuscular signals such as weakness, unwillingness to walk or play, muscle atrophy of the extremities.
- reproductive changes such as longer heats, infertility, testicular atrophy in which the scrotal sac almost disappears, decreased sexual desire.
Diagnosis
If your cat has any of the symptoms described in the previous point, we recommend that visit the veterinarian to assess what's going on with your pet. A general screening will be done with a blood test to check the thyroid hormones and the corresponding biochemistry to see if anything else comes with it.
Treatment of hypothyroidism in cats
Once hypothyroidism is correctly diagnosed in our feline, we must start with treatments, otherwise, it can result in injuries and, in some situations, in the death of the animal.
We must know very well what kind of hypothyroidism we face in order to adequate treatment. THE synthetic hormone supplementation sometimes it is the chosen way to regulate your levels. They are treatments for life, but there are natural ways that can help you not to increase the dose in a short time.
We can use Reiki to give you tranquility and be able to regulate you as a living being. Many people forget that these diseases can get worse and these techniques are a way to delay their early progress. With the homeopathy we can work from another plane. You should look for the basic medicine so that you feel as comfortable as possible with your illness and, at times, you will achieve such well-being that instead of increasing the dose of synthetic hormones, you will be able to reduce them.
Also read our article on hypothyroidism in dogs for more information on this subject.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.