Giving a cat Thyronorm

[Simpo Two]

Sadly my 11y/o cat has an over-active thyroid, and the vet has prescribed Thyronorm.

It's supposed to be squirted straight down the cat's throat but she's not going to enjoy that so I've been putting it on her food instead - the vet said that was OK. However she often doesn't eat all the food, and she's increasingly being sick so what she does get is probably coming up again.

For the last couple of nights she's had bouts of retching in the small hours, and several bouts today. I have to get the proper dose into her.

Can anyone suggest the best method or YouTube link so I can do this effectively with minimal stress to the cat (and me) please? Many thanks.

[SlimJim16v]

I found squirting something down the throat with a syringe much easier than getting a pill down there. It did take 2 of us though.

[bigandclever]

Here's a nice Canadian vet showing how to do it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3meUkY2e4Y

Gist is; position the cat correctly (which he demonstrates); aim the syringe at the back of the throat to ensure they don't taste the medecine; don't piss about and just get on with it. Couple of hints for more aggressive/unhappy cats in there too.

[Ronstein]

We've had a three month challenge with Thyroid medication. It seems our cat is hypersensitive to it. Tablets made her ill so Thryonorm was substituted. We've been working with the vet to tailior the correct dose for her, which means getting the correct amount into her as accurately as possible twice a day. Squirting it into her mouth doesn't happen, she fights like a tiger, shakes her head and spits it out, so we've no idea if she's recieved any, let alone the small (0.75 mg) dose she's currently on. We've found the best way is to put it on a small amount of treat food and then put her regular food down only when it's gone. Current favorite is poached Salmon!!

[Simpo Two]

SlimJim16v said:

I found squirting something down the throat with a syringe much easier than getting a pill down there. It did take 2 of us though.

It's liquid luckily. I caught her by surprise the first 2-3 times but she's getting wise now and fighting harder...

bigandclever said:

Here's a nice Canadian vet showing how to do it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3meUkY2e4Y

Gist is; position the cat correctly (which he demonstrates); aim the syringe at the back of the throat to ensure they don't taste the medecine; don't piss about and just get on with it. Couple of hints for more aggressive/unhappy cats in there too.

That cat must be drugged...! The main issue with mine is her very strong reverse gear... but I see he goes from underneath rather than above...

Ronstein said:

We've had a three month challenge with Thyroid medication. It seems our cat is hypersensitive to it. Tablets made her ill so Thryonorm was substituted. We've been working with the vet to tailior the correct dose for her, which means getting the correct amount into her as accurately as possible twice a day. Squirting it into her mouth doesn't happen, she fights like a tiger, shakes her head and spits it out, so we've no idea if she's recieved any, let alone the small (0.75 mg) dose she's currently on. We've found the best way is to put it on a small amount of treat food and then put her regular food down only when it's gone. Current favorite is poached Salmon!!

Re 'tailoring', did this need multiple blood tests? My vet suggested the food method; however she never eats all the food put out and with her vomiting she wasn't getting much of a dose. Also the instructions in the box say that giving on food isn't recommended as the efficacy hasn't been tested. So easy to do, but inefficient I think.

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 28th March 21:47

[Cyder]

I squirt it down our cats throat and she’s pretty good at taking it.
Wrap her in the left arm then hold the syringe to the corner of her mouth. As she turns her head over my shoulder her mouth opens and in it goes.
East peasy.

[Ronstein]

Simpo Two said:

Re 'tailoring', did this need multiple blood tests? My vet suggested the food method; however she never eats all the food put out and with her vomiting she wasn't getting much of a dose. Also the instructions in the box say that giving on food isn't recommended as the efficacy hasn't been tested. So easy to do, but inefficient I think.

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 28th March 21:47

Yes, blood tests every three weeks for the last couple of months (thank heavens for PetPlan). Once she's settled at the correct level (between 10 and 60) it'll be one at 6 weeks and then every 6 months.Due to get the latest bloofd test result tomorrow, so fingers crossed!!

Ours was also vomiting (another symptom of hyperthyroidism, apparantly) and is a very fussy eater, hence putting the Thyronorm on a small amount of something 'special' before putting her food down every morning and evening.

The vet spoke to their medication specialist about the 'on food' comment. The response was that it's only not recommended because it hasn't been tested. The fact that it's controlling her hyperthyroidism tends to confirm that it doesn't have a negative impact and, as the vet said, if that's the only way to ensure she's geting an exact dose, it's the only way to administer it.

PM me if you want to have chat

[Rayy]

Persevere.
Ours hated it at first and fought us.
But after a couple of weeks she seemed to quieten and now accepts it squirted into her mouth without fuss.

