What Is The Best Food For A Cat With Hyperthyroidism
Since the problem of hyperthyroidism was detected in cats for the first time, it has risen at a fast speed all over the world including the US. Mostly this health problem is found in older cats, older than 10 years of age. The basic metabolic rate of the body is regulated by the thyroid hormone. Too much thyroid in the body can increase the speed of every reaction in the body as done by drinking too much coffee. The symptoms of hyperthyroid in cats are related to weight loss, excessive hunger, yowling, restlessness, diarrhea, heart problems, and vomiting. This problem in cats can be treated naturally by providing them the best food. In this write-up, we are briefly discussing hyperthyroid in cats and some of the best foods for them.
Causes of hyperthyroid in cats
About the quick rise in the problem of hyperthyroid in cats, there are several theories. You will have to focus on the causes of this problem as it affects a large number of cats globally. Hyperthyroid can be caused in cats due to various reasons like:
Food: According to a theory, a large amount of iodine found in several foods for cats can be one of the reasons for hyperthyroid in cats. Eve humans can suffer from hyperthyroid by consuming iodine food excessively. The makers of pet foods usually add more iodine in them as it is not easy and inexpensive to detect it if minimums are net by them.
According to several other studies, eating too much canned food can increase the risk of developing the problem of thyroid in cats. The cats that eat too much liver, canned food like giblet or organ meats and fish are commonly detected with hyperthyroid. Pet foods containing giblet or organ meats are labeled as containing by-products which are normally not found in high-quality natural foods for cats.
According to various researches, the presence of BPA chemicals in most of the top class canned pet foods can be one of the reasons to cause hyperthyroid in cats as by dissolving into the food it can increase toxicity in it. Today, nearly 25 types of lining are used in the cans of canned food which makes it difficult to find the harmful lining from them.
According to the FDA, cat foods with a low level of BPA cannot increase the risk to the health of cats.
Environment: According to a media report, the presence of PBDEs, a fire retardant chemical, in the environment can be one of the causes of hyperthyroidism in cats. It has been revealed through certain studies that the time of diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in cats and the time of introduction of PBDEs are the same. Moreover, the rate of use of PBDEs in various countries is equivalent to the rate of increase of hyperthyroidism in cats.
Cats can be exposed to the PBDEs and live dust mites found in upholstery, carpets, electronic equipment, and mattresses as they normally sleep or sit on them. It makes their exposure to these harmful elements for a long time and excessive. A cat can ingest dust in a large amount while grooming them. It means the risk of hyperthyroidism in cats can increase in pet cats.
It has also been revealed through a few recent studies that some of the cat foods also include PBDEs of different types. High levels of PBEs are found in certain canned cat foods like cat foods based on seafood or fish. Dry food for cats contains PBDEs in higher amounts.
Other factors including age: Hyperthyroidism is also found in cats that have never gone outside, never eaten canned food, and never exposed to the causes of other diseases. So, it can be concluded that there can be several factors that can cause hyperthyroidism in cats as usually, it happens to older cats. So it is not easy to give a particular reason in this regard.
Treatment of Hyperthyroidism in cats
The main aim of treating hyperthyroidism in cats is to reduce the thyroid hormone levels in one’s body. It can be achieved in many ways like:
- Use of anti-thyroid medication
- Therapy if radioactive iodine
- Thyroidectomy
- A special diet for hyperthyroidism in cats
You can work with your vet to find the best treatment for hyperthyroid in your cat. But a diet of the cat can be an important part of the treatment regardless of which method you choose.
Diets prescribed for treating hyperthyroidism in cats
The diets prescribed for managing hyperthyroid in cats contain a restricted amount of iodine. These diets are normally used without using any other medicinal treatment. But there is no evidence available until now about the long-term effect of restricted iodine diets on the health of affected cats as it is still under observation.
The level of iodine in the food to control hyperthyroidism in cats should not be more than 0.32 parts per million in any case. The amount of iodine has been restricted to provide cats enough iodine required to produce thyroid hormone in their body. Their body can start producing thyroid hormones by strictly reducing the amount of iodine in their diet.
While prescribing diet for cats with hyperthyroidism some of the experts commonly prescribe canned cat foods manufactured according to the parameters set by them. Certain dry cat foods are also prescribed by certain experts.
It has been proved through various clinical studies that after eating a prescription diet for hyperthyroidism in cats the levels of T4 hormones of the thyroid can start decreasing within 3 weeks and can come to a normal position in a few months.
In this situation, it is important to keep in mind that the cats eating prescription food to treat their hyperthyroidism should not be given any non-prescribed food. They should not be given any human food and treats as well as no hunting or scavenging is allowed to them. The balance in the intake of iodine maintained by the prescription food can be destroyed by giving them any other food.
Thus prescription diet is the best food for cats with hyperthyroidism.
