New Testing to Predict Survival Times in Sick Cats

Purpose

To evaluate a point of care test that is more sensitive to feline Thyroid Stimulating Hormone(fTSH) in severely ill cats and determine if this method of testing can help predict outcomes in ill cats and guide clinical decision.

Background

 In sick cats, low thyroid stimualating hormone (TSH) levels can be an indicator of a condition called "nonthyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS)," also known as "sick euthyroid syndrome". While low TSH might suggest hypothyroidism, in sick cats, it's often a result of the illness itself, not a thyroid problem.

Eligibility

• Cats with nonthyroidal illness
• Cats deemed healthy via history, physical examination, routine blood work (CBC, Chemistry, UA and total T4).

Exclusion Criteria

• Cats that have had anesthesia in the last 48 hours.
• Cats taking certain medications, like steroids or pain relievers (NSAIDs), that might affect thyroid hormones.
• Cats with high thyroid levels (elevated T4).

Study Design

A blood sample (~3-5 mL) will be collected via venipuncture for perform thyroid function tests. Enrolled cats will have TSH and T4 concentrations measured via the BAW and CLIA assays.  

Compensation

The study will be using samples from healthy or ill cats that are already having blood drawn for routine diagnostic testing.  The tests used for the study will not incur additional costs to the owner.