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ScrewyLewy · 12-19-2008, 07:54 PM

Saw somewhere in a thread someone pushing a natural food that contains fish. That's cool but for a couple of years now I have been recommending not feeding a cat food with fish flavors or ingredients with the exception of fish oils (Omega fatty acids) which are good. Please read this article and decide I say the safe way is no fish flavors, the jury is still out. You may want to print this article and take it to your vet next visit. I am caring for 2 cats with hypothyroidism and a male with urinary problems and all three had a history of fish flavored foods. I have talked to Science Diet and Nutro reps and they are yet to give any stance on the subject they still as almost every company offer foods with fish flavors. Only 1 wildcat in this world fishes and that still is not it's main food source.

My .02 Oh Yea since I am on my soap box 1 more thing. Check who owns the company that makes that pet food do they also have products that test on animals? P&G owns Iams and Ekanuba but they test on poor little guys to see if the color of they hair shampoo stings eyes etc. etc. sorry....

Hyperthyroidism In Cats
Cause And Treatment

Ron Hines DVM PhD 4/29/06
Overview Of The Disease:
Hyperthyroidism is the most common hormonal disease of cats that veterinarians see. It most often occurs in older cats, those 7-12 years of age. Male and female cats, neutered and unneutered are all susceptible to the disease. The thyroid gland consists of two lobes located at the base of the neck and in hyperthyroidism; usually both lobes of the gland are affected. These glands produce the hormone, thyroxine, which governs rate of metabolism. The more hormone that is produced, the higher the metabolic rate and the more calories the cat burns as energy. Excess thyroxine affects every organ in the cat’s body. Muscles, heart, stomach and intestines, urinary and nervous system are all affected. The disease will also change your cat’s behavior. Complications resulting from hyperthyroidism include heart enlargement, increased blood pressure, kidney damage and intestinal problems. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is the presence of hormone-producing, hyper-functional, nodules within the gland. Much less frequently, a true tumor of the thyroid gland is the cause of the disease.
Signs Of The Disease:
The most common reason for which hyperthyroid cats are brought to me is weight loss. These cats all remind me of the pink panther. They are lean in the extreme and often have stopped grooming. Owners report that the cat is hyperactive and has a ravenous appetite despite remaining thin. They also tend to drink and urinate excessively. Other common complaints are vomiting, diarrhea and personality changes. When I examine these cats I often detect a heart murmur, rapid heart rate, and scarred shrunken kidneys. Often the owners report that the cat has lived on a diet of fish-flavored cat foods` or human canned tuna. In some cases, I can feel the enlarged gland under the neck.

