Does hyperthyroidism mask kidney disease if blood tests are normal?

Hello, sorry to hear about Tony. A low potassium may be secondary to a decrease dietary intake. However, if Tony is on amlodipine, then this can cause a low potassium as well. If his kidney values are normal, then it is less likely that he has kidney disease. I would recommend continuing to monitor him and if he is otherwise eating, drinking, and acting normally then you may not need to pursue an abdominal ultrasound at this point. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi there! Sounds like you are an excellent owner! Tony is lucky! Yes, he can still be thirsty. The medications may be causing this and not necessarily the hyperthyroidism. If all the lab values are normal then I would not be too worried about it. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you and Tony!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! A T4 of 1.8 is normal and doesn’t indicate hyperthyroidism and it means the dose Tony is on a good dose. I wound investigate other causes of increased thirst: diabetes, liver disease, high calcium cancer, etc if his thyroid is regulated and his kidney values are normal. I hope this helps and I wish Tony the best!

Hello, I am sorry I misunderstood your question earlier. I hope this response helps you. In order to stage renal failure, we need to know the urine specific gravity, blood pressure, and urine protein to creatinine ratio. Based on the values you provided, she has chronic kidney disease but I cannot stage it without further information. If the free T4 was elevated that is consistent with hyperthyroidism which often masks underlying kidney disease. Therefore, her kidney disease could be worse than we suspect based on the info you provided above. Realistically, she has two diseases and fortunately both are treatable. Ultimately, the prognosis depends on response to therapy. It is not uncommon for some patients to do well for a few years with appropriate therapy and kidney diet. Prior to treating her hyperthyroidism, her kidney disease should be treated (at home) with subcutaneous fluid therapy, antibiotics to cover for an underlying kidney infection, and vitamin B12 supplementation. After she feels better and begins eating consistently, discuss treatment for hyperthyroidism.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tony. I agree that he is in the early stages of kidney failure based on the lab results you have provided. Kidney disease can cause low levels of potassium so it is good that you are supplementing him. Kidney values can fluctuate up and down a bit, but you want to assess trends over time to see how he is doing. SDMA and creatinine are more sensitive indicators than BUN. I would ask if his phosphorus level is in the target range for his degree of kidney disease (based on the IRIS staging) and make sure he has had his blood pressure measured recently. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would basically call that stable as long as Tony is feeling well. I would be sure that your vet has done a urinanalysis to check for protein and have checked his blood pressure. There are medications to control those things and thus prevent further kidney damage. Otherwise the plan sounds reasonable. Good luck!

Diabetes mellitus, liver diseases, Gastrointestinal diseases like IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), renal failure, tumors like lymphoma, may all have some signs in common with hyperthyroidism. Physical examination, history and clinico-pathological findings (resulting from blood tests and urine analysis) can differentiate them all. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.