Blood Test For Hyperthyroidism In Cats

Often the blood test will show the elevated levels of levothyroxine or t 4 in the bloodstream.

Blood test for hyperthyroidism in cats.

Blood urea nitrogen. Your vet will perform a blood test that measures the levels of thyroid hormones in your cat s blood. In the vast majority of cases a definitive diagnosis of hyperthyroidism is based on a simple blood test that shows elevated t 4 levels in the bloodstream. Thyroxine is a thyroid hormone.

This test indicates hydration status and provides additional information about the liver kidneys and infectious diseases. It is important to keep in mind that sometimes these tests can be wrong. Most cats with hyperthyroidism have elevated levels of the thyroid hormone t4 in their bloodstream but a small percentage of cats with hyperthyroidism have t4 levels within the normal range. If thyroid disease is a possibility your veterinarian will likely order a blood chemistry panel and an analysis of thyroid hormone levels.

In roughly two to ten percent of cats with hyperthyroidism. Diagnosing hyperthyroidism diagnosing hyperthyroidism will require blood tests to measure the levels of thyroid hormones t4 in your cats blood. Thyroxine t4 is usually monitored in cats as they get older. Hyperthyroid cats may have normal findings on the cbc and urinalysis but the chemistry panel often shows elevation of several liver enzymes.

A high t4 might indicate the development of hyperthyroidism a commonly diagnosed condition in cats high thyroid levels can cause a myriad of different signs in cats including increased appetite weight loss eating non food items or wanting more human food and increased vomiting. T3 suppression test for cats diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism can usually be accomplished by measuring t3 t4 and or free t4 in a single baseline blood sample. High levels indicate hyperthyroidism in cats. Most hyperthyroid cats have very high levels of hormone but some cats will have signs of hyperthyroidism with normal or only slightly increased levels of thyroid hormone.

The most reliable test veterinarians utilize to diagnose hyperthyroidism in cats is by doing a simple blood test. A baseline blood sample is taken followed by oral administration of liothyronine a synthetic form of t3 for seven doses followed by another blood sample. Both blood samples evaluated at a specialist. Thyroid hormone levels can vary over time so it may be necessary to check blood levels several times or perform a different test called a t3 suppression test.

In cats with borderline or high normal t4 levels a free t4 test may be done to confirm the disease. T3 suppression test for cats whose t3 and t4 results are within normal parameters but the cat appears to be clinically hyperthyroid.