Diagnosing Thyroid Disease:
Luckily, thyroid disease can be diagnosed by a simple, inexpensive blood test. Because kidney, liver and certain cancers can have similar signs to hypothyroidism, I do a complete blood chemistry analysis of all organs on cats that I suspect may have the disease. The values within this panel that detect the disease are T-4, Free T-4 and T-3. These tests measure the amount of thyroid hormones present in the blood. Normal cats have values of 0.8-4.0 micrograms/deciliter, 10-50 picograms/leter and 40-150 nanograms/decileter respectively. Hyperthyroid cats have levels of T-4 as high as three times these amounts. In addition many hypothyroid cats have elevated kidney function tests and liver enzymes. I also x-ray the cat’s heart for evidence of enlargement.
Treatment:
Hyperthyroidism is treated with medications, surgery to remove portions of the gland, or radioactive iodine therapy. Cats in which the disease has been present a long time may not respond as well as early cases. The most effective form of treatment is destruction of abnormal thyroid tissue with injection of radio-iodine, a radioactive element. When successful, enough dormant cells are left in the thyroid to supply the proper amount of thyroxine while the cells that secreted abnormally high levels of thyroxine are destroyed. Less than 5% of these cats will need thyroid hormone replacement after the procedure. The drawbacks of this procedure is its high cost and the fact that only select veterinary centers have the equipment necessary to perform the procedure.
The next most effective treatment is surgical removal of the diseased portions of the thyroid gland. During surgery, it is a difficult decision as to how much thyroid to remove. Too much and the cat will need thyroid hormone replacement for the rest of it’s life. Too little and the disease will reoccur. One must be careful in doing this surgery not to damage the adjoining parathyroid glands or laryngeal nerves. Many veterinarians premedicate their patients for a few weeks with methimazole prior to surgery to lessen surgical risk
The third option is to control the disease is with a drug that inhibits thyroid hormone production. This drug is methimazole (Tapazole). I give most cats 2.5mg twice a day for two weeks at which time I do another blood test. I increase the dose to 5-10mg twice a day if too much thyroid hormone is still present and recheck their thyroxine levels two weeks later. Once I have determined the right amount of medication to give, I check blood thyroxine levels every three months. I am not enthusiastic about the results of this drug. Too many owners report that their cat stopped eating entirely on the medication. Vomiting and lethargy on Tapazole are also common. It is very difficult to get cats to take this bitter pill. Another major problem I have in treating these cats medically is the emergence of hidden kidney disease during treatment. Although hyperthyroidism is a very serious condition, failing kidneys is even more serious. Unfortunately, many of my clients are left unable to afford referral for radio-iodine treatment and yet unsatisfied with methimazole administration. Cost problems of this nature are a good reason to purchase pet health insurance.
Hyperthyroidism in cats is often the cause of elevated blood pressure or hypertension. (systolic blood pressure exceeds 160 mm Hg). When this occurs, smaller blood vessels may burst under increased pressure, particularly vessels within the retina of the eye. This can lead to retinal detachment and sudden blindness. To reduce the blood pressure anti-hypertensive drugs should be used. A number of agents called calcium channel blockers are available for treatment of hypertension although many of these are not specifically licensed for cats. Examples of two drugs commonly used are benazepril ( Fortekor®, Lotensin, 0.125-0.25 mg/lb once daily ) and amlodipine ( Istin®, NORVASC, 0.09 +/- 0.015 mg/lb once daily).
Prevention:
Statistically it has been found that cats fed a diet of fish-based cat food develop more hyperthyroidism and other glandular ailments. This may be due to rancid polyunsaturated fats found in poorer animal-quality fish products. The feeding of cat foods in pull-top cans seems to also be associated with this disease in some inexplicable way. A always suggest that cats on fish diets be weaned off of them and , when that is not possible, that they be given daily supplemental doses of vitamin E and B-1 (thiamine).

**OGUNIT** · 12-19-2008, 08:04 PM

so what brand do you think is healthy ? i have vegan friends who "used" to feed vegan food LOL , im not laughing at vegans btw i have them in my family . it depends on" what " kind of fish . farm , natural and species . they used to say no wine now they say drink it . of course just dont feed em fish .. feed them a well rounded diet like my cat food . and dog food
great thread , allot of people need to be educated on pet food . look at the melamine scare . babies dead and animals .good points about cats just eating fish .

12-19-2008, 08:17 PM

The Wellness brand is pretty good,.

http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/

**moms_brownies** · 12-19-2008, 08:52 PM

We are currently using the Wellness brand from Petco.....

Harry has a gluten-issue, compounded by the apparent negative impact of corn on his system, this stuff helped...

However, we are going to try another brand and will let you know how it goes...

ScrewyLewy · 12-19-2008, 09:05 PM

My group has been using MaxCat Roasted Chicken which is now owned by Mars candies I use Science diet orig. Dry although the 1st ingredient should be a quality protein like chicken or turkey.
I am really liking alot of the new Natural Food Companies although there is no real certified organics in pet food like in human food companies can make all sorts of claims there are no Government authorities like in people food. A lot of people don't realize MENU FOODS in Kansas make a lot of the major brands. Same ingredients different formulas. 3 parts this 2 parts that and here is Iams. 6 parts this 1 part that and it's Ol'Roys or Gravy Train. Same factory different food identical ingredients. So when these big company say they have better quality ingredient BS same stuff. Thats how they all had melamine in the gluten same stuff from China. So companies that have their own small factories may be safer. After this horrible pet food scare our pets might just be safer. But use quality not supermarket food. Limit treats don't use hairball foods that's laxatives all the time treat problems as needed. Spend more on food now and less at the Vet later. Remember cats are carnivorous.
That makes .04 now huh. Not an expert I just talk alot and if I am in error please call BS on me I can learn too.

Kushy420 · 12-20-2008, 06:12 PM

I found a pet food company called Blue Organics. I made the switch mainly due to the fact that it’s organic and the ingredient list really impressed me. It is free of any animal by-products, corn, wheat, soy and it gluten free. Both my cats love it and sometimes I see them searching through it to find these little pieces called “LifeSource Bits” that contain all kinds of good things for them.

