I was skeptical about combining Resthyro and Petomega 3 together, since Petomega contains fish oil and everything I’ve been reading / researching about hyperthyroidism in cats is to avoid or limit seafood/fish due to high levels of iodine that naturally occur in fish. Can you shed some light on this?
There is a lot of information floating around the internet about seafood and hyperthyroidism. The following link is a database of scientific research and you can find studies on just about anything there. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The link between iodine rich diets and hyperthyroidism is still at a hypothesis stage. It is thought that cats who have been fed a mainly seafood diet may have a higher chance of developing hyperthyroidism, but this isn’t known for sure.
It has also been shown that a diet very low in iodine can help to control hyperthyroidism in cats. The cats in this study did show a decreased T4 level, however they didn’t show significant changes in other symptoms of hyperthyroidism (increased heart rate or low body weight) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4895365/
Particularly, if your cat is being treated for hyperthyroidism, the iodine is not so much of a concern, as the thyroid hormones are being regulated that way. From recent research, one major concern would be if a cat were to eat a diet which is mainly seafood.
With the PetOmega 3 you will be giving a small amount once daily, so this is not going to be a significant addition of iodine to your kitty’s diet.
We currently have customers who give their hyperthyroid cats the Omega 3 supplement, with great success. It is a great support for the heart, and helps to restore and maintain healthy skin and coat, which is often affected by hyperthyroidism.
Ultimately it is up to the pet parent to decide whether or not to continue with the PetOmega 3, however our in-house veterinarian also advises that this supplement will not affect your kitty’s success in dealing with hyperthyroidism.