[Simpo Two]

Ronstein said:

Ours was also vomiting (another symptom of hyperthyroidism, apparantly) and is a very fussy eater, hence putting the Thyronorm on a small amount of something 'special' before putting her food down every morning and evening.

The vet spoke to their medication specialist about the 'on food' comment. The response was that it's only not recommended because it hasn't been tested. The fact that it's controlling her hyperthyroidism tends to confirm that it doesn't have a negative impact and, as the vet said, if that's the only way to ensure she's geting an exact dose, it's the only way to administer it.

That confirms my thoughts, thanks. If it's worked for you I might try both methods, eg on a small helping of food for breakfast, then a squirt in the evening.

She was up barfing away in the early hours of this morning, maybe 8 times, though when I went to inspect the damage there was only one splurge on the carpet. She's been on Thyronorm since 14 March, but until a few days ago I only gave it on food and I think half of it was wasted. Let's hope that now she's getting a better dose it will stop.

[Ronstein]

Simpo Two said:

That confirms my thoughts, thanks. If it's worked for you I might try both methods, eg on a small helping of food for breakfast, then a squirt in the evening.

She was up barfing away in the early hours of this morning, maybe 8 times, though when I went to inspect the damage there was only one splurge on the carpet. She's been on Thyronorm since 14 March, but until a few days ago I only gave it on food and I think half of it was wasted. Let's hope that now she's getting a better dose it will stop.

Fingers crossed for you. We got confirmation today that our's has now got acceptable levels of Thyroid hormone (finally!).

[geezerbutler]

Our 20 year old cat has been on Thyronorm for a couple of years. We give it to her mixed with Webbox Lik-e-Lix yoghurt treats (chicken flavour - she hates the salmon version!). She even comes looking for it if I'm late giving it to her. Has worked well - her levels have been normal for about a year now after a bit of tweaking of the dosage.

Good luck - hope you find an equally effective technique!

Bonus pic of the patient:

Edited by geezerbutler on Thursday 31st March 22:08

[Simpo Two]

Thanks GB, she looks remarkably like mine!

I've masted the art of administering by the 'squirt' method; she seems more resigned to it now. So she's been getting a proper dose (2.5g 2x a day) for several days now. I do notice, however that she seems quieter, and spends most of the day just sitting or sleeping, and is still up in the night retching. Next vet appt due in week - I guess that will be another £300+ gone

[geezerbutler]

Simpo Two said:

Thanks GB, she looks remarkably like mine!

I've masted the art of administering by the 'squirt' method; she seems more resigned to it now. So she's been getting a proper dose (2.5g 2x a day) for several days now. I do notice, however that she seems quieter, and spends most of the day just sitting or sleeping, and is still up in the night retching. Next vet appt due in week - I guess that will be another £300+ gone

We had some problems with her being nauseous initially - took quite a while to get the dose right. She now has a lower dose of 0.5 at noon and 0.75 in the evening. She has her levels tested every six months. Her levels are just about perfect and her weight is stable. It works, but we're certainly relieved that PetPlan are paying out for (most) of it!

[Simpo Two]

First night without retching for some time. But she didn't sleep curled up last night, just sitting on her paws for hours looking a bit battered. Basically just sits all day, which is not like her.

[geezerbutler]

Is she eating? Ours lost appetite and had vomiting problems on and off until we got the dosage right. If she doesn't want to eat due to nausea the vet can give a 24 hour anti-nausea injection.

[Simpo Two]

geezerbutler said:

Is she eating? Ours lost appetite and had vomiting problems on and off until we got the dosage right. If she doesn't want to eat due to nausea the vet can give a 24 hour anti-nausea injection.

Mine was vomiting in the night before treatment. Thinking back, it had gone on for some time but I didn't connect it to anything. Now it's just retching; after the first heave nothing more comes up.

She's eating OK, perhaps more 'little and often' than before, and I have some posher catfood and also salmon and tuna to add some interest. We'll find out how it's going next week...

[otolith]

Mine both had it - I used to squirt it onto a tiny bit of tuna.

Both had successful radiotherapy, which put a stop to that.

[Simpo Two]

otolith said:

Mine both had it - I used to squirt it onto a tiny bit of tuna.

Both had successful radiotherapy, which put a stop to that.

Ah yes, the vet mentioned that - she'd have to go to some special place and it would cost several £K he said...

[otolith]

Yep. They dose them and then they’re not safe to be around for a couple of weeks. Once they come home you have to restrict your exposure to them and bag their litter and keep it outside for a couple of weeks before you bin it. But - it’s a permanent fix and the insurance covered most of it.

They won’t do it until they are stable on thyronorm though, because fixing the hyperthyroidism can unmask kidney issues.

[Simpo Two]

lol yes, he did say that my cat would be radioactive!

But if it's safe for cats how can it be dangerous to humans?