Now that I see this article I’m a little concerned because the Organic Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe that I buy contains salmon meal. I think out of all the fishes they use salmon probably has the least amount of toxins in it. I’m also thinking since it’s not the main ingredient I’m probably ok. I guess I’ll have to check into this a bit more. Thanks for the info!

Here’s a link to the food if you want to check it out.

http://www.bluebuff.com/products/cat...ics-cats.shtml

ScrewyLewy · 02-14-2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushy420

I found a pet food company called Blue Organics. I made the switch mainly due to the fact that it’s organic and the ingredient list really impressed me. It is free of any animal by-products, corn, wheat, soy and it gluten free. Both my cats love it and sometimes I see them searching through it to find these little pieces called “LifeSource Bits” that contain all kinds of good things for them.

Now that I see this article I’m a little concerned because the Organic Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe that I buy contains salmon meal. I think out of all the fishes they use salmon probably has the least amount of toxins in it. I’m also thinking since it’s not the main ingredient I’m probably ok. I guess I’ll have to check into this a bit more. Thanks for the info!

Here’s a link to the food if you want to check it out.

http://www.bluebuff.com/products/cat...ics-cats.shtml

The Blue Buffalo reps gave my rescue group samples and one of our volunteers did try it. The only problem her cats wouldn't eat the Life source bits. That the bits with vitamins that they say aren't cooked to protect the value. I think this company is a good one with good products.

MikeM · 02-17-2009, 04:37 PM

I lost my best ever cat, Lucy to hyperthyroidism a few years ago.
She did live to almost 16 and only had it for about 3 years before she died.

I think cat's are healthiest just eating a good quality dry food.

MoeGreen4200 · 04-12-2009, 08:30 PM

my cats picky. she loves the gravy more than anything. im sure she's not the only kitty who loves that. she's totally into Iams at the moment.

