My 15-year-old cat was tested and diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Does it make sense for her to also have blood in her urine and really foul smelling poop? I told the vet, but she was so set on thinking my cat had renal failure, she did not address the blood in urine.
Hyperthyroidism causes a range of symptoms. It can cause vomiting and gastric upset, which may be the cause of the foul-smelling stool. It also often comes along with kidney disease. Often times the kidney disease is not seen on the initial bloodwork that diagnoses the hyperthyroid, because the increase in thyroid function ‘masks’ the kidney disease. Your kitty’s blood pressure may be elevated because of the hyperthyroid, which increases the blood perfusion to the kidneys, this helps to keep the kidneys functioning well. Once treated for hyperthyroidism, many cats will then begin to show signs of kidney disease in their follow-up bloodwork when the blood pressure is brought down to normal levels. With all of this in mind, blood in the urine isn’t necessarily a symptom of kidney disease. It can be due to crystals in the urine, or due to urinary tract infection. Sometimes blood in urine seen at the lab can be caused by the collection method and it is not an immediate concern. If your kitty’s urine was quite diluted, this may be why your veterinarian was leaning towards kidney disease. As far as supplements, for the hyperthyroidism I recommend the Resthyro. This should be given along with the veterinary prescribed medication for hyperthyroidism. If you decide you would like to wean your kitty off the medication, please only do so with a veterinarian’s guidance and regular T4 level monitoring. For the kidney disease, Tripsy would be beneficial and provide overall support.