12-19-2008, 07:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
ScrewyLewy I'm Tired! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 3rd rock from the sun Co-Op: NO Vendor: NO Patient: YES Posts: 669 Rep Power: 54391	Cat Food Saw somewhere in a thread someone pushing a natural food that contains fish. That's cool but for a couple of years now I have been recommending not feeding a cat food with fish flavors or ingredients with the exception of fish oils (Omega fatty acids) which are good. Please read this article and decide I say the safe way is no fish flavors, the jury is still out. You may want to print this article and take it to your vet next visit. I am caring for 2 cats with hypothyroidism and a male with urinary problems and all three had a history of fish flavored foods. I have talked to Science Diet and Nutro reps and they are yet to give any stance on the subject they still as almost every company offer foods with fish flavors. Only 1 wildcat in this world fishes and that still is not it's main food source. My .02 Oh Yea since I am on my soap box 1 more thing. Check who owns the company that makes that pet food do they also have products that test on animals? P&G owns Iams and Ekanuba but they test on poor little guys to see if the color of they hair shampoo stings eyes etc. etc. sorry.... Hyperthyroidism In Cats Cause And Treatment Ron Hines DVM PhD 4/29/06 Overview Of The Disease: Hyperthyroidism is the most common hormonal disease of cats that veterinarians see. It most often occurs in older cats, those 7-12 years of age. Male and female cats, neutered and unneutered are all susceptible to the disease. The thyroid gland consists of two lobes located at the base of the neck and in hyperthyroidism; usually both lobes of the gland are affected. These glands produce the hormone, thyroxine, which governs rate of metabolism. The more hormone that is produced, the higher the metabolic rate and the more calories the cat burns as energy. Excess thyroxine affects every organ in the cat’s body. Muscles, heart, stomach and intestines, urinary and nervous system are all affected. The disease will also change your cat’s behavior. Complications resulting from hyperthyroidism include heart enlargement, increased blood pressure, kidney damage and intestinal problems. The most common cause of hyperthyroidism is the presence of hormone-producing, hyper-functional, nodules within the gland. Much less frequently, a true tumor of the thyroid gland is the cause of the disease. Signs Of The Disease: The most common reason for which hyperthyroid cats are brought to me is weight loss. These cats all remind me of the pink panther. They are lean in the extreme and often have stopped grooming. Owners report that the cat is hyperactive and has a ravenous appetite despite remaining thin. They also tend to drink and urinate excessively. Other common complaints are vomiting, diarrhea and personality changes. When I examine these cats I often detect a heart murmur, rapid heart rate, and scarred shrunken kidneys. Often the owners report that the cat has lived on a diet of fish-flavored cat foods` or human canned tuna. In some cases, I can feel the enlarged gland under the neck. Diagnosing Thyroid Disease: Luckily, thyroid disease can be diagnosed by a simple, inexpensive blood test. Because kidney, liver and certain cancers can have similar signs to hypothyroidism, I do a complete blood chemistry analysis of all organs on cats that I suspect may have the disease. The values within this panel that detect the disease are T-4, Free T-4 and T-3. These tests measure the amount of thyroid hormones present in the blood. Normal cats have values of 0.8-4.0 micrograms/deciliter, 10-50 picograms/leter and 40-150 nanograms/decileter respectively. Hyperthyroid cats have levels of T-4 as high as three times these amounts. In addition many hypothyroid cats have elevated kidney function tests and liver enzymes. I also x-ray the cat’s heart for evidence of enlargement. Treatment: Hyperthyroidism is treated with medications, surgery to remove portions of the gland, or radioactive iodine therapy. Cats in which the disease has been present a long time may not respond as well as early cases. The most effective form of treatment is destruction of abnormal thyroid tissue with injection of radio-iodine, a radioactive element. When successful, enough dormant cells are left in the thyroid to supply the proper amount of thyroxine while the cells that secreted abnormally high levels of thyroxine are destroyed. Less than 5% of these cats will need thyroid hormone replacement after the procedure. The drawbacks of this procedure is its high cost and the fact that only select veterinary centers have the equipment necessary to perform the procedure. The next most effective treatment is surgical removal of the diseased portions of the thyroid gland. During surgery, it is a difficult decision as to how much thyroid to remove. Too much and the cat will need thyroid hormone replacement for the rest of it’s life. Too little and the disease will reoccur. One must be careful in doing this surgery not to damage the adjoining parathyroid glands or laryngeal nerves. Many veterinarians premedicate their patients for a few weeks with methimazole prior to surgery to lessen surgical risk The third option is to control the disease is with a drug that inhibits thyroid hormone production. This drug is methimazole (Tapazole). I give most cats 2.5mg twice a day for two weeks at which time I do another blood test. I increase the dose to 5-10mg twice a day if too much thyroid hormone is still present and recheck their thyroxine levels two weeks later. Once I have determined the right amount of medication to give, I check blood thyroxine levels every three months. I am not enthusiastic about the results of this drug. Too many owners report that their cat stopped eating entirely on the medication. Vomiting and lethargy on Tapazole are also common. It is very difficult to get cats to take this bitter pill. Another major problem I have in treating these cats medically is the emergence of hidden kidney disease during treatment. Although hyperthyroidism is a very serious condition, failing kidneys is even more serious. Unfortunately, many of my clients are left unable to afford referral for radio-iodine treatment and yet unsatisfied with methimazole administration. Cost problems of this nature are a good reason to purchase pet health insurance. Hyperthyroidism in cats is often the cause of elevated blood pressure or hypertension. (systolic blood pressure exceeds 160 mm Hg). When this occurs, smaller blood vessels may burst under increased pressure, particularly vessels within the retina of the eye. This can lead to retinal detachment and sudden blindness. To reduce the blood pressure anti-hypertensive drugs should be used. A number of agents called calcium channel blockers are available for treatment of hypertension although many of these are not specifically licensed for cats. Examples of two drugs commonly used are benazepril ( Fortekor®, Lotensin, 0.125-0.25 mg/lb once daily ) and amlodipine ( Istin®, NORVASC, 0.09 +/- 0.015 mg/lb once daily). Prevention: Statistically it has been found that cats fed a diet of fish-based cat food develop more hyperthyroidism and other glandular ailments. This may be due to rancid polyunsaturated fats found in poorer animal-quality fish products. The feeding of cat foods in pull-top cans seems to also be associated with this disease in some inexplicable way. A always suggest that cats on fish diets be weaned off of them and , when that is not possible, that they be given daily supplemental doses of vitamin E and B-1 (thiamine). ScrewyLewy says.."Happy Smoke for Happy People" "Let's get small" Please adopt a new friend To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-19-2008, 08:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
OGUNIT Banned Join Date: Jul 2008 Co-Op: no Vendor: no Patient: yes Posts: 1,647 Rep Power: 0	Re: Cat Food so what brand do you think is healthy ? i have vegan friends who "used" to feed vegan food LOL , im not laughing at vegans btw i have them in my family . it depends on" what " kind of fish . farm , natural and species . they used to say no wine now they say drink it . of course just dont feed em fish .. feed them a well rounded diet like my cat food . and dog food great thread , allot of people need to be educated on pet food . look at the melamine scare . babies dead and animals .good points about cats just eating fish . Last edited by OGUNIT; 12-19-2008 at 08:11 PM..

12-19-2008, 08:17 PM	#3 (permalink)
Yoda Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Cat Food The Wellness brand is pretty good,. http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/

12-19-2008, 08:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
moms_brownies Im Memory of George... Early 1990's-2007 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: WEST SFV Co-Op: no Vendor: yes Patient: yes Posts: 494 Rep Power: 116633	Re: Cat Food We are currently using the Wellness brand from Petco..... Harry has a gluten-issue, compounded by the apparent negative impact of corn on his system, this stuff helped... However, we are going to try another brand and will let you know how it goes... moms_brownies says..I'll get around to it when............. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Where we got Happy Harry

12-19-2008, 09:05 PM	#5 (permalink)
ScrewyLewy I'm Tired! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: 3rd rock from the sun Co-Op: NO Vendor: NO Patient: YES Posts: 669 Rep Power: 54391	Re: Cat Food My group has been using MaxCat Roasted Chicken which is now owned by Mars candies I use Science diet orig. Dry although the 1st ingredient should be a quality protein like chicken or turkey. I am really liking alot of the new Natural Food Companies although there is no real certified organics in pet food like in human food companies can make all sorts of claims there are no Government authorities like in people food. A lot of people don't realize MENU FOODS in Kansas make a lot of the major brands. Same ingredients different formulas. 3 parts this 2 parts that and here is Iams. 6 parts this 1 part that and it's Ol'Roys or Gravy Train. Same factory different food identical ingredients. So when these big company say they have better quality ingredient BS same stuff. Thats how they all had melamine in the gluten same stuff from China. So companies that have their own small factories may be safer. After this horrible pet food scare our pets might just be safer. But use quality not supermarket food. Limit treats don't use hairball foods that's laxatives all the time treat problems as needed. Spend more on food now and less at the Vet later. Remember cats are carnivorous. That makes .04 now huh. Not an expert I just talk alot and if I am in error please call BS on me I can learn too. ScrewyLewy says.."Happy Smoke for Happy People" "Let's get small" Please adopt a new friend To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-20-2008, 06:12 PM	#6 (permalink)
Kushy420 Something else to get us through... Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sherman Oaks Co-Op: NO Vendor: NO Patient: YES Posts: 219 Rep Power: 1738	Re: Cat Food I found a pet food company called Blue Organics. I made the switch mainly due to the fact that it’s organic and the ingredient list really impressed me. It is free of any animal by-products, corn, wheat, soy and it gluten free. Both my cats love it and sometimes I see them searching through it to find these little pieces called “LifeSource Bits” that contain all kinds of good things for them. Now that I see this article I’m a little concerned because the Organic Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe that I buy contains salmon meal. I think out of all the fishes they use salmon probably has the least amount of toxins in it. I’m also thinking since it’s not the main ingredient I’m probably ok. I guess I’ll have to check into this a bit more. Thanks for the info! Here’s a link to the food if you want to check it out. http://www.bluebuff.com/products/cat...ics-cats.shtml

02-17-2009, 04:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
MikeM Dumbstruck Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Orange County Co-Op: no Vendor: no Patient: yes Posts: 115 Rep Power: 397	Re: Cat Food I lost my best ever cat, Lucy to hyperthyroidism a few years ago. She did live to almost 16 and only had it for about 3 years before she died. I think cat's are healthiest just eating a good quality dry food.

04-12-2009, 08:30 PM	#9 (permalink)
MoeGreen4200 Hi, Im New! Join Date: Apr 2009 Co-Op: no Vendor: no Patient: yes Posts: 17 Rep Power: 0	Re: Cat Food my cats picky. she loves the gravy more than anything. im sure she's not the only kitty who loves that. she's totally into Iams at the moment.

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